Old fashion values and lifestyle alive and well here, for the most part in our area of the state.

I was raised up in the Church of Christ for the most part by a second generation Preacher.  If you know much about the Church, or the  old style Church, we don't have a Pastor, we had a Preacher or a man of the congregation that studied and shared with the Church the message the Lord sent him that week.  The standard paid Preacher is new to the Church and has come about in the last 50 years.  I having been raised in the old tradition of the Church have many of the old values ingrained in my beliefs.  My father was never able to dance in his life as that was, and is, a sin for him.  His father didn't believe in television or movies theaters, and never danced either.  Those are just two of the things they didn't imbibe in.  My grandfather had been an alcoholic as a young man so when the Lord called him out he never imbibed in alcohol again.  My dad is not a teetotaller but alcohol was used in moderation in my home as a child or not at all.  We still use alcohol minimally.  The values I learned as a child will be with me my whole life and in many ways I will always be a child of the Church of Christ.  I don't have the ability to go to the Church here so through much prayer and many hours in conversation with God we are now going to and happy in our new Church.  There are differences I may never over come, I may never be totally a Baptist but the Lord has called me there and the differences are not of enough consequence to not find and be able to praise the Lord there. I do miss communion though.  My daughters will be raised up in this church and have the balance and security of a Church of their heart to worship God in.  God is so good.

I find that with my raising came a certain lifestyle that, did or didn't have to do directly with the Church, but more of God.  The Church of Christ probably more than any church is a new testament Church.  We believe in the new testament as our way to God, the old testament is history, and was fulfilled at the Cross.  We studied the old testament but do actually live by it if it not renewed in the new testament. We don't use additional text in our worship.  I digress.  I live my life pretty much as honest as I can.  I don't take much stock in material things.  If the Lord blesses my I share what I have.  I hope that I am storing riches in heaven as none of what we store on earth goes with us.  I do most things in moderation.  I don't take much store in compliments of how I look, I like to be presentable at Church but God did put me on earth to be a fashion model so don't find that to be the end all be all of my life.  I don't care to be the center of attention, and try hard to not be the focus of people.  Life is not about me but the Lord.  I take to heart Proverbs 27:10, Never abandon a friend--either yours or your father's. When disaster strikes, you won't have to ask your brother for assistance. It's better to go to a neighbor than to a brother who lives far away.  I have lived in my neighborhood 30 years, I have wonderful neighbors that are more like family in ways than some of my family.  They see a need and they fill it, I see a need and I have tried to fill it.  Mokie and I take care of their kids like they were our own.  We see it as us having extra so we give of our time to take care of their kids when they are at work.  Isn't that what we are called to do.  Why would anyone question that relationship?  Why would it be any ones business or concern?  Surely not a neighbor that can't remember to take care of their own children? 

One of the things I have done, but not to a great extent, in my life is to dance.  I did some as a teenager but it has been many a year since I dance outside of my living room. I do, or have danced with my toddler children, and now I do it with my toddler grandchildren.  My adult children just roll there eyes.  I love to dance in joy with a little child.  David danced for the Lord didn't he?  I don't really like to dance otherwise.  I recalling hearing there is a dance called the "funky chicken", "the hustle", the "bump" from more my time but don't know how to do any of them.  I have no idea what some of the new dances are called but I may have witnessed one recently, I do know I don't want to learn it.  I think it may have been called the "white trash".  My best impression of it is, it is a street dance,  it requires a beer in one hand, a white rag of some sort in the other, a bag of dog poop sticking out of your pocket and no upper undergarments.  As I saw it done you stand out in the street, a small child at your side peeing on the roadway, you start by strutting back and forth wiggling and waggling enough to get your unsupported parts bobbling up and down, you raise your beer grasping hand in the air on one side and your white rag needs to be flapping about precariously, you have to scream as loud as possible, white trash, white trash, as you strut back and forth.  I don't think it would be a dance done in a ballroom, or a dance floor, it think maybe it would be something that others would like on utube maybe it could be put there, it might be the next sensation but probably not.  I know that I would be ashamed to do it and probably won't try it anytime soon. Who could have thought up such a dance, or maybe it wasn't a dance could it have just been the act of a crazy person, I don't know?  Something to ponder.  I will pray that it was a dance if not I will pray for it's inventor.  

I think in the end the only thing that is certain in this life is God's grace, we are not assured of tomorrow, so I pray each night to be right with God, for my friends, family, all my neighbors, my country and the world in general.  What a place we live in, I am glad I am only subject to view the outside world, not of my little old fashioned world, only occasionally.  It is clear that it is getting more sinful daily and that is for God to fix not me..... tomorrow.