A Pure Heart

Jesus is the most controversial figure in the history of mankind.  We all have a sinful nature that does not allow us to see the wisdom in His teachings. We need to be made new; we need to be given new eyes for answers to those familiar patterns in us that lead us down a path of destruction.

Jesus spent much of His ministry teaching radical new ideas. Ideas that seem downright unbelievable because they are so contrary to what our culture says is the way to live life.  On a windy moutainside, Jesus proclaimed what would become known as the Beautitudes - eight pathways of death to our fleshly desires that would bring us the abundant life He promised to this who love Him. 

Matthew 5:8 (New Living Translation) - God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God.

Ladies, a pure heart is a heart that is not haughty.  Pride and arrogance will prevent us from seeing God and knowing His will. 

Extracts from Page 126 - Living with Unmet Desires

To a Special Person

IT'S CHRISTIAN PERSON WEEK AND YOU SHOULD SEND THIS TO ALL BEAUTIFUL CHRISTIAN PEOPLE.

When I say that 'I am a Christian', I am not saying that 'I am clean living. I'm saying 'I was lost, but now I'm found and forgiven.'

When I say 'I am a Christian', I don't speak of this with pride. I'm confessing that I stumble and need Christ to be my guide.

When I say 'I am a Christian', I'm not trying to be strong. I'm professing that I'm weak and need His strength to carry on.

When I say 'I am a Christian', I'm not bragging of success. I'm admitting I have failed and need GOD to clean my mess.

When I say 'I am a Christian', I'm not claiming to be perfect. My flaws are far too visible, but GOD believes I am worth it.

When I say 'I am a Christian', I still feel the sting of pain. I have my share of heartaches, so I call upon HIS name.

When I say 'I am a Christian', I'm not holier than thou, I'm just a simple sinner who received GOD's good grace, somehow!

Today is Beautiful Christian Person's Day.

Boost another person's self esteem, and send this to them!

Be Blessed, and be a Blessing.

Family Dynamics

Ah, the complexity of family relationships!  There is something we all have in common: we are all part of a family.  We really had no choice in the matter to whom we were born to or whether we had any siblings.  The greatest encouragement and the greatest discouragement can come from people with whom we have shared a great part of our lives living with.

Take an assessment of your family relationships right now.  How would you rate your intimacy level in the following relationships on a scale of 1 to 5 (1 being extremely distant and 5 being extremely satisfying)?

Your parents: ________________
Your siblings: ________________
Your husband / fiancee / boyfriend: ______________________
Your children (if any): ________________________________

Family Builders:

• How can you change the distant relationships?
• How can you model and/or maintain the satisfying relationships?

Happy Rest

Have you ever felt the sweet happy sense of rest upon going to bed at night? How delightful was the sensation of relaxing every muscle and letting your body go into perfect abandonment of ease and comfort.  The strain of the day had ceased, for a few hours at least.  You no longer had to hold up an aching head, a weary back, or a burdened heart. You trusted yourself to the bed in an absolute confidence and it held you up without effort or strain.  You rested!

But suppose you had doubted the strength or the stability of your bed, and had dreaded each moment to find it giving way beneath you.  Could you have rested then? Would not every muscle have been strained in a fruitless effort to hold yourself up, and would not the weariness have been greater than if you had not gone to bed at all?

Now, apply this analogy to what it means to rest in the Lord.  Let you souls lie down upon the couch of His will.  Relax every strain, and lay off every burden.  Let yourself go in perfect abandonment of ease and comfort, knowing that, since He holds you up, you are perfectly safe.  Your part is simply to rest. His part is to sustan you; and He cannot fail.

Rest Builders:

• Is there an area or issue in your life in which you need to experience God's rest and peace?
• When have you felt a God-given rest or peace after particularly difficult times?

The Appointed Time

Pride has been one of the most heartbreaking sins in my life.  You see, I was a "good" girl on the outside. I had mastered the role of what I thought everyone wanted me to be.  Unfortunately, the abundant life Christ had promised me through His Word, and which I saw in others, remained as elusive to me as ever. 

As I look back on my childhood and young adult years, I realize that the main reason I obeyed the rules was fear of disappointing others, not necessarily becuase I wanted to do the right thing. I never thought I was attactive or talented or particularly smart.  I had a driving need to feel significant, but I felt I possessed nothing that was honored by my culture to make me feel I was worthy. I did, however, have my reputation.  That was the area inwhich I was admired and fawned over by others.  I was the responsible one, the mature one - I was even called the spiritual one, often.  I strove with all my might to be what  others said I was.  This standard became my personal criteria to being accepted by others. 

After making some destructive decisions in a dating relationship in my college years, I realized I had failed to meet my own standard of what it meant to be a "good" Christian girl.  The result was crushing guilt that extinguised my joy.  Worse than that, I believed the lie that I had dissapointed God beyond hope of His forgivenenss or redemption.

Until I was confronted with my own inabilitiy to be "good", I was extremely prideful of that false goodness.  Pride is first on the list of detestable sins that God hates in Proverbs 6:16-19.  I truly didn't see my pride as sinful.  I was my own judge and jury when it came to my righteousness before God.

Self Builders:

• What have you latched onto in your life as a direct result of your need for acceptance or attention? 
• Has this been something that has proven to be constructive or destructive to your relationship with God, yourself, and others?

Exerts from "Living with Unmet Desires" - Page 105

Spirit-Led Persistence

by Joyce Meyer - posted September 19, 2011


What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit [by the Holy Spirit that is within me], but I will also pray [intelligently] with my mind and understanding.

—1 Corinthians 14:15

I really want to encourage you to pray persistent, persevering prayers by the leading of the Holy Spirit—not mere repetitious prayers that do not come from your heart, but prayers that refuse to give up. It is possible to use your mouth to speak words of prayer that have no meaning behind them at all, and those prayers are nothing but dead works. I could quote the entire Lord's Prayer while I am thinking about something else, and that would not bless God or do me any good, but if I am sincere and pray from my heart, God hears and works in my behalf.

Lip service doesn't do anything for God or accomplish anything in our lives, so even when we pray about the same thing over and over again, we need to be careful not to fall into meaningless repetition. Instead, we need to allow the Holy Spirit to lead us in a fresh way, even when we are addressing a subject about which we have prayed for a long time. Sometimes He will lead us to be diligent and persistent about a matter, but there is a difference between repetition and Spirit-led persistence.

Words spoken in prayer that are not connected to our hearts are words without power. When we pray we should focus and concentrate on what we are saying. We should never merely verbalize things we have memorized while our hearts are far from God. The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available (see James 5:16).

God's word for you today: Your heartfelt prayers to God have power and He hears them.

________________________________________

From the book Hearing from God Each Morning: 365 Daily Devotions by Joyce Meyer.

Effortless

Smooth like satin,
soft like a baby’s cheek,
clear as a river running in the Congo
is what I truly seek.

EFFORTLESS…EFFORTLESS

I love this word
EF-FORT-LESS.
I say it …I believe it…I receive it!

The vibe I get from it
makes me feel alive,
and I thank God
He has allowed me
to survive all the rain, all the pain,

EFFORTLESS being my gain,
all because He reigns!
My thinking is reborn,
as EFFORTLESS helps me get through the storm,
and it has spun a radiant light,
shining on all my different plights,
reminding me – “ This is not your fight…”

With EFFORTLESS…
I relax,
I sit back,
I am in a constant siesta,
and EFFORTLESS even brings the confetti to my fiesta!

When I have to scale tall walls or if I fall,
EFFORTLESS calls me, finds me,
bringing me goose down pillows laced with harmony.

When I see EFFORTLESS blowing in the wind,
I caress, catch it,
dang, even my little dog wants to fetch it,

EFFORTLESS always leaving me in a good breathless…
EFFORTLESS

Simply amazing, His love never changing.
I am at peace, no labor, no drama.
I attract EFFORTLESS,
EFFORTLESS finds me
desiring to give me a continuity of glee,
empowering me so I can remain free,
and able to be all I can be.

I feel healed
just by rolling this delicious word
from my heart to my tongue and through my mouth
as I happily shout… EFFORTLESS!

I speak it with intention,
anticipating EFFORTLESS coming to fruition,
while thanking God for his son’s Crucifixion
none of this story is fiction,
as you read between the lines, feel it in your spirit
and you see the theme of EFFORTLESS mentioned.
Anyone who cannot offer EFFORTLESS
and her sister named PEACE,
I must release.

It is then I supernaturally increase,
and I gain more momentum,
I hum, I become uniquely undone
with awesome abandonment,
I go higher and higher, focused on what’s truly important.
And as I go even higher, I look back realizing
just how much the enemy is a complete liar
and his plan to keep you, me and all of God’s family away from

EFFORTLESS…
Selah.

L. Archie ©9/14/2011
In the Shadow of His Wings
:~: Lori Archie :~:

The game we play

This is the game we play

We enjoy the torture but can't take the pain

Life is what we make of it, but really what we plan of it

Some surprises but mostly intentional

Who is responsible for the mistakes we make?

What happens to the oh-oh's that come up?

It's amazing how quickly we forget what we receive is what we bargained for

This is the game that we play

Play wisely ladies!

Christian Meditation

Psalm 1: Blessed is the man who does now talk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.

When I read this, one question comes to mind. "How do I follow this example?".  I began to think about the word "meditate". Meditating is a great way to retain the Word.  But how do I learn to mediate in a world so full of distractions?  For me, meditating on the Word often necessitates turning off the radio and TV while I do housework or drive.  Silence gives me freedom to mull over what I've studied and pray it into my life or the lives of others.

Meditating on the Word also means I will have spiritual "meat" to offer to others around me.  What I have studied and meditated on - developed in my own mind - may be the exact insight that others need.

Meditation Builders:

• How do you manage to reflect on what you've learned from Scripture when you're constantly battling distractions?
• What is something you've recently learned from God's Word that you might share with your friends/family/loves ones this week?

A Woman of Substance

Written by Cathy Whitney

"As a woman with many responsibilities, some self-imposed and others that I can't ran away from, I find myself going back to the same thing over and over again. I desire to be a pure, natural, approachable, available and all rounded woman after God's own heart. The woman that God intended for me to be.

Now approaching ten years of marriage, 2.5 kids later, I have at least picked up a few things that strengthen me, things that push me to the next day and hold me up in the midst of all things woman

• Being approachable: I have found this to be liberating, uplifting and a joy filler. For me, a woman upholds the community. A woman holds together the home. A woman encourages, blesses and nurtures. In our daily routines of life, how open am I? Am I a person that another woman would approach if they had a question, a prayer request, or a need? When people look at me, do I look arrogant? Am I snobbish? Am I closed-minded and would people avoid to approach me? The energy that comes from a woman should be one that is pure, joyful and exciting not just for ourselves but for others around us

• Being a builder: Many times as women, we are overwhelmed by the need to share information, give our opinions and views - but sometimes, it's no longer sharing, it's gossip. Instead of building, encouraging and lifting a person, we find ourselves participating more in 'sharing' about someone. Sometimes it's too late to stop...because the stories are juicy. So, we choose to continue and by the time we are done talking...we feel bad. Personally, in such moments, I can't wait to go home and repent. Now, I'm learning that it's ok to stop a conversation, pray for that person and leave it at that.

• Being available: We may not always have time, but as women we have more to give than anyone else. We are made to nurture, hug and make sure that all are ok. Of course we are to be careful on who we are available to, and how we approach some situations. Sometimes we are too busy engrossed in our pettiness to notice sisters who need us. Being of an open mind, not being arrogant and not being a snob can allow others to come to us for prayer, company and just to chat. It's ok to smile. It portrays a happy and an approachable demeanor. It's okay to take sometime to chat, encourage somebody, hug somebody and let them know that it will be ok. We don't have to be friends with the person.

• Being natural: Being vague, being vain and just plain enticed into all things vanity could destroy the calling in our lives. We can be sexy, do our nails weekly and hang on to Gucci and all....but let's not allow all of that to be what people see from us. Let others see a woman of substance. A woman who is beautiful inside and out, a woman who cares more about others than herself, a woman who is approachable, a woman who is pure, natural and all well rounded in all things"

To all my sisters, be approachable, be a builder, be available and be natural.

Love, Cathy Whitney

Job's Essential Lesson

Job's name has become a synonym for the suffering of life's derailments. Actually, "derailment" is too weak a word to describe what happened.  He lost everything: children, health, riches, the support of his friends and wife, and apparently the love of the God he had trusted and loved for so long.

What did he do when life came to a halt? The Bible says he "got up and tore his robe and shaved his head.  Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart.  The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised' " (Job 1:20-21).

Job's perspective wiped the "why me, woe is me?" question from his mind.  He recognized that he had nothing when he arrived on this planet, and he would have nothing when he left it.  His nakedness was a dress rehearsal for his death and a remembrance of his birth.  In the end, it will have gone full circle and he would be back where he started; with nothing and no one but GOD.

Self Builders:

1. What are some of the struggles and losses you're experiencing right now?
2. How are you able to love and trust God, despite these painful experiences?

To all you special sisters!

A young wife sat on a sofa on a hot humid day, drinking iced tea and visiting with her mother. As they talked about life, about marriage, about the responsibilities of life and the obligations of adulthood, the mother clinked the ice cubes in her glass thoughtfully and turned a clear, sober glance upon her daughter.. 'Don't forget your sisters,' she advised, swirling the tea leaves to the bottom of her glass. 'They'll be more important as you get older. No matter how much you love your husband, no matter how much you love the children you may have, you are still going to need sisters. Remember to go places with them now and then; do things with them.'

'Remember that 'sisters' means ALL the women...your girlfriends, your daughters, and all your other women relatives too. 'You'll need other women. Women always do.'

What a funny piece of advice!' the young woman thought. Haven't I just gotten married? Haven't I just joined the couple-world? I'm now a married woman, for goodness sake! A grownup! Surely my husband and the family we may start will be all I need to make my life worthwhile!'

But she listened to her mother. She kept contact with her sisters and made more women friends each year. As the years tumbled by, one after another, she gradually came to understand that her mother really knew what she was talking about. As time and nature work their changes and their mysteries upon a woman, sisters are the mainstays of her life. After more than 50 years of living in this world, here is what I've learned:

THIS SAYS IT ALL:
Time passes. Life happens. Distance separates. Children grow up. Jobs come and go. Love waxes and wanes. Men don't do what they're supposed to do. Hearts break. Parents die. Colleagues forget favors. Careers end. BUT.........Sisters are there, no matter how much time and how many miles are between you. A girl friend is never farther away than needing her can reach. When you have to walk that lonesome valley and you have to walk it by yourself, the women in your life will be on the valley's rim, cheering you on, praying for you, pulling for you, intervening on your behalf, and waiting with open arms at the valley's end.

Sometimes, they will even break the rules and walk beside you....Or come in and carry you out. Girlfriends, daughters, granddaughters, daughters-in-law, sisters, sisters-in-law, Mothers, Grandmothers, aunties, nieces, cousins, and extended family: all bless our life!

The world wouldn't be the same without women, and neither would I.. When we began this adventure called womanhood, we had no idea of the incredible joys or sorrows that lay ahead. Nor did we know how much we would need each other. Every day, we need each other still.

Happy days!

5 Ways to Let Go of a Grudge

By Sora Song
Forwarded by Lynn

Getting angry is one thing. Holding a bitter grudge is another. Over the long term, chronic feelings of resentment can harm your physical health, according to the authors of a new book, Embitterment.

The influence of negative emotions is so powerful that the authors think there should be a new diagnosis called post-traumatic embitterment disorder, or PTED, for those who can't forgive the people who have wronged them, reports CNN's senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen in her new "Empowered Patient" column.

Like other negative emotions — stress and depression among them — bitterness has physical consequences: high blood pressure, elevated heart rate, increased risk of heart disease. The longer you hold a grudge, the more likely your negative emotions will take a toll on your heart and your health.

"The data that negative mental states cause heart problems is just stupendous," Dr. Charles Raison, associate professor of psychiatry at Emory University School of Medicine, told CNN. "The data is just as established as smoking, and the size of the effect is the same."

Life is nothing if not unjust, however, so we're all apt to feel bitter about something at some point in our lives. The trick is not to let it become a chronic problem.

Cohen offers five tips to keep your anger from festering. I've summed them up, below, but to get a fuller picture, you should read Cohen's column in its entirety on CNN:

• Vent to a friend about what's bothering you
• Remember that you're not the only person in the world who's ever been wronged
• Consider confronting the person who injured you
• Realize you're only hurting yourself by holding a grudge
• Try to see things from the other person's point of view

Read more: http://healthland.time.com/2011/08/18/5-ways-to-let-go-of-a-grudge/#ixzz1VUbJa1XN

Seeking Forgiveness in our Children

I always felt that kids deserve the same respect we would give any adult, which is why I cannot affored treating my daughter less than the way my Father in heaven would treat me.  Now, this doesn't mean that I do anything perfectly.....

There are times when I am sick, grouchy, short, quick tempered, out of grace, tired, hungry etc....and who do I usually take it out on first? Unfortunately, the people closest to me - the ones I love.  This is probably right for you too...if you'll be honest. 

But I believe this is something we can strive not to do. 

Treating our kids any other way than God's best leaves us feeling horrible about ourselves, and leaves them feeling just as horrible about themselves.  That's why asking the little ones for forgiveness is a powerful moving-forward tool.  You have to allow yourself the freedom to be imperfect and vulnerable; thereby learning to seek forgiveness and still like who you are. 

I think some parents are fearful to be vulnerable with their children because they feel they will lose their children's respect if they open up.  How can we teach our children to seek forgiveness from others if they do not see that example in us?

Vulnerability Builders:

• When have you felt that you need to be open with your children or loved ones?
• How did you deal with that emotion?

Goals

How are you doing with your goals?  It is now the 8 month and you may find that you may have had to re-adjust some goals, or delete some goals, or re-set new goals, or move some timelines around..etc.

Whatever it is that you have done or thinking of doing, stay encouraged, stay focused.  Goals are there so we can see where a little motivation and achievement can get us....however, if you see that your goals are not realistic, there is nothing wrong in pulling back and making some changes here and there.  As long as you are doing something productive with your now, your present and your today....tomorrow will be promising.

Do what counts...

Finished Work

At what point do we truly grab a hold of the salvation power and redemptive work of God for our lives? Why is it so difficult to receive and apply the finished work of the cross?

My real question is this: why are we so stagnant in our emotional state?  Is it that we really do not know that we are victors and that we are adopted into spiritual equity OR is it that we are much more consumed in the attention we get when we stay hurt and broken? What is more important? Our freedom or our bondage?

Knowing is half the battle, right? 
The problem is that we know that we know that we know that God is who He is, but we only believe this truth for everyone else.  For some odd reason, we don't believe the same truth for ourselves.  It gets so bad that when the victory does come, we spend a lot of words thanking the people who held us up in prayer (during our difficult times), so much more that we forget to thank God who has been our Savior, all along.

Ladies, we have to get our minds and hearts in a place that is completely and totally trusting in God; where our actions & emotions are in complete submission to the promises of God. 

We've got to believe it without a shadow of a doubt.

Freedom Builders:

• What area of your life, do you find really hard to let go off? 
• How are you dealing with that?

A Hike & the Beach

Hey ladies!


It's Summer Time! And time to get out there....to Stinson! It's gorgeous!
Bring a blanket, some snacks, lunch, picnic stuff....we'll eat together @ the beach after we hike. Or you can sign up on the items to bring (after you RSVP here, or @http://new.evite.com/#view_invite:eid=00AFAAQZXGK5ZYMDWEPAVSPNOHJ4YU).
If you'll like to carpool, let me know and we can arrange something. Otherwise, we'll all meet there at 9am, so we can get done with the hike in good time... :)

Date: August 6th
Time: 9am

**********************************

Location: Stinson Beach is located on Highway One, just north of San Francisco, California. The scenic highway is just one of the great reasons to visit Stinson Beach. Panoramic Highway also provides access.
Directions to Stinson Beach are shown below, whether you are traveling from the North, South, or East!
From San Francisco after crossing the Golden Gate Bridge, take Hwy. 101 North approximately three miles to the "Hwy. One, Stinson Beach" exit. Follow the signs and enjoy your drive down one of the most scenic highways in the nation. Stinson Beach is approximately 20 miles from San Francisco.
From Sacramento take Interstate 80 West to 580 West to Highway 101 South. Take exit "Hwy. One, Stinson Beach", approximately three miles north of San Francisco. Follow the signs and enjoy your drive down one of the most scenic highways in the nation!

From Northern California follow Highway 101 South to exit "Hwy. One, Stinson Beach". Follow the signs and continue on Hwy. One which will bring you directly into Stinson Beach.

ALTERNATE TO HWY. ONE
While on Hwy. One traveling to Stinson Beach, you will come to a sign giving notice to Muir Woods and Mt. Tamalpais State Park. If you wish, you may turn right at this point and take Panoramic Hwy. through the park. It will take you back to Hwy. One and will end only blocks south of Stinson Beach.

However you choose to come, both highways are extremely scenic and extremely curvy. Vehicles over 35 feet are NOT recommended.

Good Listener

Ever needed someone just to hear you out?  Someone to talk to that doesn't necessarily have to say anything back....just a listening ear?  A lot of times, I find myself not being that friend.  Not all the time, but sometimes.  I have a really good sister who tells me that I do this often .... or she will often say at the beginning of her conversation "Queen, you do not need to say anything, just listen"  :).  Naturally, I am a good listener, but (it is true) I often find myself mentally preparing a response as I am listening.  Although this is a good thing, its not always great. 

I don't know about your friends but each one of mine are totally different....opinionated, desperate, competitive, strong-willed, dramatic, emotional, non-confrontational, scared, full of life, tired (all the time), hurt, broken etc.   Yeah, this just about sums up all of my close friends.  And we need all these types of personalities, to keep life fun and balanced.

And this listening without necessarily responding thing is something that I need to learn hard.  Its good to know that I can talk to someone and they are truly there (in the moment), to hear me out.  Not to say that you do not have an opinion, but it doesn't always have to be heard!

Let's practice this....

Draw Closer to God

Forwarded by Treva

“Come close to God, and God will come close to you...” (James 4:8, NLT)
TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria

God promises that He will draw close to you when you draw close to Him. How do we draw close to Him? First of all, this verse goes on to say that we must turn away from sin because sin separates us from God. When we turn away from the things that displease Him, we are turning toward Him. That’s the first step.

Then, the Bible tells us to come into His presence with thanksgiving in our hearts and give Him praise. When you have a thankful heart, you are drawing closer to Him. Thirdly, scripture tells us that God opposes the proud, but He gives grace to the humble. When you live with an attitude of humility, you are drawing closer to Him.
Friend, there’s nothing more important in life than drawing close to God the Father. Seek Him with your whole heart, and you will find Him. Let Him speak to your heart by reading your Bible, praying and meditating on His promises every single day.

Worship Him with a humble and open heart because when you seek Him, you will find Him, and He will fill you with His peace, comfort and joy all the days of your life!

FUNNY!

Hi ladies,
You have probably read this somewhere but I thought I share :) Enjoy!

A man was sick and tired of going to work every day while his wife stayed home. He wanted her to see what he went through so he prayed: "Dear Lord: I go to work every day and put in 8 hours while my wife merely stays at home. I want her to know what I go through, so please allow her body to switch with mine for a day. Amen".

God, in His infinite wisdom, granted the man's wish.

The next morning, sure enough, the man awoke as a woman. He arose, cooked breakfast for his mate, awakened the kids, set out their school clothes, fed them breakfast, packed their lunches, drove them to school, came home and picked up the dry cleaning, took it to the cleaners and stopped at the bank to make a deposit, went grocery shopping, then drove home to put away the groceries, paid the bills and balanced the checkbook. He cleaned the cat's litter box and bathed the dog. Then it was already 1pm and he hurried to make the beds, do the laundry, vacuum, dust, and sweep and mop the kitchen floor. Ran to school to pick up the kids and got into an argument with them on the way home. Set out milk and cookies and got the kids organized to do their homework, then set up the ironing board and watched TV while he did the ironing. At 4:30pm he began peeling potatoes and washing vegetables for salad, breaded the pork chops and snapped fresh beans for supper.
After supper, he cleaned the kitchen, ran the dishwasher, folded laundry, bathed the kids, and put them to bed. At 9pm, he was exhausted and, though his daily chores weren't finished, he went to bed where he was expected to make love, which he managed to get through without complaint.

The next morning, he awoke and immediately knelt by the bed and said: "Lord, I don't know what I was thinking. I was so wrong to envy my wife's being able to stay home all day. Please, oh please, let us trade back."

The Lord, in His infinite wisdom, replied: "My son, I feel you have learned your lesson and I will be happy to change things back to the way they were. You'll just have to wait nine months, though. You got pregnant last night."

:)