Tarnished–The Official Nikki Translation

“Who has woe?  Who has sorrow?  Who has strife?  Who has complaints?  Who has needless bruises?  Who has bloodshot eyes?  Those who linger over wine, who go to sample bowls of mixed wine.”  –Proverbs 23:29-30

When I was younger, I was able to go out and party pretty hard with hardly any morning-after repercussions.  I’d hit the bar when they’d open, have half a dozen drinks, knock back another dozen shots, and around 1am, Scooter would walk me to the car, where I’d pass out for the ride home.  I’d wake up the next morning a little bit on the sleepy side, but otherwise okay.

And then I started getting closer to 27. Continue reading →

“We hear that some among you are idle.  They are not busy; they are busybodies.”  2 Thessolonians 3:11

“If you want to be somebody else, change your mind.”  –Sister Hazel

I struggle with control issues on a regular basis.  I want things done my way, every time.  You would think that would mean that I do everything myself, to ensure it’s done right, but that’s not the case.  I’m also a bit lazy, so I commission my husband to do a lot of the things that I want done.  My way.  Every time.

In short, I’m a nag. Continue reading →

“So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife.  Then he went to her, and the Lord enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son.”  –Ruth 4:13

Regardless of where you stand on the Nature vs. Nurture argument, you can’t deny that the family a person is brought up in will, on some level, affect how they behave–even into adulthood.  It also affects how people perceive us.  I remember several occasions growing up when my father would hear the surname of one of my brother’s playmates, and instantly his face would either show a sign of relief or a pained cringe.  In the latter cases, it was most likely because as a firefighter, he worked closely with the police department, and it seemed that certain people with similar last names spent an awful lot of time in the pokey… Continue reading →

“When Jesus came into Peter’s house, he saw Peter’s mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever.  He touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to wait on him.”

Matthew 8:14-15

WHAT??!!

This is another one of those instances where I read the Bible and my imagination goes crazy.  I have to admit, the words “mother-in-law” are what initially caught my attention, but after reading and re-reading this verse, I’ve come to the conclusion that maybe Peter wasn’t the only one in the family that should have been granted sainthood. Continue reading →

“If a man loudly blesses his neighbor early in the morning, it will be taken as a curse.”

Proverbs 27:14

I am not a morning person in any sense of the word.  The people closest to me know that, unless it’s a life-threatening situation, I do NOT want to be called before 10AM; doing so could potentially create a life-threatening situation for the idiot on the other end of the line.  This is why I don’t even bother applying for jobs with bankers’ hours.  If there’s one rule I live by, it’s that I don’t get out of bed before God does. Continue reading →

“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.”  –2 Peter 1:5-7

Contrary to what my 285-pound frame may lead you to believe, I’m not a huge fan of sweets.  Keep your cake–I’ll take another cheeseburger, please.  But there’s one thing that even I have a hard time resisting:  chocolate chip cookies. Continue reading →

“For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.”

–1 Timothy 4:8

I’m not shy about the fact that I’m a big girl.  And not as much in the “Mommy, wow!  I’m a big kid now!” sense as in the “Do the Truffle Shuffle!” sense (no, I will NOT). Continue reading →