How about you? When you were a child was church fun?

Excerpt from chapter 4 in A Beggars Purse...
My grandpa never spanked me, but sometimes my grandma would spank me with the little plastic belt she wore with all her dresses.  One time I even got a spanking on Easter Sunday after church.  I was wearing brand new, shiny, white patent leather shoes.  Well, the shoes rubbed a big water blister on the heel of my right foot, so I took off both of my shoes during the church service.
     When the church service was over, my grandma didn't even wait for the Easter egg hunt to start.  She grabbed my hand in hers, took me around to the back of the church, and spanked me with her little plastic belt.  It really didn't hurt that much and I told her that I didn't even like church.  I also told her that church wasn't any fun anyways.  She bent down so close to my face, I could smell her body powder.
     She took my chin in her hand and said, "Tonia Kay, you listen to me, and you listen good, church is not meant to be fun."

I attended this Methodist church with my Grandmother Katherine and Aunt Evelyn who was also my Sunday school teacher year after year.  The church was built in 1880 in Santa Barbara, California.  In 1892 it was cut into three sections and moved along the coastline on horse-drawn flatbed wagons twelve miles to its current location at 800 Maple Street, Carpinteria, California.  It has been the Carpinteria Valley Baptist Church since April 1, 1969.

How about you?  When you were a child was church fun?

IT's ok TO FEEL LIKE THIS

This morning as I headed out on my two-mile trek, I couldn't shake off the question rolling around in my mind from an alumni friend on Facebook.
"So, besides your book, what else is going on with you?"
Since I have been quoted as being "one of the happiest people on the face of the Pahrump Planet,"  I surely didn't want to reveal to him that I was feeling down in the dumps... or did I?  Maybe this was my moment to reveal some gut wrenching feelings.  My response in a private note of course went something like this:

"Besides trying to market my book, my hubby being unemployed since April 6 and wondering if the modification for our home is going to go through, I have been questioning God's plan for my life."  I promptly hit the send button and immediately thought, "why did I say that stuff?"


I said those things because I am a real person and God wants us to be real in every way.  I'm glad today is a new day and I would like to rewrite my response right here on this blog spot.
"Besides marketing my book which I know everyone has been inundated with my numerous contests, and posts on Twitter and Facebook, my hubby and I have been actively seeking God's will for our lives. Since he has been unemployed, he has been able to use his talents to remodel a garage for a family in our church, which had set idle for two years.  He is currently busy laying the tile floor in the foyer of our new church and even though the move-in date is scheduled for this Sunday, August 29 he repeatedly asks our Pastor if we can move in any earlier... J
We haven't heard a peep from our loan representative regarding our home loan modification but we still have a roof over our head and food in our pantry.  As I thought of this current revision, I gazed down at my walking shoes and the scripture that came to my mind was,

"Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not of more value than they?"  (Matthew 6:26, NKJV).


Even though God and I worked things out with each other during our walk this morning, I couldn't wait to get home to kick off my walking shoes.  You see, the inside of my left shoe was disintegrating and I could feel a blister forming on my heel.  I realized I had purchased my walking shoes in 1996...

Jesus knows me, this I love.

I'm late, I'm late for A very important date.

I'm late, I'm late for

A very important date.

No time to say hello, good-bye,

I'm late, I'm late, I'm late...

Since the official release date of A Beggars Purse on July 6, I have felt like 

 Alice In Wonderland spiraling out of control down the rabbit hole.  Don't get me wrong it has been an absolutely flamboyant adventure with many a twist and turn... however, I must apologize to all of you for sending out my invitation 9 days late!

YOU ARE INVITED to a Spread the Word Blog Tour Contest for

A Beggars Purse

This event is being sponsored through Christian Speaker Services.

The contest started (ouch) on August 1 and will continue
 through August 31.  

Please cast your vote today and help send

A Beggars Purse

on tour.

Vote here...

http://www.christianspeakerservices.com/spreadthewordblogtourcontest_voting.htm

A Poem written by Rick Nelson, page 102, A Beggars Purse...

Torn up, ragged, worn and beat,
Who is the man from off the street?
He's lost and hurt, broke up inside,
He steals, he cheats, he's full of lies.
Who is this person that we see?
No way, I say, that can't be me.
My life was never quite that bad
Deny the truth again, so sad.
What motive lies within this man?
I almost turned away and ran.
Don't even know just why I'm here
All I know is pain and fear.
A chance to change is here for me
I've been so blind I still don't see.
That person you say that's deep within

I've forgotten all about him.
I said okay, I give up I'll try
Even though I don't know why.
Let us help you they said to me
We know who can set you free.
Slowly things began to change
My life I had to rearrange.
I finally had to give it up
And let God fill my empty cup.
Day by day the old man died,
A new hope and joy sprang up inside.
The hurt and pain has been replaced
By love and peace and a smiling face.
This person that you see today
Has had to change in every way.
This road I walk is long and straight
But leads me to the pearly gates.
Those lumps and bumps from yesterday
Have taught me how to kneel and pray.
To face tomorrow come what may
And trust in God to show the way.
                                                    Rick Nelson