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From Mother Teresa breath spray to a screaming rubber chicken, manufacturers come up with stockings full of stupid gifts in time for the holidays with one Web site dedicated to finding the most idiotic. Web site Stupid.com, which claims finding a truly stupid gift is an art form, on Monday unveiled its list of the top 10 "stupidest" holiday gifts for 2007. "These gifts are so ridiculously stupid that everyone will want them," said Stupid.com's founder Gary Apple in a statement. Here is stupid.com's top 10 which is not endorsed by Reuters. 1. Mistletoe To Go In the mood for love but on the go? Consider this portable mistletoe. This attractive arrangement of faux mistletoe comes with a suction cup that attaches to your forehead. 2. The Hillary Nutcracker Love her or hate her, this is a new take on Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton who, in holiday tradition, is made into a nutcracker. 3. Slingshot Monkey The Slingshot Monkey is a stuffed monkey dressed like a superhero. It flies up to 50 feet and screams along the way. 4. Larry Craig Action Figure The talking Senator Larry Craig action figure wears a T-shirt with his declaration: "I Am Not Gay." His limbs are bendable and he delivers a portion of his news conference after pleading guilty to lewd behavior in an airport bathroom. 5. Uncle Oinker's Gummy Bacon Candy One of America's favorite smoked-meat product has been reproduced as a candy. Uncle Oinkers Gummy Bacon comes packaged the same way as real bacon and even looks like real bacon. 6. Inflatable Moosehead No need to go through the expense and trouble of tracking down a moose and shooting it dead when you can simply buy an inflatable moose head for the trophy wall. 7. Electronic Yodeling Pickle The electronic yodeling pickle is a 6-1/2" plastic pickle with a high-tech interior. When you press the pickle's button it belts out a yodel reminiscent of the Swiss Alps. 8. Poo-lar Bear Candy It's a plastic polar bear that you fill with candy poop so when you press down on the bear's hind quarters, he poops out a tasty treat. 9. Get Off the Phone Excuse Machine If you have trouble getting off the phone from some people, this small electronic device could be the answer. Press a button for "Whoops, there's the door" or "I can't hear you, you're breaking up," and you can get off the hook. 10. USB dancer This bikini-wearing dancer plugs into your computer's USB port and audio port and when sound plays on your system, she dances and gyrates around the pole.
  Happy Thanksgiving
From our Home to Yours
Gods Love & Blessings
 Donna
Peace on Earth? If friction describes your family holiday get-togethers, here's how to add a little more joy to your world. Teresa Vining
WE'VE ALL SEEN enough Norman Rockwell paintings to know what a family holiday dinner is supposed to look like. The ample table is set with gold-rimmed china and laden with a bountiful holiday feast. A rosy-faced grandmother rocks in her favorite chair, while sisters greet each other with tender hugs, men sit by the fire swapping stories, and children play harmoniously together on the floor. Unfortunately, family reunions aren't always "peace on earth." As a member of a close but volatile family, I should know. Although my eldest sister no longer throws my clothes in the middle of the garage floor when she's angry (as she did when we were young) and my younger sister and I no longer have fist fights, there's still plenty of room for friction. Our family dinners often resemble a Picasso rather than a Norman Rockwell. You see, in our family, sometimes the Christmas ham burns, tempers flare, feelings become hurt, and voices are raised. Because of this, I began searching for ways to make my family holiday events more peaceful. And I identified five techniques to help me deal with holiday family conflict—all found in the word peace. Put yourself in the other person's shoes.
I have two sisters close to me in age and a third who was born much later. We three older siblings are married with our own homes, while my youngest sister just finished high school. During holiday dinners, my youngest sister used to be very sensitive, always complaining she was left out of the conversation. My first reaction was impatience. We have an animated family and often have four conversations going on at the table at once. If you want to join it, you have to fend for yourself. But after an in-depth conversation with her once, I caught a glimpse of how it must have felt to always be the youngest and never able to join in on the "big girl" activities. "Administer true justice," Zechariah 7:9 instructs, "show mercy and compassion to one another." To administer true justice, a judge has to listen to both sides of the story. We need to do no less in our family relationships, especially when our personal involvement may cause us to see things askew. Establish your limits.
My family members live minutes from each other—with the exception of my husband and me, who live about three hours away. During the holidays, my family tends to have so many functions to attend that we easily could spend the entire season in the car. When we were first married, my husband and I tried to attend everything. However, during one particularly hectic holiday, we turned to each other and asked, "Why are we doing this?" The hectic pace and travel only made us frustrated and resentful. We were not enjoying the time with our families, and somewhere among the highway miles, we'd lost the whole purpose of Christmas. OVERDOING IT DURING THE HOLIDAYS ONLY INVITES SHORT TEMPERS AND FAMILY FRICTION. Since then we've tried to set limits for what we can reasonably do. Overdoing it during the holidays only invites short tempers and family friction. Consider how much sleep you and your family need, and how you really want to spend the holidays. Set limits and stand by them. Even if your family doesn't understand at first, your relationships will be better in the long run. Accept family members and situations as they are.
It takes me approximately three minutes to load my dishwasher. I quickly rinse the dishes, then let them take their chances in the racks. If they don't get clean, I run them through again. But not my mother. For her, loading the dishwasher is an hour-long chore. She scours each dish beforehand and carefully arranges each one in its own assigned location. The dishwasher is not run until she is sure each dish is already clean and in its exact place. It seems humorous now to think of the friction this small difference has caused at some family reunions. We used to try to change each other's ways until I finally decided to accept her perfectionism and she my haphazardness. Some things are harder to accept than annoying kitchen habits, however. But Philippians 4:6 says, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." That means no matter what difficulties we have in our families, we can entrust them to God. When we accept our family relationships as they are by releasing them to Christ, we can shift our focus from how we wish our families were to how we should behave—no matter what the situation. Control your tongue.
It's funny how some arguments start out so innocently. I noticed my mother had a new pair of shoes and asked her where she got them. One of my sisters, who had been in a bad mood all morning, was standing across the room and must not have heard my mother's answer clearly. "No!" she snapped sharply, "I gave them to you!" My response was instantaneous. "That's what she said!" I shot back. "I wasn't talking to you," she retorted. By now our angry voices had attracted the attention of the whole family, and I felt the foolishness of this interchange. How did such an innocent conversation deteriorate so quickly? "A gentle answer turns away wrath," Proverbs 15:1 advises, "but a harsh word stirs up anger." Often at the first sign of conflict, sharp words tumble out my mouth before I think them through. However, these responses are opposite from the reaction God desires from us. James 1:19 says, "My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry." Heeding this biblical wisdom does much to dispel conflicts at their inception. It helps me decide, even before I leave home, to be a blessing to every family member. "Pleasant words," Proverbs 16:24 says, "are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones." Eliminate pity parties.
I felt I'd been wronged again. I wasn't sure exactly why my sister was angry at me, but her sharp words made it unmistakable that she was. Tears stung my eyes, and I bit my tongue and slipped off to an empty bedroom to nurse my wounds. What had I done now, I fumed. How dare she talk to me like that in front of the other family members! I'd been there only a few minutes when another sister poked her head into the bedroom. "What's the matter?" she asked. That was all the invitation I needed to include her in my pity party. A stream of bitter words toward my offending sister escaped my lips, requiring the other sister to take sides in the argument. "He who covers over an offense," says Proverbs 17:9, "promotes love, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends." Self-pity only promotes more conflict and friction, and thoughtlessly including others in an argument only makes it more difficult to resolve. As soon as you catch yourself sending out invitations to a pity party, do yourself and others a favor—stop immediately. No matter how good they may feel at times, they're never productive. Does your family need a little more "peace on earth" this holiday season? No easy solutions to family problems exist, but remembering to practice P-E-A-C-E in your family can help add a little more "joy to your world." "For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given … And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" (Isa. 9:6). TERESA VINING is a freelance writer and speaker from the Kansas City area.
Proverbs 22:24–25 NKJV
24 Make no friendship with an angry man,
And with a furious man do not go,
25 Lest you learn his ways
And set a snare for your soul.
Encouragement for Today
These verses give permission to avoid close relationships with angry or "toxic" people. You may not be able to avoid them altogether—they may be members of your family. However, you can avoid getting too close. You can avoid constant association with them. You can be pleasant and kind, but keep your distance. These verses imply that angry people are actually dangerous to your soul. They'll bring you down to their level, every time. You become like those you associate with regularly.
The following article is located at: http://www.christianitytoday.com/51582"I'll Be Praying for You" How to say it—and pray it—like you mean it. Michele Cushatt I sat across the table from my friend Susan, searching her pain-filled eyes and wondering how I could help. Her situation was outside my realm of influence: She had suffered an unexpected personal attack from former friends within the congregation her husband pastored. And I had no words to right the wrongs or ease her aching heart. "I'm sorry," I attempted weakly. She half-smiled, then asked me to pray for her. Unable to offer anything else, I promised I'd join her in making Mondays a day of fasting and prayer for her and her church. But after leaving our lunch and resuming my crazy schedule, would I actually keep my promise? Entering the Interior
Too often when I encounter someone's desperate need, I offer a quick "You're in my prayers" without slowing down enough to make good on my word. Any "real" praying I do consists of a hastily muttered sentence during my busy day, as if I'm merely checking off my to-do list or making God aware of a situation he might've missed. But the responsibility to pray for others deserves serious attention, as the abundance of biblical examples indicates. Moses regularly spoke with God on the Israelites' behalf because of their sin (Numbers 21:7). Esther requested her people to fast three days before she faced a volatile king (Esther 4:15-16). Paul asked early church members to pray for his speaking ministry (Ephesians 6:19-20). And Jesus spent most of his longest recorded prayer in passionate intercession for us (John 17). Intercession—derived from the Latin words inter (between) and cedere (to go)—is an intervening or mediating between two parties with the goal of reconciling differences. And the key to a spiritual intervention is prayer. In My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers calls intercessory prayer "the ministry of the interior" and "the real business of your life as a saved soul." If so, we need to move past good intentions and make interceding a vital part of living in Christian community. Standing in the Gap
God invites us to participate in his concern for his children by going before him on their behalf. During the prophet Ezekiel's lifetime, the Lord longed to show mercy to his wayward people through an intercessor: "I looked for a man among them who would … stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it" (Ezekiel 22:30). My friend describes this kind of gap-standing prayer as "reaching out a warm hand to a hurting friend while never relaxing your other hand's firm grip on God. You make a life-giving connection." My half-hearted prayers seem comparable to approaching my neighbor's burning house armed with only a water bottle. Although my prayers reach God regardless of their length or eloquence (Matthew 7:7-12, Reve-lation 5:8), they need to go beyond brief, one-sided conversations to make this connection that so many people need. A few weeks ago, my friend lost her mother to melanoma. A pregnant woman in my Bible study recently watched her husband leave her. And last week, another friend's husband pulled a gun on her. For these kinds of needs, my half-hearted prayers seem comparable to approaching my neighbor's burning house armed with only a water bottle. I dishonor the need by not matching my response to the problem's significance. God did intercession first and best, matching a sizeable problem with a sufficient solution. He recognized the flames of our sinful nature had consumed us, and he sent Jesus, the fullness of himself in human flesh. Christ offered a life-giving connection: one hand extended to us and the other firmly holding our salvation. He didn't pour out a water bottle—he unleashed the floodgates. And his intercession on our behalf continues: "Christ Jesus … is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us" (Romans 8:34). Positioning with Purpose
While I know Christ's intercessory prayers are effective, I often wonder if mine will make a difference. The Bible overflows with examples of situation- and people-altering intercessory prayer. Job's friends obtained God's forgiveness after Job prayed for them (Job 42:8, 10). Lazarus rose from the dead when Jesus petitioned heaven (John 11:41-42). And the prison doors opened after Paul and Silas worshiped and prayed (Acts 16:25-26). Still, we've all prayed to no avail at times. Our loved one died, the conflict never resolved, the physical ailment remained. I've begged God repeatedly to re-store health to my friend Kate, who's lived with pancreatic cancer for nearly four years. Though she's felt almost "normal" for the past few glorious months, she called this week to say the doctors believe her oasis of health is drying up. As I cried with her, I fielded an internal barrage of questions: Do I need to pray harder? Is God even listening? What's the purpose of my prayers? The tortuous journey of illness was a familiar one to C.S. Lewis, whose wife Joy's recurring cancer and remission are portrayed in Shadowlands, a movie based on the couple's relationship. In response to this marriage of joy and pain, the Lewis character comments, "I pray because I can't help myself—the need flows out of me. It doesn't change God; it changes me." Perhaps the purpose of prayer is more about positioning than petitioning. It moves me from being self-centered to being God-centered and other-centered. As I've prayed regularly for Kate, I've started to view my unrelenting schedule and relational conflicts through the lens of her cancer. Now I'm thankful I'm physically able to have a full schedule, and I'm less flustered with daily stresses. I reflect God's grace toward strangers and his patience toward loved ones. Intercession has freed me from self-absorption (Galatians 6:2, Matthew 5:44-45), relieving me of my misery so I can engage in ministry. Joining in the Experience
Following the example of Jesus' ministry is costly. The intercession he performed on our behalf—standing be-tween us and our need—required his life. "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends," Jesus proclaimed (John 15:13). And though our prayerful intercession can't compare to his, it requires we also "lay down" our lives, altering our habits or donating our time to take on the need we're bringing before God. When I carved out Mondays to fast and pray for Susan's struggles with her church, I had no idea what I was getting into. I enjoy eating three meals (at least) a day! But when I stepped outside my comfort zone, changed Monday appointments, and accepted nagging hunger pangs that brought me to my knees in prayer, I found myself transported into the middle of her crisis, grieving her loss, experiencing her powerlessness, and feeling her deep wounds of disappointment and betrayal. However, my costly involvement in Susan's life through intercession also came with a bonus: I became more intimately connected to God. With one hand reaching out to Susan, I reached up in desperation to him. And I witnessed God's activity in the crisis—I saw his concern, felt his presence, trusted his purposes. I also discovered the motivation for the sacrificial, risky, and sometimes ex-hausting business of intercession: God's love (Romans 8:34-9:1). In his book Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference?, Philip Yancey explains love's effect: "When I pray for another person, I am praying for God to open my eyes so that I can see that person as God does, and then enter into the stream of love that God already directs toward that person. Something happens when I pray for others in this way. Bringing them into God's presence changes my attitude toward them and ultimately affects our relationship." Learning to love one another the way God loves us moves us to do what we've never before considered. It bubbles up in kindness when we lack ability. It stirs up compassion when we'd rather stay detached. It frees up our busy schedules when we see that a friend—or even an enemy—needs us to intercede. And if we fear we don't have enough love for such a task, we can ask the Author of love to pour a bit of overflow from his heart into ours as we open it up to a passionate ministry of gap-standing prayer. Michele Cushatt is a Bible teacher, writer, and speaker at women's events. She lives with her family in Colorado.
Today's Verse from the New Living TranslationSearch for the LORD and for his strength;
continually seek him.
Remember the wonders he has performed,
his miracles, and the rulings he has given.
Psalm 105:4–5
view in contextEncouragement for TodayVerse 4 depicts a continuous process of searching for God and his strength. It's not a one-shot effort. How can you search? By focusing on the wonderful deeds God has done—the miracles and judgments he's passed down, primarily in Scripture, but also in your own life, your own church. This is what gives strength to handle whatever may come your way. It bolsters faith that as God worked in the past, he'll surely work in your present, as well.
INSPIRING WORDS...
This is a special story for Thanksgiving
Treasures To Be Thankful For
-- Author unknown
A man was exploring caves by the seashore. In one of the caves he found a canvas bag with a bunch of hardened clay balls. It was like someone had rolled clay balls and left them out in the sun to bake.
They didn't look like much, but they intrigued the man, so he took the bag out of the cave with him. As he strolled along the beach, he would throw the clay balls one at a time out into the ocean as far as he could.
He thought little about it, until he dropped one of the clay balls and it cracked open on a rock. Inside was a beautiful, precious stone!
Excited, the man started breaking open the remaining clay balls. Each contained a similar treasure. He found thousands of dollars worth of jewels in the 20 or so clay balls he had left. Then it struck him.
He had been on the beach a long time. He had thrown maybe 50 or 60 of the clay balls with their hidden treasure into the ocean waves. Instead of thousands of dollars in treasure, he could have taken home tens of thousands, but he had just thrown it away!
It's like that with people. We look at someone, maybe even ourselves, and we see the external clay vessel. It doesn't look like much from the outside. It isn't always beautiful or sparkling, so we discount it. We see that person as less important than someone more beautiful or stylish or well known or wealthy. But we have not taken the time to find the treasure hidden inside that person.
There is a treasure in each and every one of us. If we take the time to get to know that person, and if we ask God to show us that person the way He sees them, then the clay begins to peel away and the brilliant gem begins to shine forth.
May we not come to the end of our lives and find out that we have thrown away a fortune in friendships because the gems were hidden in bits of clay. May we see the people in our world as God sees them.
Have a healthy and Happy Thanksgiving
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My Week
Posted On 11/16/2007 08:43:57
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Monday is Wash Day
Lord, help me wash away all my selfishness and vanity, so I may serve you with perfect humility through the week ahead.
Tuesday is Ironing Day
Dear Lord, help me iron out all the wrinkles of prejudice I have collected though the years so that I may see the beauty in others.
Wednesday is Mending Day
O God, help me mend my ways so I will not set a bad example for others.
Thursday is Cleaning Day
Lord Jesus, help me to dust out all the many faults I have been hiding in the secret corners of my heart.
Friday is Shopping Day
O God, give me the grace to shop wisely so I may purchase eternal happiness for myself and all others in need of love.
Saturday is Cooking Day
Help me, my Savior, to brew a big kettle of brotherly love and serve it with clean, sweet bread of human kindness.
Sunday is The Lord's Day
O God, I have prepared my house for you. Please come into my heart so I may spend the day and the rest of my life in your presence.
Grateful to the Great I AM! And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?
And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.
Exodus 3:13,14 KJV
________________
I am the LORD, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God. I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged me, so that from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting men may know there is none besides me.
I am the LORD, and there is no other. I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the LORD, do all these things.
Isaiah 45:5-7 NIV
________________
Thanks be unto God for his indescribable gift:
Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God
is the object of our faith; the only faith
that saves is faith in Him.
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