Third in a Series of “The Duh-Huhs of Christmas”

Third in a Series of “The Duh-Huhs of Christmas”

I have always like the music of U2, but never thought I’d post a quote by Bono. But it fits with something I told a friend today regarding my belief that while some say all Gods are the same and all religions lead to the same place is wrong. (Stay with me here – I dare you…) Perhaps they all started out as the same, but somewhere along the way, people couldn’t believe that love, forgiveness , grace and heaven were completely free. All you had to do was admit you couldn’t be perfec t on your own and accept the gift. So various religions were created by man to figure out ways to EARN God’s love, EARN forgiveness and DESERVE Heaven. That’s why I believe Christianity is NOT the same as all the rest. It’s the only one that offers a solution to the truth…because haven’t you all figured out yet that you just can’t do it on your own. The rules are impossible to follow 100% of the time!

Sorry – I promised a Bono quote, so here we go: “You see, at the center of all religions is the idea of Karma. You know, what you put out comes back to you… And yet, along comes this idea called Grace to upend all that… Grace defies reason and logic. Love interrupts, if you like, the consequences of your actions, which in my case is very good news indeed, because I’ve done a lot of stupid stuff. The point of the death of Christ is that Christ took on the sins of the world, so that what we put out did not come back to us, and that our sinful nature does not reap the obvious death. That’s the point. It should keep us humbled. It’s not our own good works that get us through the gates of heaven.” (Michka Assayas, Bono in Conversation)

I found the quote thanks to the December 21 Advent Devotional from Water from Rock
http://www.waterfromrock.org/

Heather J. Kirk Art by Heather J. Kirk www.heather-kirk.artistwebsites.com Literature by Heather J. Kirk http://www.photographicartistry.citymax.com/Books.html

Second in a Series of “The Duh-Huhs of Christmas”

Second in a Series of “The Duh-Huhs of Christmas”

I have heard that the song “Twelve Days of Christmas” (one of the most annoying songs I have ever heard, rivaled only by “99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall”) is secret code to remember basic tenants of Christianity or Catholicism when the practice was outlawed. But, duh huh, doesn’t using the word “Christmas” itself give it away? I mean anyone who sings Christmas songs or celebrates Christmas MUST be a Christian. OOPS! My bad.

As we can see in our present culture, that is not true at all. Jesus has been completely usurped by Santa and “Making a List;” giving to people by people until you go into debt and hope other people spend as much as you did on them or you will hold a grudge, overarches any understanding of receiving the gift of a Savior coming to live life as we do, so we can never say to God – “You have no idea how hard this life is!” At least one person I know from every culture and religion celebrates Christmas in some form. I say this merely to point out that celebrating does not mean believing (including those who call themselves Christians), not as criticism. It would be hard to avoid Christmas altogether in a society consumed with consumerism!  Though I would say people of the Jewish faith follow their own faith most closely at this time of year, maintaining their own beliefs as separate – perhaps made easier by a similar time frame for a holiday celebration. Or who knows, maybe that makes it harder…

So if I am not criticizing per se, why the duh huh? Because as a whole, the American culture is very accepting of so many things and people without criticism (which is good), or hate certain groups of people based solely on skin color or religion or place of birth (which is bad), but we tend to do so without knowledge or understanding (which is risky). Why risky? If any time of year is the right time to ponder the gift of eternal life, it is Christmas. And that gift is not in 12 golden rings, or a pretty tree, or shop ‘til you drop. It is in the birth of one very special baby. If you don’t really understand what that first “Christmas” was all about, isn’t it time you asked?

A great place to start is http://www.impactchurch.com/messages2#

Keeping Christ in Christmas – Part 1: Three Things Jesus Came to Reveal About God
Keeping Christ in Christmas – Part 3:  When God Messes Up Your Plans OR God Made You for a Purpose OR God Has a Bigger Plan for Your Life than You Have for Your Life (A bigger purpose than you can ever imagine!)
Keeping Christ in Christmas – Part 4:  

Heather J. Kirk Art by Heather J. Kirk www.heather-kirk.artistwebsites.com Literature by Heather J. Kirk http://www.photographicartistry.citymax.com/Books.html

First in a Series of “The Duh-Huhs of Christmas”

First in a Series of “The Duh-Huhs of Christmas”

I’ve been trying to figure out why saying “Merry Christmas” is offensive to people in retail stores. (Duh Huh, people are buying CHRISTMAS gifts!) I tried to put the shoe on the other foot…what if someone said to me “Happy Hannakuh!” What would my response be? Probably just “Happy Hannukuh!” back. Or if I was in a wordy mood, “Oh, you celebrate Hannukuh? Have a wonderful celebration!” But that isn’t quite the same as someone who isn’t religious at all. So what would be a good parallel? What if someone said to me “Happy Saturnalia”? Would I be horrified? Offended? Yell at the person? (As happened to a clerk at Nordstroms who got yelled at for saying Merry Christmas, and she has decided to keep saying it anyway… Good for her.)

Possible responses to “Happy Saturnalia!”

1. Oh, is it that time of year  already? My how time flies!”
2. It is a happy day! I can’t wait to get past the winter solstice to longer (and warmer) days!
3. That’s the third time today someone has called me a Pagan. I really need to work on that… (Oh, don’t get all upset, a true Pagan would find that funny.)

What would you do or say?

Heather J. Kirk Art by Heather J. Kirk www.heather-kirk.artistwebsites.com Literature by Heather J. Kirk http://www.photographicartistry.citymax.com/Books.html

Tell President Obama: No tax dollars supporting children as soldiers

Tell President Obama: No tax dollars supporting children as soldiers

https://www.votervoice.net/Shares/BwnwAAddACeCJAGXNEM7FAA

Here is the text of the petition. The source is World Vision , an agency I trust to understand the situation and do the reasearch, becasue they are all over the world in every kindof intervention and prevention.:

No tax dollars supporting children as soldiers

A war zone is no place for a child. I do not want my tax dollars spent on military aid for South Sudan or other countries that use children as soldiers.

President Obama, I urge you to stop U.S. military aid to South Sudan, as directed in the Child Soldier Prevention Act. No child should have to participate in combat in any way. Child soldiers risk injury or death, witness terrible brutalities, may be used as sex slaves or suicide bombers, and suffer extreme emotional and physical abuse. They are deprived of the opportunity for an education and a hopeful future. This is not acceptable.

When signing the 2015 Federal budget this October, do not re-issue a waiver that overrides the Child Soldier Prevention Act for South Sudan or any country that knowingly uses child soldiers. Do not allow U.S. military aid to continue to any country as long as children are involved on the battlefields. Let's be clear to the world that Americans do not condone using children as weapons of war.

I do not wish my taxpayer dollars to be spent on military aid to South Sudan or any country that uses child soldiers.

Heather J. Kirk Art by Heather J. Kirk www.heather-kirk.artistwebsites.com Literature by Heather J. Kirk http://www.photographicartistry.citymax.com/Books.html

Delicious Delicata Squash

What is the tipping point of adding butter and brown sugar at which squash goes from being healthy to being decadent? Don't answer that rhetorical question...I know I passed it long ago! But how delicious is my Delicata!! 

Heather J. Kirk
Art by Heather J. Kirk www.heather-kirk.artistwebsites.com
Literature by Heather J. Kirk http://www.photographicartistry.citymax.com/Books.html

How to keep plants alive in my home...

Although there is a tendency for flowering plants to die under my care, I can't help but keep buying them. Living color is my one true addiction! (Be quiet, that caffeine thing is just a dependence that I cope with by using intentional denial.) Day one:

 

Day two (not shown) had a few new blooms, day three:

 

 

Well it was a good run, wasn't it! That's why I buy multiple plants....

 

So how do I resolve this perennial problem of mine?

Cut them off and photograph flowers - that way they live forever!

Let's do daisies today...

 

 





4Daisies on Stems copyright Heather J. Kirk
http://heather-kirk.artistwebsites.com/featured/4daisies-on-stems-heather-kirk.html



Digital Blue Daisy copyright Heather J Kirk
http://heather-kirk.artistwebsites.com/featured/daisy-blue-heather-kirk.html



Daisy Crop BW Threshold - copyright Heather J Kirk
http://heather-kirk.artistwebsites.com/featured/daisy-crop-bw-threshold-heather-kirk.html

See more art for purchase: Flowers on Black and Digital Art
Enjoy!

Heather J. Kirk
Art by Heather J. Kirk www.heather-kirk.artistwebsites.com
Literature by Heather J. Kirk http://www.photographicartistry.citymax.com/Books.html

It does not go away...have the guts to leave, get help or intervene

It's time we all educate ourselves more about domestic violence and INTERVENE, because many women clearly don't know how to help or extricate themselves. This video show it is not an "every once in awhile" thing. I lost count, but 6 or 7 or 8 times in one year...and progressively rse. Once it starts, it can only get worse and end badly if BOTH parties don't get help.

This Woman Took A Photo Of Herself Every Day For A Year. I Was In Tears When I Saw The Last One.

By sharing photos of one woman’s face over the course of a year, this video conveys a powerful message that needs to be shared. “One photo a day in the...

http://www.reshareworthy.com/one-photo-a-day-for-one-year/#UtLsoX4RxvkpwAqc.01

(*Disclaimer – they did use a model and make up, but that makes it no less real. The Croatian campaign was stared after too many domestic violence deaths.)

Heather J. Kirk
Art by Heather J. Kirk www.heather-kirk.artistwebsites.com
Literature by Heather J. Kirk http://www.photographicartistry.citymax.com/Books.html

Repeated "Floods of a Century" May Bring Up Discussions of Cloud Seeding

I am not huge on Conspiracy Theories...but I do have a few of my own, and my guess is you will start to hear more about one that has been nagging at me since the last few "storms of the century," and now that we can expect another to follow the hurricane in Los Cabos, Mexico. 

CLOUD SEEDING... 

An article written in March of this year (2014) (linked below) claims it is only actively used by Central Arizona Project for snow, but if they are admitting it about snow after YEARS of experimenting, you can bet it is actively being tested to create rain. 

A quote from the article goes back to when it was proposed in 1987 and speaks of another mantra of mine: UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES - in this case outrageous flooding, which is unhelpful in terms of addressing drought as most of the water is not recaptured. 

              "In 1987, the federal Bureau of Reclamation proposed seeding clouds along the Mogollon Rim during the winter to see if they would produce increased precipitation. But the program died when cities and the state balked at paying their share of the $1.8 million cost.

               Goddard, who was mayor of Phoenix at the time, said there was "great concern about (cloud seeding's) effectiveness and about its unintended consequences" and cited possible flooding or decreased future rainfall. "I'm still concerned about those same things," he said."

http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/arizona/2014/03/24/arizona-funds-cloud-seeding-programs/6815487/

Heather J. Kirk
Art by Heather J. Kirk www.heather-kirk.artistwebsites.com
Literature by Heather J. Kirk http://www.photographicartistry.citymax.com/Books.html

A Small Change in Behaviour Can Create a Large Change in Destiny

It only takes One Degree of Change to make a difference. 

Thank you for this quote, Water From Rock...

"One day Chris was allowed to go up on the ship’s bridge, stand alongside the captain, and put his hands on the ship’s wheel.  The captain then directed Chris to turn the ship “one degree to starboard.”  Chris said that he turned the ship “one degree to starboard,” but felt nothing happen.  The captain explained that to keep on going in that one degree change of course would mean the difference between ending up in Havana, Cuba, and Savannah, Georgia."

          "What Chris’ story meant for me is that I might read my Bible and pray, or reach out to a needy person, and not feel a thing change in me.  But if I will only keep going in that direction, the next day, and the next, it can be for me like the difference between Havana and Savannah!   

Make a small change in course of direction and stick with it!"

To read the whole devotion, visit:http://www.waterfromrock.org/

MUSHROOM SPIRITUALITY
By Tim Smith On September 15, 2014

 


Heather J. Kirk
Art by Heather J. Kirk www.heather-kirk.artistwebsites.com
Literature by Heather J. Kirk http://www.photographicartistry.citymax.com/Books.html

Do we need to share the blame of Domestic Violence in Sports?

To be honest, the FIRST thing I thought when I saw the #RayRice video was: "Is the #NFL doing enough to protect players from #TraumaticBrainInjury and #concussions?" because I would not be surprised if it plays a part in violence overall as well as poor judgement and impulse control.

Do sports allow dangerous violence - much of which is integral to the game?

Does protective gear go far enough?

Do fans love a rough game, cheer on the most aggressive players?

Do teams put players back on the field too early? Do players hide injuries and symptoms so they won't be pulled from the game?

Concussions and whiplash are PART of football, like it or not. And week after week of hard hits does serious damage, not just physically but mentally and emotionally.

I do not in any way say head injures are an excuse for domestic violence or violence in general, because there are so many players who DO NOT beat their wives or girlfriends, and many people who do not play professional sports DO.

But head trauma and CTE are a dangerous reality of many sports, football and boxing being at the top of the list.

This article is important, well written and honestly quite fascinating - in a morose way: http://www.forbes.com/sites/dandiamond/2014/09/16/does-football-make-you-violent-examining-the-evidence

Heather J. Kirk
Art by Heather J. Kirk www.heather-kirk.artistwebsites.com
Literature by Heather J. Kirk http://www.photographicartistry.citymax.com/Books.html