tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33320514197637474132024-03-14T02:23:00.437-04:00Dry Groundחרבה - Joshua 3:17
Crossing BridgesLori Lundquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388955247948625283noreply@blogger.comBlogger485125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332051419763747413.post-83370226928841832442014-08-30T16:52:00.000-04:002014-08-30T16:52:02.646-04:00Preaching to the Choir<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Stone Sans ITC TT-SemiIta";">"Sometimes
I just wish we could say all the things that are easy to hear<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Stone Sans ITC TT-SemiIta";">Ignore
the injustice we see and explain every unanswered prayer<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Stone Sans ITC TT-SemiIta";">But
I'd rather speak honestly and wear a tattered heart on my sleeve<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Stone Sans ITC TT-SemiIta";">'Cause
in the middle of my broken dreams, Redemption is here<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Stone Sans ITC TT-SemiIta";">"I
don't have every answer in life<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Stone Sans ITC TT-SemiIta";">But
I'm trusting You one day at a time<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Stone Sans ITC TT-SemiIta";">'Cause
You can make a weak heart stay alive forever<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Stone Sans ITC TT-SemiIta";">this
is where Heaven and Earth collide<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Stone Sans ITC TT-SemiIta";">I
lift my hands and give my life<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Stone Sans ITC TT-SemiIta";">This
is how my weary heart stays alive..."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Stone Sans ITC TT-SemiIta";">Sanctus
Real<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Stone Sans ITC TT-SemiIta";">“The
Redeemer”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Stone Sans ITC TT-SemiIta";">Usually
said with tongue in cheek, the expression 'preaching to the choir' finds a home in the mouths of those
who either think they already know everything or as a criticism toward the
same. In either case, not a favorable connotation, right?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Stone Sans ITC TT-SemiIta";">After
thinking on it a while, though, I decided – preaching to the choir isn’t a bad
thing at all. In fact, whether they realize it or not, the choir is in just as
much need of a good sermon as the next guy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Stone Sans ITC TT-SemiIta";">This
is what I mean…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Stone Sans ITC TT-SemiIta";">The
expression ‘preaching to the choir’ implies that people already in church are
cleaned up enough to be there, no improvement necessary. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Stone Sans ITC TT-SemiIta";">I
don’t know about you, but I don’t really want to go to a church where the
members are already perfected, or are pretending to be. Because I’m so… not.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Stone Sans ITC TT-SemiIta";">Church
is for the ailing, hurting, broken-hearted. Even with Jesus living in our
hearts and the Holy Spirit tending our souls, we still struggle. We still need
a safe place to heal, grow, detox from a fallen world, repent, adjust, be
encouraged, learn, gain perspective. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Stone Sans ITC TT-SemiIta";">It’s
not that ‘church people’ are ignoring the ‘real’ stuff that happens in the
world. It’s not that ‘church people’ have answers to all the hurt in the world.
It’s not that ‘church people’ are acceptable and ‘non-church people’ are
shunned. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Stone Sans ITC TT-SemiIta";">While
the government has done a bang-up job ‘separating’ religious/spiritual from
secular, I feel like the church has done its part to contributing to the chasm.
Yes, there IS a difference between saved and unsaved people. But JESUS is that
difference, bottom line. Saved people still screw up. Saved people still make
bad decisions. And saved people even act mean sometimes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Stone Sans ITC TT-SemiIta";">Yes,
saved people are called to behave differently, and by all means, we should
demonstrate salvation through our actions- love your neighbor! But on days when
loving your neighbor doesn’t come as easily as you’d like, leaning on the
Everlasting Arms reminds us that it’s not about us, it’s all about Him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Stone Sans ITC TT-SemiIta";">And
THAT’S why preaching to the choir is okay with me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment-->
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/I0ItnPk3t2Y" width="560"></iframe>Lori Lundquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388955247948625283noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332051419763747413.post-45869690617591855472013-05-20T01:00:00.000-04:002013-05-20T01:00:11.084-04:00Not Just A Piece of Paper<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I won’t waste time or space apologizing or making excuses
for my absence. It will probably be more of the rule for a while here than an
exception. That’s just the way life goes at the moment. Not a bad thing! Simply
a change.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But today – the 18<sup>th</sup> anniversary of marriage to
my Daniel – I felt like sharing a few thoughts if y’all will indulge me.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
While the institution of marriage has been under constant
attack for pretty much forever, one of the more popular disparages is the
belief that marriage is <i>just</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> a piece of
paper – an expensive legal document binding two individuals, so fragile that
another expensive piece of paper can </span><i>un</i><span style="font-style: normal;">-bind the two individuals just as easily.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Whether you believe in then necessity of that piece of paper
or not (for the record – I DO believe in obtaining that piece of paper), belief
systems lead to behavior and if one believes that marriage is <i>just</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> a piece of paper, then any relationship/marriage
that one enters into has little hope of being treated any better than a mere
piece of paper.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The serious truth is, marriage is much <i>much</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> more than a simple, flimsy, worthless piece of
paper.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Marriage is…<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A covenant.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A vow.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A promise.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A design.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A higher calling than any other relationship.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Hard work.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A miracle.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A state of doing – not just of being.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
An active occupation, not a passive label.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A purpose.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A destiny.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It’s forgiveness…long
suffering…patience…responsibility…sacrifice… <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Living 1 Cor. 13 every second of every day.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Friendship.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A muscle to strengthen – one that atrophies and dies when ignored.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It’s a messy collaboration – like a dance meshing patterned
choreography with ad lib free style creating one fluid motion of two
individuals.<o:p></o:p><br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
It’s all the excitement of mud wrestling – along with all
the dirty slime.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It’s playing game after game in the Major Leagues, winning
some – losing some, but not quitting because the <i>goal</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> is the World Series.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It’s family vacation – a maddening but memorable adventure
that barely escapes attempted murder.<o:p></o:p></div>
<!--EndFragment--></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It takes the effort of a gladiator – life and death on the
line.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Marriage is selflessness – a monumental task for us humans.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Marriage blends polar opposites – happiness and sadness,
highs and lows, the good and the bad, bliss and misery – to accomplish a
beautiful, unique, solid, miraculous goal.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It’s the ultimate vulnerability <i>and</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> the ultimate security.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A piece of paper doesn’t hold a candle to a marriage.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
All of this and more for eighteen years – by the grace of
God – with full-hearted gratitude – for as many years as the Lord will tarry –
may the adventures of Dan and Lori go on and on. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Daniel Lundquist, I love you.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz2v-de1JptFioLGE1nTJQRgZzW5QLO7zFrRuDC_YIG6zKlx1duZVXndQb4D7Y0y5YjwEoqKADmMg2x7MIjWYTM4J5j04HDp-u64Ntq_9NbFhDvnbsM2WH4VCZ1mEgz37cYR8gnXHC6_U/s1600/2013-05-08+15.54.14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz2v-de1JptFioLGE1nTJQRgZzW5QLO7zFrRuDC_YIG6zKlx1duZVXndQb4D7Y0y5YjwEoqKADmMg2x7MIjWYTM4J5j04HDp-u64Ntq_9NbFhDvnbsM2WH4VCZ1mEgz37cYR8gnXHC6_U/s200/2013-05-08+15.54.14.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
(photo by yours truly!)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
</div>
<!--EndFragment-->Lori Lundquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388955247948625283noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332051419763747413.post-2857366468431418542013-05-03T21:00:00.000-04:002013-05-03T21:00:00.958-04:00Lasting Lines Friday - Answers!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI_-FBy_vxfJfltZsxoebXqmh1-T-gRi3BDWCyrpcKqNOwCjp38IXZwEva22oxzhAmxPifu90Ig2cDA-2IWvYCgJNuUuYVJBbUX0_yaESi8lW8mNvWS76LlFPdKoGYpDaIK7Fh8NwTTu0/s1600/film.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI_-FBy_vxfJfltZsxoebXqmh1-T-gRi3BDWCyrpcKqNOwCjp38IXZwEva22oxzhAmxPifu90Ig2cDA-2IWvYCgJNuUuYVJBbUX0_yaESi8lW8mNvWS76LlFPdKoGYpDaIK7Fh8NwTTu0/s200/film.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
Answers!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
1. Give me a scotch. I’m starving. - <i>Iron Man (2008)<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
2. For lack of a better option, Dummy is still on fire safety. - <i>Iron Man (2008)</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
3. Hogan, drive. Cheeseburger first. - <i>Iron Man (2008)</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
4. I told you I don’t want to join your super secret boy band. - <i>Iron Man 2 (2010)</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
5. You know what keeps going through my head? <i>Where’s my sandwich?</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> -</span><i> Iron Man 3 (2013 – a.k.a. TODAY!!!!)</i></div>
Lori Lundquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388955247948625283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332051419763747413.post-72087701121670122292013-05-03T01:00:00.000-04:002013-05-03T01:00:07.272-04:00Lasting Lines Friday
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<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBLZTa-9q-EnoKa0-bT45yZ-1Eyr8VCdOuZB4OpHdamgWkRmpnTX-PjlIzd63e3xKElXey0DD7O8SS8ThPXeURys59F3RrbRFdAkaSZ6szQxzfDMxPskwgs-oHeeF0wO9IDfvJPzZaQ8c/s1600/film.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBLZTa-9q-EnoKa0-bT45yZ-1Eyr8VCdOuZB4OpHdamgWkRmpnTX-PjlIzd63e3xKElXey0DD7O8SS8ThPXeURys59F3RrbRFdAkaSZ6szQxzfDMxPskwgs-oHeeF0wO9IDfvJPzZaQ8c/s200/film.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Test your movie quote trivia here! Happy Weekending, Dry
Ground friends!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1. Give me a scotch. I’m starving.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2. For lack of a better option, Dummy is still on fire
safety.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
3. Hogan, drive. Cheeseburger first.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
4. I told you I don’t want to join your super secret boy
band.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
5. You know what keeps going through my head? <i>Where’s my
sandwich?</i><span style="font-style: normal;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Today begins a summer full of movie-geek eye candy. That’s
your only hint.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Answers later tonight.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Lori Lundquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388955247948625283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332051419763747413.post-43633267170612605792013-04-29T01:00:00.000-04:002013-04-29T01:00:02.266-04:00Cash Register Finger
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<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZV1JNpfgidIesee0XzDwDKeYx47xtP2rnZ8frULYq4AYrf_0PLG2t0ZSnQW762Q5_WV9CJHAbbX_Nvs9nY9yFkVIwcitEsCvfrTxR2nf6zgElnfkQO9_tuOos09ok4B4yjdCnAVqs0cU/s1600/MovieTicket.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZV1JNpfgidIesee0XzDwDKeYx47xtP2rnZ8frULYq4AYrf_0PLG2t0ZSnQW762Q5_WV9CJHAbbX_Nvs9nY9yFkVIwcitEsCvfrTxR2nf6zgElnfkQO9_tuOos09ok4B4yjdCnAVqs0cU/s200/MovieTicket.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
You know those black levers that are in cash registers to
keep the stacks of bills in each row orderly? Well, they’re useful, but they
are also kinda annoying. Especially for a box office employee on a busy Friday
or Saturday night. Transactions are done at a pretty quick pace. Not only
speed, but frequency like when a group of teenagers meet up to go to the movies
together, paying separately.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Teen: <i>One for such-n-such movie.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Me: <i>8.75.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Teen hands over a $20.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Me: <i>Out of 20. $11.25 is your change. Thank you.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Repeat – Repeat – Repeat – etc. etc. etc.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Each time, I hook my index finger around one of those black
levers to put the bill in its place, then hook and lift another to get change –
again, over and over and over.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Guess what? I have a sore index finger at the end of the
night. Sometimes even a bruise!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Here’s the lesson I gain from that – anything you do
repeatedly <i>shows</i><span style="font-style: normal;">.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Whether it is something good or bad, whatever we do as a
habit, on a regular basis, over and over – it’s going to show in our bodies,
our attitudes, somewhere in our lives. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That goes for sins – hidden or otherwise. So don’t kid
yourselves.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But it also means that making of habit of allowing God to
reign in your life – guaranteed, it’ll show.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Happy Monday, Dry Ground friends!</div>
<!--EndFragment-->Lori Lundquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388955247948625283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332051419763747413.post-11062012386781552442013-04-26T01:00:00.000-04:002013-04-26T01:00:08.338-04:00Return of the Weekend Tune UpSoap box thoughts tumble through my mind. Instead of venting, I'll just share this song. Listening to it, even now, I am centered in His peace. *bigsigh* I hope your weekend is peaceFULL, Dry Ground friends!<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/xivqv7sgcF0" width="420"></iframe>Lori Lundquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388955247948625283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332051419763747413.post-92206757291033025882013-04-24T01:00:00.000-04:002013-04-24T01:00:10.872-04:00Word<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5tBBbxl1uJsFnSddE8zvsDabt3vdD6chnIu58vfkHFkgdo5T65oJUkviV8yZ_7WOcijNEnh6iwWU-Kvd-QtIZNYPNJvtbt20_LOJtZgqrKXTB4dynZjTsfr3dCVSW_5rKAGO1-EmGJtY/s1600/2012-10-22+14.06.37.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5tBBbxl1uJsFnSddE8zvsDabt3vdD6chnIu58vfkHFkgdo5T65oJUkviV8yZ_7WOcijNEnh6iwWU-Kvd-QtIZNYPNJvtbt20_LOJtZgqrKXTB4dynZjTsfr3dCVSW_5rKAGO1-EmGJtY/s320/2012-10-22+14.06.37.jpg" width="320" /></a>Psalm 32 - A Psalm of David<br />
(FYI - <i>after his most notorious fall and suffering some of the awful consequences</i>)<br />
<br />
Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven,<br />
whose sin is put out of sight!<br />
Yes, what joy for those<br />
whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt,<br />
whose lives are lived in complete honesty!<br />
When I refused to confess my sin,<br />
my body wasted away,<br />
and I groaned all day long.<br />
Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me.<br />
My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat.<br />
<br />
Finally, I confessed all my sins to you<br />
and stopped trying to hide my guilt.<br />
I said to myself, "I will confess my rebellion to the Lord."<br />
And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.<br />
<br />
Therefore, let all the godly pray to you while there is still time,<br />
that they may not drown in the floodwaters of judgment.<br />
For you are my hiding place;<br />
you protect me from trouble.<br />
You surround me with songs of victory.<br />
<br />
The Lord says, "I will guide you along the best pathway for your life.<br />
I will advise you and watch over you.<br />
Do not be like a senseless horse or mule<br />
that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control."<br />
<br />
Many sorrows come to the wicked,<br />
but unfailing love surrounds those who trust the Lord.<br />
So rejoice in the Lord and be glad, all you who obey him!<br />
Shout for joy, all you whose hearts are pure!<br />
<br />
Happy Wednesday, Dry Ground friends!<br />
<br />Lori Lundquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388955247948625283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332051419763747413.post-84483268887365291702013-04-22T01:00:00.000-04:002013-04-22T01:00:05.861-04:00To Card or Not to Card, That is the Question
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig9KCB_g5RUvYJJ-StDEi7Fzb_PJt4pBID2Tbsd6t2AwZcOvsU4Qf96RZEWeBi4tudwYSpmX_qGRZZsIAYW5cvxAsVmlhPPxRi49PCOlQw-gxTZu3z_sMtRRVmHeMDUWqAwfNhfW5JnxA/s1600/mpaa_r.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig9KCB_g5RUvYJJ-StDEi7Fzb_PJt4pBID2Tbsd6t2AwZcOvsU4Qf96RZEWeBi4tudwYSpmX_qGRZZsIAYW5cvxAsVmlhPPxRi49PCOlQw-gxTZu3z_sMtRRVmHeMDUWqAwfNhfW5JnxA/s320/mpaa_r.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Indeed, the question I face most Friday and/or Saturday
nights when I’m working the box office and the new blockbuster movie is rated
R. The MPAA, United States Congress and our theatre’s policy all require me to
check picture I.D.s because those under 17 years old are not permitted to buy a
ticket to a rated R film and/or attend without a parent or guardian present.
Also, anyone under 21 years old is not permitted to buy more than one ticket
and supposedly only for themselves.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In general, I don’t really like carding people. I’m not a
super great judge of age. I carded a 35-year-old guy once who laughed and might
have been flattered, and a 40+ year old mom who just rolled her eyes at me. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sometimes, though, I get a kick out of carding people – the
kids who are obviously too young. What’s funnier are their reactions. I’ve had
stomped feet – kind of a <i>shucks she caught me</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> kind of mini-tantrum. I’ve had tag-teams huddle a little to the side
and each try their luck. One couple told me they “just realized” they were too
young to watch the requested movie. I’ve had kids say, “Really?” “Are you
serious?” and “Oh, come on!” as I just shrug and smile. Then I’ve had
youngsters get angry, expressing ire through a spectrum of degrees from rolling
their eyes to cussing me out. Oh, and I did have a guy try to convince me that
he was a </span><i>mature</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> 16.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This past Friday, one of my last customers of the evening
trying to purchase a ticket to a rated R movie confidently presented his
identification card that clearly stated that he was 16 years old. When I
informed him that I would not be selling him a ticket, even though his
17-year-old friend just purchased one, he decided it was his duty to tell me
that this is “crap” – except that he didn’t <i>exactly</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> use that word. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It got me thinking.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Famously, our culture has embraced the ‘rules are made to be
broken’ mantra – or ignored or changed to fit our personal preferences. We have
all made excuses to exempt ourselves from certain rules. It’s our sinful human
nature to do so. We switch things around so that we define Truth, rules and
even God mostly because we want to do what we want to do. Respect for authority
has been turned upside down. In the name of not offended anyone, including
ourselves, we’ve thrown absolutes out.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Even as Christians, we get surprised by consequences to
breaking rules we know perfectly well are in place for our best interests. How
often do we offer up lame excuses to God for His blocking the road we are
determined to barrel down? When God interrupts our plans, do we stomp our foot
or swear or attempt sweet-talking God into taking our incredible maturity into
account before He puts the final decision down on that road block? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The difference here – the place where this analogy stops –
is that God’s rules don’t <i>evolve</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> like
the guidelines set forth by the MPAA, Congress or company policies. People only
use that word to disguise their true intention, to belittle the God of the
Universe and to exalt self.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Dangerous business if you ask me.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Not all rules are or have been, historically speaking, good.
The bad ones, however, have been man-made. And have you ever noticed how many
man-made rules there are? God only set down ten – and every single one for our
benefit. And to make it even simpler, He summed those ten up in two – Love the
Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and Love your
neighbor as yourself. Those rules were definitely <i>not</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> made to be broken – but to protect and guide and
prosper you. And, to set you free.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Happy Monday, Dry Ground friends! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
(photo by photobucket.com)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Lori Lundquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388955247948625283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332051419763747413.post-20749153845853687012013-04-19T01:00:00.000-04:002013-04-19T01:00:08.534-04:00Top Notch<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Yy6G07cKERo9bPPoJNYLv4kImXCKE4i1SZllfO5xfEUN293nJiaMr1DHU5Tn2awKdqGG7NxaD5vGfCH87fcj2tSn10b-AyMie-UUE9ZwNqiobtAQpnGbToCGXMi7QCXcdU96xMNsQBQ/s1600/2013-04-17+22.27.07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Yy6G07cKERo9bPPoJNYLv4kImXCKE4i1SZllfO5xfEUN293nJiaMr1DHU5Tn2awKdqGG7NxaD5vGfCH87fcj2tSn10b-AyMie-UUE9ZwNqiobtAQpnGbToCGXMi7QCXcdU96xMNsQBQ/s200/2013-04-17+22.27.07.jpg" width="120" /></a>It's been a long couple of weeks - lots of hours worked - but lots accomplished too. However, as it seems I've been saying a lot lately, I'm tired! Twelve hours of making a giant paper mache tree stump (among other things) can do that to an old girl like me.<br />
So today I thought I'd share a song from my favorite contestant on this year's American Idol. Although the top five girls are all amazing, Candice Glover makes me tear up almost every time because she's that good. I smile, too, of course. It's a happy combo.<br />
I hope you enjoy. Happy Weekending, Dry Ground friends!<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/2AMiGXyFp4s" width="560"></iframe>Lori Lundquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388955247948625283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332051419763747413.post-5378250955779446332013-04-17T01:00:00.000-04:002013-04-17T01:00:09.813-04:00The Great and Knowable God<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVaarN2K_PvHvGwcyA9XMP3VCNemfvXVLdyBGDUD3164c0wFqNv8w35tNEsqEG0Q7LIVJxy-zhZS3Yrf55qQBVGa7GXR5EF9j8-SJ8Fv7WE4j_dz14LTHXZsgOKFPfP0XQoGmSmHDPPUg/s1600/praying.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVaarN2K_PvHvGwcyA9XMP3VCNemfvXVLdyBGDUD3164c0wFqNv8w35tNEsqEG0Q7LIVJxy-zhZS3Yrf55qQBVGa7GXR5EF9j8-SJ8Fv7WE4j_dz14LTHXZsgOKFPfP0XQoGmSmHDPPUg/s200/praying.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
In response to Monday's sad event at the Boston Marathon, a young man my Daniel was speaking with said, "Times like this just make you want to pray." True that. But as the conversation continued, he also stated, "I'm not a Christian or anything, but I do believe there's a god."<br />
I thought it so interesting that this person voiced his desire to pray. I believe when senseless tragedies such as the bombings in Boston occur, our DNA kicks in - that built-in desire for help from Someone stronger and more powerful and able than we our tiny selves are. We suddenly feel small, helpless, and a mite bit like sitting ducks.<br />
It saddens me, however, that this person was quick to clarify he did not in any way ascribe to a certain god.<br />
So... who is he planning to pray to then? And... why?<br />
One thing I rarely ponder, but sit back in awe whenever I do, is the fact that God - THE God, the ONLY God - is indeed knowable. He desires relationship with us and has gone to great lengths to introduce Himself to us in a personal way.<br />
By all means, my friends, listen to your instincts to pray! Especially now. Just be sure you are not praying to the air! There is a God and He sees and hears and He's able to speak and act and answer. If you don't know to Whom you pray, don't fret. Just... ask. Ask God. He promised - seek, and you will find.<br />
Hug some necks today, Dry Ground friends!<br />
<br />Lori Lundquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388955247948625283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332051419763747413.post-38543346032051070882013-04-15T01:00:00.000-04:002013-04-15T01:00:13.108-04:00Knuckle Ball<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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One sound in my memory banks from early years is the 60 Minutes television program ticking stop watch noise. Back then, it was a standard. I don't watch it much now because I'm just not a fan of their perspective in general. However, while waiting for Amazing Race to start (it was delayed b/c of the Masters), I caught this story about last year's Cy Young award winner, baseball pitcher R.A. Dickey. Inspiring. I thought so anyway. So today instead of pulling something out of my tired brain *smile* I thought I'd share. <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50144818n">CLICK HERE </a>to connect to a good way to start your week! Happy Monday, Dry Ground friends!Lori Lundquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388955247948625283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332051419763747413.post-64102702907496154142013-04-12T03:31:00.001-04:002013-04-12T03:31:38.703-04:00Trail BlazingPioneers of anything have it pretty tough.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3rB8b6bsqhgtg9taJK6AzNxkS34O5hqlsIS_MLNKUHUOdCwdJqqRx2K0pBVTaya4wjgF4lzAyHIz1BkvIvtR7bLvo8rZusgvqn865ZGa24iuGGv3YHxmgY58Vl1hV2ICb-jIeEdxgHQA/s1600/strawberry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3rB8b6bsqhgtg9taJK6AzNxkS34O5hqlsIS_MLNKUHUOdCwdJqqRx2K0pBVTaya4wjgF4lzAyHIz1BkvIvtR7bLvo8rZusgvqn865ZGa24iuGGv3YHxmgY58Vl1hV2ICb-jIeEdxgHQA/s200/strawberry.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Just watched '42' - the Jackie Robinson story.<br />
It's a good one. High on the compassion and guts meter.<br />
Standing for Truth is hard.<br />
It always has been and it will always will be.<br />
The trick is to learn how to stand for Truth <i>in love</i>.<br />
Well, it's not a trick. One of the fruits of the Holy Spirit is love.<br />
I hope your weekend is indeed - fruitful!<br />
(photo by photobucket.com)Lori Lundquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388955247948625283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332051419763747413.post-70539448280467899772013-04-08T01:00:00.000-04:002013-04-08T08:35:07.157-04:00How My Chinny Mary/Martha’ed Me<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Now that I’m working again, my schedule is much more
regimented. I mean, I’ve got a certain amount of time in the morning to get my
routine done before I have to go to the theatre, like any other normal human
being I guess. *smiles*</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Well, one of the things on my to-do list is to feed my
little ninja chinchilla and clean up her palace a little bit. Obviously, it is
important to feed her every day, but sweeping up daily is also important as she
can drop 200+ fecal pellets a night! They don’t stink or anything, but of
course we don’t want those piling up. Also, she chews non-stop, grinding some
of her toys to literal dust. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now, I’m a task-oriented person both in personality but also
because I think in the 80s that was the most popular educational method and I’m
a shining product of that. So more often than not, I am, I’ll admit it, more of
a Martha than a Mary.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
You know the story I’m referring to, right? If not, <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2010:38-42&version=NLT">CLICK HERE</a>. In a nutshell, Jesus visited the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus (yes,
the guy Jesus brought back to life after he was dead a few days – but this
occasion was before all that). Martha felt it much more important to spend
Jesus’ visit accomplishing tasks while Mary felt it better to sit at Jesus’
feet – spend time with Him while she could – build a relationship with Him. And
Jesus agreed with Mary.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Okay. So one morning last week, I headed into the task of
cleaning Fi’s cage. A lot of times she is asleep by this time since she’s been
up all night playing, so I can get the place cleaned up without her even
waking. But this morning, she popped out as soon as she heard me and poked her
cute little nose through the bars, which means ‘pet me’ and/or ‘hold me’. After
making sure her food/water was sufficient for the day, I did open the door to
scratch behind her ears. She climbed into my hands and laid down on my arm, her
way of snuggling. Now by nature, chins aren’t really too snuggly. And with my
increased work schedule, I’m missing the prime hours of the day Fiona may get
snuggly. Usually by the time I get home, she’s hyper and awake and ready to
play – NOT snuggle.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So she’s laying there and I’m looking at the stuff that
needs cleaning – not badly but could use a sweep – and I figure with the time I
have left I’ll need to split it between snuggling and cleaning. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My chinny had a different plan. When I went to put her back
inside her house, she wouldn’t go. She climbed up more of my arm and buried her
nose. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Melt my chin-mom heart.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I urged her to go another time, but no.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If I could put words into her mouth, I’d like to think she
was saying – mama, forget the cleaning for this morning. I just want to spend
time with you while we have a chance.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
She just Mary/Martha’ed me.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So we snuggled. And I cleaned the cage later, like the next
day I think. No problemo.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Society is so task-oriented, isn’t it? I know tasks need to
be accomplished – cleaning, cooking, working, paying bills, mowing the grass,
giving the car an oil change – I mean, necessary tasks are endless and indeed
necessary. But as I mulled over the little moment I spent with my pet, it
dawned on me that those necessary tasks are really just tools for –
relationships. And in our task-oriented society, we have all but discarded
relationships for the sake of tasks. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Maybe that’s what Jesus was trying to tell Martha that day.
It wasn’t that the tasks Martha did weren’t necessary, but her heart focused on
those tasks so keenly that she was sacrificing relationship. And in this case,
THE most important relationship she’d ever have.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Perhaps this week we can try a different perspective. Yes,
do the necessary task, but see them as tools – opportunities to build
relationships with each other in the Name of Jesus. It may just be the better
way.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Happy Monday, Dry Ground friends! Be blessed!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
(photo by yours truly)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Lori Lundquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388955247948625283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332051419763747413.post-62374213768296999862013-04-05T01:00:00.000-04:002013-04-05T01:00:07.724-04:00A Time to Give Thanks...Sorry, but we're not doing movie trivia this week. HUGE prayer answered for us this week, so I needed to have 'church' this morning. Hope you'll join me!<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/4e728Mx2kCk" width="420"></iframe><br />
<br />
Happy Weekending, Dry Ground friends!Lori Lundquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388955247948625283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332051419763747413.post-30109486983627592562013-04-03T01:00:00.000-04:002013-04-03T01:00:08.046-04:00Just win the game!
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhynMiSf84UXBB2WWrux6xkqHp9KDvNY-uYSPM5-EI_dFrzXVDmiUgLTUYASJNASvCF8G3izi8Poed1G8jTF0WBuVjtH8v3MrAIekwETBlk7cAC1wyBhivXhwlymLHjeXteBuod8VbK5os/s1600/Louisville_Cardinals.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhynMiSf84UXBB2WWrux6xkqHp9KDvNY-uYSPM5-EI_dFrzXVDmiUgLTUYASJNASvCF8G3izi8Poed1G8jTF0WBuVjtH8v3MrAIekwETBlk7cAC1wyBhivXhwlymLHjeXteBuod8VbK5os/s1600/Louisville_Cardinals.png" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If you’ve been watching T.V. at all the past two days,
you’ve seen the coverage of Louisville basketball player Kevin Ware breaking
his leg.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Breaking. I don’t know if that word covers it. I mean, I
didn’t see it happen, but if network television stops showing the replay
because of how <i>gruesome</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> a headlining
story is, you know that it </span><i>must</i><span style="font-style: normal;">
be awful. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Anyway, trumping the horrendous nature of the injury turned
out to be this young player’s response to what happened. As reported by his
coach, Rick Pitino, Ware’s parting words as they carted him off the court were,
“Just win the game. I’m fine. Just win the game.” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And they did.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Twenty-four hours later, Ware already underwent successful
surgery and was up hobbling around on crutches. News is, he’ll travel with his
team to the Final Four game in Atlanta this weekend.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ve seen Facebook posts hailing Ware as their new hero.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Mostly, I agree with all of this – depending on how you
define hero. But I’ll let that slide.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It all got me thinking…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As Christians, when we encounter a devastating injury – to
our bodies, minds, souls, or hearts – are we as willing as Kevin Ware to see
the bigger picture even in the midst of obvious agony?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
How dare I make such a comparison, right? I mean, I haven’t
experienced it all. I haven’t experienced half of the heartache I know some of
my friends endure even as I write. I get that. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Besides, they’re predicting Kevin Ware to be
back next season! His life isn’t over…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Hold up, though. He did <i>not</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> know that when he said those words – </span><i>just win the game</i><span style="font-style: normal;">. As far as he
knew, he might never play again, or even walk again. Try to imagine the
terrible things that must’ve been barreling through his mind. </span><i>Still</i><span style="font-style: normal;">, he said what he said, and he meant it. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is not to negate the gruesomeness of any life event.
Whatever it might be – possible career-ending broken leg to lost loved one to
keen betrayal or abandonment – the experience itself is absolutely terrible. No
question.<i><o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Though life is influenced and directed by these
terrible events – what would Ware be thinking if his diagnosis had been any
different?? -<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the goal is still to
win the game. Or… in our case… the race as the Apostle Paul described it in
Phil. 3 (<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Philippians+3:14&version=NLT">CLICK HERE</a> to read). The goal is to keep faith until the finish line. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That’s why using the ‘why do bad things happen to good
people’ argument is not a good excuse for allowing faith to flag. Where would
the Louisville basketball team be if they thought that way? If Ware had thought
that way? Well, chances are they wouldn’t be in the Final Four.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If we can laud Kevin Ware for his selfless cheering his team
on to victory in light of his horrible circumstances, why can’t we believe in
the faith that praises God in <i>every</i> circumstance? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Kevin Ware did not win the game himself, obviously, because
he wasn’t able to finish it. But he remains part of the team that pulled
together to win largely because of his enthusiasm and insistence that they do
so. Likewise, horrible events in our lives may sideline us, but that’s why it’s
important to have a team to carry you through to victory. Whether you’re
sitting on the bench, on the DL or swishing every shot you take, keep the
faith, play as a team, don’t let anything keep you from the win.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Happy Wednesday, Dry Ground friends! God is great and God is
good. Be encouraged!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
(photo by photobucket.com)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Lori Lundquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388955247948625283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332051419763747413.post-10970909180979805682013-04-02T09:23:00.002-04:002013-04-02T09:23:36.193-04:00Sermon Link...I knew they'd post it asap! Here's the link to the sermon I mentioned in yesterday's post - it's called 'Scandal of Grace' <a href="http://baycommunity.com/media/series/842/1">CLICK HERE</a>! Happy Tuesday, Dry Ground friends!Lori Lundquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388955247948625283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332051419763747413.post-17851644337161886812013-04-01T01:00:00.000-04:002013-04-01T08:54:47.233-04:00Sufficient<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
You’ve heard the phrase, “His grace is sufficient for you.”
right?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Depending on your frame of mind, these words can be a
comfort or a huge annoyance when you are going through a dark patch. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It comes from 2 Corinthians 12:9 when Paul is talking about
his burdening affliction. After asking God to take his ailment away, Paul is
faced with God’s answer: My grace is sufficient for you.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The word ‘sufficient,’ though defined as <i>enough to meet
the needs of a situation</i><span style="font-style: normal;">, has somehow come
to mean </span><i>it’ll do</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> as if it isn’t
ideal but it gets the job done. A reluctance has tainted our understanding of
the word, confusion that leads us to believe we are just getting by with
‘sufficient.’ I believe our worldview influences this watered-down definition
because it tells us that ‘enough’ is never enough. Extra is always better.
Slush funds, stock piles, and rainy day savings are essential while
down-to-the-dime living is a sort of scarlet letter and something to be ashamed
of. In other words, sufficiency is shameful.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I think this, in turn, influences our thoughts on grace.
Sufficient as it is, and ‘enough’ by definition, we live our lives outside of
that sufficiency. We seem to think there has to be more to it than that, or
that grace only applies to the holy.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The simple, overwhelming, amazing truth is that His grace IS
sufficient. In other translations of the same Biblical passage, it says that
God’s grace is all you need. In another, God’s answer to Paul is this: <i>I am</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> all you need.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When it comes to our relationship with God, He is all we
need. When it comes to our sinful condition, our selfish nature, our mistakes
and failures and regrets – He is all we need. His grace is sufficient. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
While ‘sufficient’ is one word that can be used to describe
grace, a thesaurus of others follow once we grasp that very sufficiency of
grace. Wonderful. Astounding. Incredible. Outstanding. And yes, even amazing. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Easter sermon I heard this past Saturday night says it
better. The pastor at the church we go to in our new Alabama home town has such
a clear, concise, wonderful way of speaking Truth in love. I encourage you to
listen if you have a few moments. (<a href="http://baycommunity.com/media">CLICK HERE</a>)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> NOTE - This link takes you to the church's media page. The Easter sermon has yet to be posted (as of Monday morning) but I'm hoping it will. Sorry for the delay. But keep checking back if you're interested. Really, really worth it!</span><br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">So, in the meantime...</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Or if you don’t have time to listen to a sermon, perhaps a
few moments with this song will also show you what I’m trying to say.</div>
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/przWAnZHD8E" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
I pray the message of Easter – of Resurrection Sunday – stays with us the whole year through. Happy Monday, Dry Ground friends!Lori Lundquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388955247948625283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332051419763747413.post-71348914033526533622013-03-31T00:22:00.002-04:002013-03-31T00:22:53.656-04:00THE Game Changer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSXKUIbPskmg2mQJ0xDKySE-MqtFxOq-joh79FMJzI8pBofaM11PsiZ5woAO80Ba1Lz1hcL7V68s63wMVPjTJwDm3VJG4Zwu8a568uXscsU9ky691mPniH0Ic06y390gFQ7oUHEiTiE-8/s1600/risen.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSXKUIbPskmg2mQJ0xDKySE-MqtFxOq-joh79FMJzI8pBofaM11PsiZ5woAO80Ba1Lz1hcL7V68s63wMVPjTJwDm3VJG4Zwu8a568uXscsU9ky691mPniH0Ic06y390gFQ7oUHEiTiE-8/s1600/risen.gif" /></a></div>
<br />
O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?<br />
Happy Easter, Dry Ground friends!!!<br />
<br />Lori Lundquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388955247948625283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332051419763747413.post-89798219079827653612013-03-29T09:38:00.001-04:002013-03-29T09:38:14.572-04:00No Greater Love...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn5evoeHFvBpufpvkFIVnWkvhCgyBywj7iLeyFTaqqhIoE98b4jvtnU5BBR161B-xmSD8XELVtrcMel3uYaM2HBe0_nfm2SfdpboUgYFTOXEoGHwhn96J4C71bq3QfLJau_ae9YZ_aBCI/s1600/jesus-cross-407x.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn5evoeHFvBpufpvkFIVnWkvhCgyBywj7iLeyFTaqqhIoE98b4jvtnU5BBR161B-xmSD8XELVtrcMel3uYaM2HBe0_nfm2SfdpboUgYFTOXEoGHwhn96J4C71bq3QfLJau_ae9YZ_aBCI/s400/jesus-cross-407x.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Everything. Motivated. By. Love.<br />
<br />
Good Friday, Dry Ground Friends!<br />
<br />
(photo by photobucket.com)Lori Lundquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388955247948625283noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332051419763747413.post-37624416919393575322013-03-25T01:00:00.000-04:002013-03-25T01:00:07.527-04:00Motive Matters<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYeiq2fe7cIdgWcMZn7bAsfpkzRkqfLeRf4P5QhI-b34AygVIITaLGccC_83u7BMqa2WRXG7CCH8XP49dPqIZReRlCBZ_hIXpLaZ8vQRzC2P_royYl-wUs17UUPuMNhdq65KBNLEknfRk/s1600/hearts1_zpsbb039477.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYeiq2fe7cIdgWcMZn7bAsfpkzRkqfLeRf4P5QhI-b34AygVIITaLGccC_83u7BMqa2WRXG7CCH8XP49dPqIZReRlCBZ_hIXpLaZ8vQRzC2P_royYl-wUs17UUPuMNhdq65KBNLEknfRk/s200/hearts1_zpsbb039477.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
I'm a story person, as you know - books and movies, but also television shows. As you also know, I like to find analogies or examples of God's love in these stories. I'm most delighted when I find that love in unlikely places like a simple cartoon or a horror movie.<br />
For all the morsels of God's love I find in stories of all genres, it saddens me to see the many many instances of the misunderstandings of God's love. So often, God is represented as a big meany, unfair, vindictive, confusing, inconsistent, haughty and spoiled like a too-powerful kid with a magnifying glass getting his kicks sun-scorching ants. Countless Bible verses are quoted or mis-quoted or taken out of context to prove such points so that personal rebellion or anger or hurts have a 'legitimate' excuse.<br />
Well, I got to thinking about that this past week after watching one of my favorite television shows during which the bad guy accuses God of being this kind of mean, disgruntled God. And I have to admit, I can see how so many people question God's motives. Because from the world's perspective, which is to say a 'human' perspective, we attribute characteristics to God that are merely human because we are human. And as humans, we are, to our fellow humans, mean, vindictive, unfair, inconsistent, haughty, spoiled. The list goes on... and on...<br />
Be honest. You just thought of a couple people you wish you could use a magnifying glass on, didn't you?<br />
The whole problem with this is that GOD IS NOT HUMAN. Jesus, who is also God, became a human, though He never stopped being God. But God Almighty is not and never has been and never will be. Therefore, He doesn't operate as we humans do. His motives are pure.<br />
The bottom line is, God's every action and word is motivated by Love. We, as humans, can't even come close to saying that, which is why it is tough for us to believe it.<br />
That's where faith comes in.<br />
What if we read the Bible, any part of it from cover to cover, with the 100% belief that every word, every action, every commandment is motivated by Love? Perfect Love in fact.<br />
It's guaranteed to shift our point of view. We'll see God in a clearer, new light that deepens faith, increases peace, opens understanding, draws us nearer to Him. And that's just the tip of the ice burg.<br />
Beware! Implementing this promises to be challenging! You have an enemy whose number one goal is to make sure you never believe God loves you. So be ready. DETERMINE that no matter what you read, the irrevocable truth is that the words in the Bible are backed by Love - and see what happens.<br />
Have a great week, Dry Ground friends! How many of you are on Spring Break? I get some company from OH because it is, so I'm excited. Talk to you soon!<br />
(photo by photobucket.com)Lori Lundquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388955247948625283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332051419763747413.post-91700376514520271932013-03-22T21:00:00.000-04:002013-03-22T21:00:03.462-04:00Answers!
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<div class="MsoNormal">
1. “Knowing is half the battle.” – 2009 – G.I. Joe: The Rise
of the Cobra – sequel <i>Retaliation</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> comes
out 3-29-13. (We’ve waited a year since it was supposedly done – let’s hope
they give us something entertaining!!)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2. “Give me a scotch. I’m starving.” – 2008 – Iron Man –
sequel released 2010, #3 due to hit theatres 5-3-13! (The trailer gives me
goose bumps <i>every time</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> and I see it </span><i>a
lot</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> since I work at a theatre…)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
3. “You can whistle really loud, you know that?” – 2009 –
Star Trek – sequel <i>Into Darkness</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> opens
5-17-13! (Since we work at a theatre, my Daniel ‘gifted’ me one morning a sneak
peek private screening of the new trailer for this one *</span><i>squee</i><span style="font-style: normal;">*. I love that he knew that would make me smile!)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
4. “You will not cry or whine or laugh or giggle or sneeze
or barf or fart! So, no, no, no annoying sounds.” – 2010 – Despicable Me –
sequel will be released 7-3-13! (<i>It’s so fluuuuuffffyyyy!!!!</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> Still the </span><i>best</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> line from that one. And </span><i>love</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> those minions!)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
5. “My whole life, I felt like an animal. Then she came
along.” – 2009 – X-Men Origins: Wolverine – <i>The Wolverine</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> opens 7-26-13. (Hugh Jackman – ‘nuf said.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Happy Weekending, Dry Ground friends! </div>
<!--EndFragment-->Lori Lundquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388955247948625283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332051419763747413.post-66331477397349902382013-03-22T01:00:00.000-04:002013-03-22T01:00:08.583-04:00 Lasting Lines – Summer Sequels Edition
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdBjEqkMwt-uaGUYC4iQwGH-p_x3ToJC5HxNwdmTZ92lPd6d_tQvwArIktbBFaNJViHPlnLjgA_9gterWRnLm_whcV-PWac1eQVZdFEQPQx8UwBMBkpIfmeF3p25oCn7T5MS9KQJqbxwI/s1600/film-reel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdBjEqkMwt-uaGUYC4iQwGH-p_x3ToJC5HxNwdmTZ92lPd6d_tQvwArIktbBFaNJViHPlnLjgA_9gterWRnLm_whcV-PWac1eQVZdFEQPQx8UwBMBkpIfmeF3p25oCn7T5MS9KQJqbxwI/s200/film-reel.jpg" width="128" /></a></div>
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TGIF, Dry Ground friends! I hope you have a wonderful Palm
Sunday weekend planned.</div>
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This week’s Lasting Lines Trivia Challenge highlights the
movie industries favorite way to make money – sequels. So, that’s the hint.
Each line comes from the original film to which a sequel is being released this
summer! </div>
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<br /></div>
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1. “Knowing is half the battle.”</div>
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2. “Give me a scotch. I’m starving.”</div>
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3. “You can whistle really loud, you know that?”</div>
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4. “You will not cry or whine or laugh or giggle or sneeze
or barf or fart! So, no, no, no annoying sounds.”</div>
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5. “My whole life, I felt like an animal. Then she came
along.”</div>
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<br /></div>
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Happy guessing. Answers tonight! Have a great day!</div>
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(photo by photobucket.com)</div>
<!--EndFragment-->Lori Lundquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388955247948625283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332051419763747413.post-11563896138507087142013-03-20T01:00:00.000-04:002013-03-20T01:00:01.126-04:00The 'I's Don't Have It<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhndlufmmSYUCpltpYri1XDKKWtM2ANbYyEAuwOI7X30F6DIxM2z6_PjZ7NF5XRdRmUTq4NLaRvIeEppoAtRR7JVqk8_wdB6nB2DOlsZipvtZ0G81flushm0Bm8aeyg9U2DoojgHhLe8BI/s1600/arrow_up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhndlufmmSYUCpltpYri1XDKKWtM2ANbYyEAuwOI7X30F6DIxM2z6_PjZ7NF5XRdRmUTq4NLaRvIeEppoAtRR7JVqk8_wdB6nB2DOlsZipvtZ0G81flushm0Bm8aeyg9U2DoojgHhLe8BI/s200/arrow_up.jpg" width="199" /></a></div>
When I was in grade school, my dad gave me a challenge one day - to go as long as I could without saying the word 'I.' Apparently, my focus had been not only introverted but also self-centered and this exercise showed me how extensive my thoughts and words concerning myself really were. Eye-opening (pun intended!)<br />
I thought about this task the other day and gave it another try all these years later. Not sure I've learned much! It was still tough!<br />
I'm glad the Lord is SO patient with me!<br />
We sang this song in church last Sunday. Perfect for a little focus readjustment. Hope you enjoy.<br />
<br />
<br />
<script src="http://www.godtube.com/embed/source/w7yw6pnx.js?w=400&h=255&ap=true&sl=true&title=true" type="text/javascript"></script><br />
<a href="http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=W7YW6PNX">Chris Tomlin - Lay Me Down (Official Lyric Video)</a> from <a href="http://www.godtube.com/chris-tomlin">chris-tomlin</a> on <a href="http://www.godtube.com/">GodTube</a>.<br />
<br />
Keep on trucking, Dry Ground friends! It's Wednesday!<br />
(photo by photobucket.com)Lori Lundquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388955247948625283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332051419763747413.post-89474733393629061972013-03-18T01:00:00.000-04:002013-03-18T01:00:04.353-04:00Express Pass
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEjFV7tVNvgzk25foGIGfBlkTs8p5YwrV7uzM_5_s8NdaA8BQMwI5cR9tcVkJD5Vg6Un57MWBqiq7G7BjEy5EwkhxQWhDAKQ52Ea1RVxN0FKQpt0t-29dXl3iom17jkAPhlOVsBWQ98G4/s1600/Amazingracelogolarge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEjFV7tVNvgzk25foGIGfBlkTs8p5YwrV7uzM_5_s8NdaA8BQMwI5cR9tcVkJD5Vg6Un57MWBqiq7G7BjEy5EwkhxQWhDAKQ52Ea1RVxN0FKQpt0t-29dXl3iom17jkAPhlOVsBWQ98G4/s200/Amazingracelogolarge.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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My Daniel and I enjoy watching The Amazing Race. The places
they go and the cool experiences the players get to have, let alone as they
compete for great prizes, sounds like the perfect vacation to us.</div>
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The game incorporates a few twists and turns, like a
life-size board game, that make the race tougher or easier. For example,
sometimes teams get ‘U-Turned’ meaning they have to do <i>both</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> of the ‘Detour’ tasks instead of just the usual one
required. That, obviously, slows teams down. </span></div>
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On rare occasion, a team can win an advantage called an
‘Express Pass.’ It’s exactly what it sounds like – a fast forward to the end of
the leg, bypassing all the tasks, winning that leg’s prize, keeping that team
in the race. Once this golden nugget is obtained, it is that team’s strategic
discretion on how to use it. The logic, however, is that if the team in
possession of the ‘Express Pass’ gets hung up on a task that puts them in last
place, and therefore in danger of being eliminated from the race altogether,
then they use the ‘Express Pass’ to complete that leg of the race ahead of
everyone else. </div>
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Well, a couple Sunday’s ago, history was made when the team
with the treasured ‘Express Pass’ came in last place and were eliminated!
Ousted from the race while <i>still</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> in
possession of the Pass. </span></div>
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How in the world did that happen? I mean, how can you give
up the chance to win a million dollars, keep running a pretty cool race around
the world, when all you had to do was cash in the pass and move forward?</div>
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It seems to me, from what I saw while watching the show,
that the only reason they didn’t use it was to prove they could get through the
tasks.</div>
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That, my friends, is called PRIDE. And not the good kind, by
the way.</div>
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Amazingly enough, while the host, Phil, was telling this
team they were no longer in the race, they insisted they did the right thing. </div>
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Even Phil shrugged his shoulders in bewilderment.</div>
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It got me thinking.</div>
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We’re all in the race of life. I like to think of it more as
a journey, but Paul <i>did</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> encourage us to
‘run the race to obtain the prize.’ In the case of life, the prize he’s talking
about is Heaven. The good news is that, unlike The Amazing Race, we don’t have
to jump through hoops or attempt near-impossible feats to </span><i>earn</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> the right to continue. We don’t have to win the
‘Express Pass’ because it was purchased for us by Jesus Christ’s death on the
Cross and His resurrection. </span></div>
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And it is for everyone – <i>but you must choose to USE it</i><span style="font-style: normal;">!!! </span></div>
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Pride keeps us from a lot of benefits in life.
Self-dependency is perhaps one of the most dangerous cultural conspiracies of
our modern world. It’s much too common for people these days to make their own
rules and still expect to win. The team holding the Express Pass doggedly stuck
to their pride in their performance, almost ignoring the fact that they no
longer had a chance to obtain the goal. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Paul tells Timothy, “…athletes cannot win the prize unless
they follow the rules.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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The Bible clearly tells us the rules of life that lead to
winning the prize of Heaven. It may seem complicated at first, but really
there’s only one rule – believe on the Lord, Jesus Christ, and you will be
saved. THAT is the Express Pass. And all you have to do is USE IT. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Don’t find yourself on the mat without having used the pass.
Know the Rule. Follow the Rule. Win the Prize.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Happy Monday, Dry Ground friends! Happy racing!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
(photo by photobucket.com)<o:p></o:p></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Lori Lundquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388955247948625283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332051419763747413.post-18918060053051610042013-03-15T21:00:00.000-04:002013-03-15T21:00:03.108-04:00Answers!
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<br /></div>
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1. “I don’t want to be a good man. I want to be a great
one.” – 2013 – Oz the Great and Powerful</div>
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2. “What have they got in there, King Kong?” – 1993/2013 –
Jurassic Park</div>
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3. “Negative, Ghost Rider, the pattern is full.” – 1986/2012
– Top Gun</div>
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4. “Kids these days. They just don’t get scared like they
used to.” – 2001/2012 – Monsters, Inc.</div>
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5. “So, 38 of New York’s finest versus one guy in a unitard?
Am I correct?” 2012 – The Amazing Spider-Man</div>
<!--EndFragment-->Lori Lundquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388955247948625283noreply@blogger.com0