Editing from other blogs number 3

Monday, August 13, 2007
What's the most mischievous thing you remember doing as a child?I don't ever remember being mischievious as a child. If I had to choose one thing, I would have to choose my grade 11 year. I was chosen as a cheerleader and that made me able to wear miniskirts which my dad forbade me from wearing usually. I'd walk home in my outfit just to say that I was hungry and didn't take the time to change. I loved being a cheerleader. Not only were we considered sexy, but we all loved the idea of wearing skirts. So sue me. Sheri1969
I just answered this Featured Question, you can answer it too!
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Today is Mom's Birthday
On August 13, of 2007, my mom will be 62. Kind of hard to believe my parents are in their 60's already. It is sort of scary too. I cna't imagine my life without my parents. My brother has nothing to do with his family anymore. I haven't seen him or his family since Christmas of 2006. He's holding some sort of grudge but I don't know what it is or why. It sure would be a great birthday gift to mom if he visited her.
Mom is to visit me later today and help me with groceries. But I thought instead of eating out which costs money, I'd make a meal here. So I made one of hers and my favourites; spaghetti. I just a piece of garlic bread and some cheese on it. Though I am not sure she can handle the garlic without her galbladder. Oh well, if that fails, I'll get some Rolo ice cream and we'll celebrate together with that.
I'm writing in red because Fall is her favourite time of year and this colour is one of her favourites. I painted her a picture tonight for her birthday. I know she'll like it because it is similar to another painting I made her - the only difference being that this one is, of course, fall colours. That on top of the fact she is an avid gardener should amount to total success as a gift.
My prayer would be that my brother gets over his pity party and calls her at least to wish her a happy day. That alone would make her happy. I really wish there were no such things as grudges. They sure do hurt a lot of people not necessarily in the direct path of the begrudged. It hurts me to see both mom and dad hurt so much. May God bless mom this her 62nd birthday and make all her dreams come true.
Love you mom,
Sheri
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Thursday, November 16, 2006
Angry Woman
©Sheri Liegh Adams
ANGRY WOMAN
©Sheri Liegh Adams
May 15, 2006

“I’m sick and tired of living a single life! All he ever talks about is work and his truck! He never has any energy to help me with the gardening and shows no interest in it!” She rants on and on and wares down the person listening to her vent.

She’s been married for coming up on 40 years and the last 16 have been the worst. In 1990, a lot happened in the family. Her father-in-law died in January, her daughter had brain surgery in March, her son was married in April and her husband was in an accident with the trucking company he worked for in the summer. On top of all this, when her son got married, he of course moved out. Empty nest syndrome set in.

After about 2 months of her angry outbursts, her daughter moved to the basement of their townhouse and made her own little apartment away from mom and dad and their constant fighting. Plus she was tired of fighting with mom too.

Sixteen years later, and she is still ranting and complaining. If the sun shone for an entire day and the day was warm with a gentle breeze, she could still find something to complain about. She has gotten so used to complaining that many of her family members think she does not know how to be happy anymore. The only time she is happy is if she is putting somebody else down, whether they are present or not.

And there is one more thing that tilts the scale. It is okay for her to be upset and angry, telling people off, throwing hammers and laying guilt trips, but if anybody else gets upset, or is hurt and wounded, they are to “just get over it and stop wallowing in the mud!”

Never is she happy anymore. She hasn’t said one nice thing about anybody in so long that she perhaps has forgotten how to. She has a double standard but she refuses to see it. Oh, she asks for opinions, but when you give your honest input, she just gets mad and slams the phone in your ear.

It is no wonder she lives a single life. Her anger and resentment pushes everybody away because all she can do is complain. It grows very tiresome and has become and old song that nobody wants to hear anymore. Myself, I can’t wait to get moved away from the town.

At least when I move, the only way she can talk to me is by phone, and if I see it is her calling, I can let the answering machine do the work for me. My prayer for her is a revelation as to the way she has been towards others that love her but don’t much like her anymore. I pray she sees the truth of her ways and that she gets some help to understand why she is so angry and why she seems to enjoy hurting other people.

Until then, I will keep my space and only answer the phone if I am up to listening to the daily, never changing rant. God give me strength.

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Saturday, October 21, 2006
The Meaning Of Coloured Roses
Red RosesRed roses proclaim "I love you." They are the ultimate symbol of romantic love and enduring passion. Florists can't keep up with Valentines Day demand for red roses, which makes them especially expensive in February. Buy Red Roses Online.
Pale Pink RosesPale pink roses connote grace, gentleness, and gratitude.
Light Pink RosesA joy to behold, light pink roses express fun and happiness.
Deep Pink RosesDeep pink roses say "Thank you."
Lilac RosesLilac roses indicate the sender has fallen in love at first sight with the recipient and is enchanted.
White RosesPure white roses symbolize truth and innocence. They also send other messages: "I miss you" and "You're heavenly."
Coral RosesCoral roses express one thing with their passionate color: Desire.
Peach RosesPeach roses speak of appreciation, gratitude, and also sympathy.
Orange RosesOrange roses communicate enthusiasm and desire on the part of the sender.
Yellow RosesYellow roses indicate friendship and freedom -- so don't send them if your intentions are romantic and long-lasting. Yellow roses are also appropriate for sending congratulations to newlyweds, graduates, Texans, and new mothers.
Dead RosesRegardless of the original color, dead roses say "It's over" loud and clear.
COMBINED ROSESPut two or more colors of roses together, and a new rose meaning arises:
White Roses + Yellow RosesA symbol of harmony.
Red Roses + Yellow RosesA message of happiness and celebration.
Red Roses + White RosesAn indication of bonding and harmony.
MORE ROSE SYMBOLISMWhile roses are traditionally presented in bouquet form, these are also acceptable:
Single Red Rose"I love you" (but I'm not going to go broke telling you).
Single Rose Any Color"I thank you" (and I'm still not going to go broke saying so).
Two Roses EntwinedAn engagement or marriage is imminent.
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MEANING OF ROSE COLORS
I have read this somewhere and noted it for future use. Let me know if someone else have more to contribute to this list.
Black Roses signify DeathCoral Rose conveys desireLavender Roses symbolize love at first sight and enhancementOrange Roses indicate enthusiasm, desire and fascinationPink (Deep) says Thank YouPink (Light) Rose conveys admiration, gentleness, grace, gladness, joy and sweetnessPink Rose carry the message of happiness, gracefulness and gentlenessRed Roses symbolize sincere Love, Respect, Courage & PassionRed (Dark) Rose reveals unconscious beautyRed (Single) means "I Love You"Red & White Roses together signify unitySingle Rose in any color expresses simplicity and gratitudeWhite Roses express Purity/heavenly, secrecy, silence, innocence and charmWhite (Bridal) Rose symbolizes a happy loveYellow Roses indicate joy, gladness, friendship and "I Care" Yellow Rose with Red Tip indicates friendship falling in Love
The description after the color indicates how you feel about the person to whom you are sending the rose. By the way, black does not always mean that you wish the recipient to be dead; it can also be a wish for your own death, perhaps if you just can't live with the way the situation stands.
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I got this information from various sites on the web but I do not remember which ones.
Sheri Adams
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Sunday, August 27, 2006
Freedom For Prisoners
Freedom for Prisoners

By Sheri Liegh Adams
I’d like to start by introducing myself. My name is Sheri, I am 37 and have been a Christian since the age of 13. I am a survivor of more than 20 years of sexual abuse and rape. I have been abused by both men and women, but the one woman scarred me more than all the men together. However, I am NOT a victim, but a survivor. I am not being abused anymore. I may have the occasional flashback or other issue that arises when you have been abused, but it is just the memory of the abuse, not the actual abuse itself. I am a SURVIVOR, not a victim. I am not fully healed, but am steadily working on my recovery and healing with the help of Jesus Christ and good counselors. I know what it is to be in bondage and I know what it is to be free. It is my prayer that you learn the way to freedom through this message.
I have had this message rolling around in my head and my heart for quite some time now. Just down the road about 30 minutes, maybe less, is a Federal Maximum Security Prison that holds only 3 types of offenders: rapists, murderers and armed robbers. For the longest time now, every time I go past that prison, I have a longing and a desire to go in and tell the prisoners that are there that there is hope for them and forgiveness of their sins. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. That though they may never receive the forgiveness of those they hurt, they CAN receive God’s forgiveness. There is another way to live that holds hope, peace, joy and truth. But after speaking to my pastor, who is very wise, he suggested something I have never thought of. Perhaps I am being called to minister to those in prison, but not necessarily those in a prison building. Perhaps I am to write this message so that those who are imprisoned in their past, pain, misery, sorrow or other such prisons and chains. This message is for you.
I don’t know what road you have been down. I don’t know what steps you have taken. I don’t know what kind of a life you have had, whether safe and loving or tough and abusive. But if you are reading this message, you have been blessed enough by God to remain alive, which in turn means He has a purpose for your being here.
God cares deeply about all humanity equally - 28There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female. For you are all Christians--you are one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:28, He longs that all would come to know Him and enter His Kingdom Luke 24:47 47With my authority, take this message of repentance to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: `There is forgiveness of sins for all who turn to me. Matthew 24:14 - And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then, finally, the end will come. But God also knows that not everyone will accept His offer of love and acceptance. Matthew 7:13-14 - You can enter God's Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose the easy way (which is to not follow Jesus Christ.) But the gateway to life is small, and the road is narrow, and only a few ever find it. Not all will find or accept God’s will and way, but for those that do, there is hope beyond all hopes when you turn to Him for guidance, love, peace and forgiveness. Having said that, God especially cares for those who are hurting or in a captivity of their own.
Psalm 146:8 - The LORD opens the eyes of the blind.The LORD lifts the burdensof those bent beneath their loads. The LORD loves the righteous.
Matthew 11:28 - Then Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.
If you are among those who are hurting or in a form of captivity, then I have some more good news for you today. There is freedom for all who are looking for it and for all who want it. But in order to obtain this freedom, you must do some things that may not be easy. We are to forgive and love those who hurt us - not an easy thing to even comprehend if you have survived a crime. But it is in black and white right in the Bible.
John 20:23 - If you forgive anyone's sins, they are forgiven. If you refuse to forgive them, they are unforgiven.
2 Corinthians 2:10-11 - 10When you forgive this man, I forgive him, too. And when I forgive him (for whatever is to be forgiven), I do so with Christ's authority for your benefit, 11so that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are very familiar with his evil schemes.
Colossians 3:12-14 - 12Since God chose you to be the holy people whom he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13You must make allowance for each other's faults and forgive the person who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. 14And the most important piece of clothing you must wear is love. Love is what binds us all together in perfect harmony.
Mark 11:25 - But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.
Matthew 6:15 - But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.
These verses will be repeated later in this message to emphasize their importance.
If you have been the victim of any crime, you are held prisoner by that person. Either through memories, flashbacks, hatred, depression, anxiety, sorrow, etc. The flashbacks, we often cannot control, but the memories we can. We can ground ourselves, reminding ourselves that I am here in the present with my house and belongings surrounding me; I am not being abused right now at this very moment. Still, you are in prison because of those memories and flashbacks, and especially because of the hatred you feel toward the person(s) who hurt you. I know; I’ve been there.
If you are a Christian, you know that God offers hope, joy, peace, love, healing and forgiveness: 1 Corinthians 4-8 4Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. Love does not demand its own way. Love is not irritable, and it keeps no record of when it has been wronged. 6It is never glad about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. 8 Love will last forever
If you are not a Christian, that should hold some sort of good news for you. Freedom from the bondage of your past: Psalm 103: 11-13 - 11 For his unfailing love toward those who fear himis as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. 12 He has removed our rebellious actsas far away from us as the east is from the west. 13 The LORD is like a father to his children,tender and compassionate to those who fear him.
If you are not yet a Christian, all you have to do is confess your sins to Him and He will save you. 1 John 1: 8-10 - 8If we say we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and refusing to accept the truth. 9 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong. 10If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts. Romans 10:9-10 says - 9 For if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.
First of all, let me tell you that you are loved, regardless of whether or not you are a Christian. So much so that you have a place waiting in Heaven for you if only you will reach out for the hand of Jesus. If you are loved by nobody on this planet, you ARE loved by God. God created you in His image and He was pleased with what He made - just read Genesis chapter 1. In fact, God loved you so much that He made a sacrifice that nobody else on the Earth since its formation by God has ever done or ever will do. God loved you enough that He sent His only Son to die for you in your place so that you could have communion with God, John 3:16 - For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
See, when Adam and Eve fell, we lost our free and open communication with God. We learned what was right and what was wrong, and suddenly had a conscience - in effect, we found our free-will, and because of that, sometimes people make wrong choices. God does not demand that we go His way. He has given us the option go choose our way: Exodus 19:5 - 5Now if you will obey me and keep my covenant, you will be my own special treasure from among all the nations of the earth; for all the earth belongs to me. Exodus 20:6 - 6But I lavish my love on those who love me and obey my commands, even for a thousand generations. Sometimes those choices hurt them or others. By God sending Jesus to the Earth to die in our place, God created a bridge between sinful man and sinless God. He closed the gap between sin and holy. John 3:16 says “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him, should not perish but have everlasting life.” This verse tells us that God KNEW we were going to be a sinful people so He made preparations in advance so that we would not go to a lost eternity. His Son, Jesus, was the preparation.
A lot of the messages that Jesus spoke, were of loving God, your neighbour, your enemy and yourself. He spoke of love and forgiveness, more than any other topic. If you are a Christian, it is fairly easy to love God. How could you not when He provides everything we need, and sometimes more than we need. To love your neighbour, may be a bit harder, depending on how you relate to each other. But most often, we like the people we live next to and enjoy getting together with them. That makes it easy to love them. Jesus also spoke of loving your enemy. That’s where it gets a little bit harder. How are we supposed to love somebody who hurts us, wants to maim us or control us in some painful fashion? More than that, WHY should we? The why starts because God forgave us of our sins. If He is loving enough to forgive us of our sins, why would He expect any less of us who are born into a sinful world as sinful people?
Now, you may be saying, “but I was a good person. I didn’t assault anybody. I didn’t kill or rape or torture anybody.” Maybe not, but have you ever lied? If your answer is yes, then that makes you a liar. Have you ever stolen something, regardless of how small it is - like a pack of gum or a chocolate bar or change from your parents’ wallets? If so, that makes you a thief. Have you ever lusted after somebody you don’t know and in your mind imagined having sexual relations with them? If so, that makes you an adulterer. Have you ever had hateful thoughts about somebody? If so, that makes you a murderer. The list goes on. We are ALL sinners. I myself have lied, stolen, lusted and hated people. Therefore, despite the fact that I was raped, I am still a sinner. Just because somebody hurts us, doesn’t mean we are sinless ourselves. So, if God can forgive a thief, murder, liar and adulterer all in one person, then how would it be right that we not forgive the person who abuses us? You say that the abuse went on for years. So did our own sinning. How many times did you sneak out of the house to go out with friends when your parents thought you were sleeping in bed? If you got away with it, you felt a high, but always there was a fear that you would get caught. That’s called a conscience. And do you know what your conscience is? It is the Holy Spirit who warns you to stay out of trouble. It’s that gut instinct that says to leave this place. You don’t know why, but if you don’t, it later becomes apparent why He wanted you to leave. If you do leave and later find out what happened, you are glad you obeyed the Spirit’s leading.
So God forgave us and we are to forgive all others. John 20:23 - If you forgive anyone's sins, they are forgiven. If you refuse to forgive them, they are unforgiven. 2 Corinthians 2:10-11 - 10 When you forgive this man, I forgive him, too. And when I forgive him (for whatever is to be forgiven), I do so with Christ's authority for your benefit, 11so that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are very familiar with his evil schemes. Colossians 3:12-14 - 12Since God chose you to be the holy people whom he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13You must make allowance for each other's faults and forgive the person who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. 14And the most important piece of clothing you must wear is love. Love is what binds us all together in perfect harmony. Mark 11:25 - But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too. Matthew 6:15 - But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins. And do you know why we are to forgive others? It is not for the other person that we are to forgive, but for ourselves and for God. When we forgive somebody who wronged us, we are obeying God, which in turn brings blessing upon us who forgive. We also find a freedom when we choose to forgive others.
Everybody has a best friend somewhere in life. You enjoy spending time with them, you smile when you think about them, you want to buy them presents at certain times of the year…In essence, you love that person and are therefore bound to them in love.
The same goes when you hate someone. You are so angry at them, planning revenge in your mind, that you spend your time thinking about them, spend energy on how horribly they have hurt you, you get angry, sad or vengeful when you think about them and you look for ways to get back at them. You’d never think of forgiving them. Because you hate this person so much, you are constantly bound to them. You have chosen to hold on to the pain, the sorrow, the anger and so on and by doing so, you have handcuffed yourself to them. That means they are with you wherever you go, whatever you do, etc. Love and hate have the same strength of emotion, just one is positive and one is negative. It is you who chooses which one you live with.
If you hate the person who has imprisoned you in pain, sorrow, bad memories, nightmares, scars either physically or emotionally, you are tied to that person. Everywhere you go, they go with you. You say, “but I don’t want to be handcuffed to them. I don’t want to be anywhere near them.” If that is your true desire, there is only one route to go. That is, you must forgive the person who harmed you and caused you so much pain. “WHAT???? FORGIVE HIM/HER!!! ARE YOU CRAZY!!!! No, it is the truth, and the truth is what sets you free.
Forgiveness is often confused with survivors of a crime. We think if we forgive them, we are saying that what they did was okay, and that we are letting them off the hook. Actually, if we forgive them, it is US we are letting off the hook. Remember what I said about being tied to those we love AND those we hate. Well, we obviously want to keep those we love but we want to get rid of the trash and baggage of those who hurt us. To do that, we must forgive. When we finally decide to forgive those who hurt us, there comes a freedom beyond all words and expressions here on earth. To forgive the perpetrators, means we are letting them go into God’s hands. By letting them go into God’s hands, God can then work in their life. He may cause them to feel remorse for what they did. If not, God will judge them on judgment day. And God can do far greater damage as punishment than we ourselves could ever do. The worst thing we could do to the perpetrators is kill them. Then what? They don’t think about it anymore and we have sinned a great sin in God’s eyes, making us no better than the person we killed.
When you release the person(s) who hurt you, and it is a daily process, it frees you up so God can heal your pain, sorrow and wounds. If you hang on to your abuser, there is nothing God can do because you won’t let go of the abuse. But when you let go of the abuser and reach out to God, all you need to do is take the one step of forgiving the abuser and He will come the rest of the way. Over time, you will feel joy again. You will want to go out and do the things you used to enjoy doing. You won’t walk in fear and trembling. You will have the confidence of knowing that God is with you every step of the way, holding your hand as you go. And when the road gets tough and you don’t think you can go any further, God will carry you until you are able to walk on your own again. He is the Shepherd and He cares deeply for His sheep, and knows each one by name.
So, how do you forgive somebody who hurt you? You might say a prayer something like this:
Dear Jesus, I come to you in brokenness and sorrow and pain. My life is in ruins. All I feel is pain, anger, sadness with thoughts of revenge. I don’t want to be tied to _______________ anymore. Please take the chains off of my hands. I release ____________________ into your hands. I forgive him/her for the hurt they put me through and for the hurt I still go through. I ask you to forgive me for holding a grudge against him/her. I release them into your hands so that You may work freely in their lives AND my life. Please help me work through my pain and help me to get past it all. I thank you for my salvation and I thank You for giving me all this time to forgive the person(s) who hurt me. I want to walk in Your example, forgiving all those who hurt me in life. I now pray for the salvation of the person who hurt me. If they are already one of Your children, I pray that You would work in their lives according to Your will. Help me daily, Lord to forgive those who hurt me. Cause me to feel joy, peace, love and happiness again. Thank You for the chance to start a new life for myself. I now leave ____________________ in your hands to do as You would have done.
In Your Precious and Holy Name I Pray, AMEN.
Now, after saying this prayer, there may be an instant release. For others, it may take many days of saying this prayer. But in the Bible, God makes it clear that we are not to judge ANYBODY. Anybody includes those who have hurt you in some way. Give yourself time. It’s okay to be angry, but when your anger is over, always go back to forgiving the person and praying for their salvation. God will heap coals of condemnation on them that we couldn’t even begin to think of. Forgiving is a daily process, sometimes hour by hour or minute by minute. A saying I once heard made things a little clearer: “Mile by mile, life is a trial, yard by yard, life is hard, inch by inch life is a cinch.” So, if you have to take it one inch at a time, that doesn’t make you a failure. At least you are trying to do God’s will and forgive those who are your “enemies.” He will bless your efforts and increase your joy and jubilation in life. God blesses those who bless others.
Being a survivor of any kind of crime is not nice, it is a hard life and often a very sad one, but if you follow God’s word, let go of the people who hurt you and reach up your hands that were once tied to your abusers to the God of love, suddenly life becomes much brighter, lighter and happier. Maybe not over night, but in GOD’s time.
©2005 by Sheri Leigh Adams - All Rights Reserved