Scribbles and Scrambles ~ New Mexico Flora

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ A Few New Mexican Faces

I'm pretty sure I can say, without any exaggeration, that New Mexico's landscape is varied.

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ Things I Expected to See in New Mexico

Roswell.... Yes. There is a theme.

Unidentified flying balloon blobs....etc. Seen on the quick trip thru and a visit to a Roswell loo.

Serials and Scenarios ~ Pumpkin Fun W/ Tools

My brother strikes again!

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ Smoke and Mirrors and Shifting Shadows....

Smoke and Mirrors and Shifting Shadows (written for my church newsletter)


I'm just going to come out and admit this.... call me unAmerican, crazy, a fun-hater, whatever.... but I really, really do NOT care for The Wizard of Oz.

I know it's a classic and every child in the world is supposed to delight in this story. But not me, never, ever, ever... It could be the screaming, flying monkeys which I should be able to view now that I'm all grown up. But. I just can't/won't watch it to figure out if the monkeys did indeed permanently scar me.

But, in my childhood exposures while I watched through my barely cracked open fingers, I did pick up on a few things that have stuck with me through the years (besides another irrational fear -- being sprinkled with water.) The biggest take away from the movie is the utter disappointment the characters felt upon discovering that the wizard was just a little man with impressive tricks.

I don't know if there is anything more discouraging than finding that someone is not who they appear to be. And here we go, segueing into spiritual things now. (You were wondering weren't you?)

For years I struggled with disappointment with others...and in myself. I knew that my intentions were usually good but that my follow through often lacked. And I saw this same syndrome in others.... a dropping of the ball, a twisting of the truth, a miscommunication, a selfish motivation. These little tiny things began to erode my trust in the basic goodness of humanity. I began to see that no matter how amazing or Godly a person seemed, when push came to shove, or the offer was high enough, a crack would begin to appear and the darkness of sin would ooze out. And. My faith in the goodness of humanity needed to be shaken, because, we really are creatures with dark motivations. But with this brutal realization came a shaking of my belief in God's character. After all, it does stand to reason that if the humanity created in God's image each contained a teeny, tiny seed of selfishness, that God did too. Right?

So it was with skepticism that I trusted Him, watching, waiting for Him to disappoint me.

Have you ever had a verse or Scripture leap out of the Bible and grab your heart, forever changing you? Talk about living, active, Word of God. Praise the Lord, I have and one of these moments addressed my fear of smoke, mirrors, parlor tricks and of peeking behind the Wizard's curtain.

James 1: 16 -17 Don't be deceived, my dear brothers. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

There is no dark, center core to God. No shadows within Him and His heart toward us. No tricks, no cover-ups, no looming "unveiling" of an impotent God. He is pure light. His love for us is pure and generous. His forgiveness is without tricks, strings or a list that will become historical documentation attached to our permanent file. God is all-powerful, all-knowing, all-present and He loves us. He is a coach, a champion, a reward giver, a loving father, a brother and our provider as well as the King of kings and Lord of lords. What a blessing to know that in the age we are in where so many are working out their own path to salvation with fear and lies, that the truth is pure, clear and shadow-free.

Super Cinema Saturday ~ You Again and Life and We Know It

My Review of You Again...


This flick was cute in the previews and delivers even more than it promised in the full-length film.

After years of healing success and maturity post high-school, Marnie aka MOO, finds out that her brother is marrying her nastiest high-school tormentor. With no time to process the information or put on full body armor, Marnie is thrown into the situation just days before the wedding. Joanna, oddly, doesn't even remember Marnie the queen-of-geeks and has gone on to become a perfect blend of Martha Stewart and Mother Teresa. Or maybe not!

Chick-flicky, yes. But its more about friends, enemies and the painful art of growing-up. The movie contains a few cheesy moments and a few underdeveloped relationships because the cast of characters is huge. But, it's respectful of friendship, forgiveness, character and marriage. Jamie Lee Curtis and Sigourney Weaver are delightfully amusing and seem to enjoy every bit of working together in this film. There is a scene at the end of the movie that is hilarious and worth every bit of cheese and I can't say one more thing about it because it would be a big spoiler. The film is clean and would be a terrific pre-teen movie choice.

Comparable movies are Mean Girls, Monster-In-Law, Bride Wars, Win a Date with Tad Hamilton and Confessions of a Shopaholic. If you liked any of the above or any of the You Again cast of characters you should enjoy this film. This is one I'll be adding to my DVD collection.



My Review of Life as We Know It...

Hollie and Messer, set-up by best friends Allison and Peter, meet, share a disaster of a non-date and develop an intense hatred for each other. Then Allison and Peter get married and have a baby, forcing Hollie and Messer to be subjected to each other often. Glimpses of Hollie and Messer and their interaction flash on the screen as this relationship that ties them together unfolds. Finally, a laughing moment is shared at Baby Sophie's 1st birthday party where a picture is taken with "Godparents," Hollie and Messer, who don't understand exactly what that term means.

Fast forward several weeks and Hollie and Messer meet up at the police station to discover that Allison and Peter have died in a horrific accident and that Sophie needs them. They discover how much as the rest of the story unfolds.

I really liked this film. I watched it with four friends and we all agreed that it was worth the investment. The main characters are three-dimensional and well-cast. Though not laugh out-loud funny in most scenes, there is enough humor thrown in to make the subject matter less intense. Not pure comedy, or drama, also not pure chick flick. Enough deep issues and emotions play out that the movie grabbed my emotions and heart.

A few cheesy moments make their way into the movie...one in particular is a drug thread that ends up falling flat, though it likely supposed to play as a light-hearted moment. There are a group of neighbors that add annoyingly funny moments throughout the film. Language is minimal, the F-Bomb makes few appearances, the most memorable is a whispered fight. Messer is a new-girl-a-night kind of a guy so there are plenty of comments about his tom-catting ways, though the sex scenes are minimal and primarily off-screen. Hollie is an uptight business owner who's rigidity makes for a few annoying minutes throughout the film as well. But overall the relationship between them ends up being respectful of families and love and this one will end up in my DVD library.

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ Throne for a Loop

Throne for a Loop as written for my church newsletter....


We live/react out of what we know to be true and that "truth" is an interesting blend of part-truths and experiences.

This isn't necessarily a bad thing. It can be a wonderful thing when we have gotten to the point where the Holy Spirit speaks louder than the world, than our experiences, and louder than our friends.

But most of us live in the Mixlands...where truth is not necessarily truth when we are done interpreting it.

I've been thinking about this quite a bit lately. I struggle with misperceptions and miscommunications and misinterpretations of the truth. As I've considered this, it's occurred to me that the biggest thing in my life, the squeaky wheel of my struggles is going to be the thing that rises up in me and causes my reactions. And if that thing isn't God. My reaction is not going to be a good choice. It will come out of my weaknesses or fears or out of my pain.

There is an evangelical tract that spells it out (paraphrased) this way. Whoever sits on the throne of your life will be your governor/king/lord. I'd like to suggest that it's beyond that...that it's whatever sits on the throne of my life will be the thing I listen to, the thing through which I interpret life's happenings. That thing becomes lord and sometimes false savior in my life.

For example. I am a recovering people pleaser. I want to make people happy, to have them like me, want to be around me, etc. etc. etc. But in the past, that desire became a squeaky, screeching need. When someone didn't like me (Really, there are those who don't. Can you believe that?) My heart would start pounding when I was around them, and I'd get sweaty and I'd try...try...try to make them like me. And that behavior never really worked. Not only did they still not like me, they began to not respect me or began to take out restraining orders. The need to be liked had taken the throne. It had deposed and overthrown the rightful King. And people pleasing is a cruel king. Cruel. It demands, it shows no mercy and it takes everything of value from its subjects. Jesus clearly states that there will be people who don't like me because of Him. But He also clearly demonstrated that He loved me enough to slather my disgusting sins all over Him and wear them while dying in my place. Emotional needs are sneaky and would love to slide onto the throne of your life. Do you have any that have slithered close? Any making plans for an uprising?

Another area of evil kingship is addictions. Oh, we Christians still struggle with those. I'm not going to mention the ones that have 12-step programs. How about the addiction to control? Addiction to negativity or self-pity? Addiction to being right no matter the cost? Talk about killing, stealing and destroying. These are from the pits. Do you turn to something you NEED to help you through the day? Do you find yourself looking forward to a phone call from a friend so you can gossip?

And if those are enough usurpers of the throne. How about other people? Do you still hear someone's voice in your head and obey it instead of your Shepherd's voice? Your math teacher who said you'd never get beyond high school? Your music teacher who said you couldn't carry a tune in a bucket? A parent who was so broken that you couldn't please them even if they had succeeded into shaping you into the perfect child?

God belongs on the throne. He is the only one equipped to be a ruler. He has the resources and He has the lovingkindness to rule in your best interest. He has the power to guide you and direct you. He can protect you and He accepts you as the broken and deceived peasant that you are. He has provided living water for you to wash up in, and clothing to slip into, armor to protect you, and a voice that you can learn to listen to.

Take a peek into the throne room of your life. Who or what sits on the throne?