Love Talks: My Forgotten Love

There's nothing worse than unrequited love. 

When we see it in the movies, we think, "Oh, how selfish! He would die for her, but she turns her nose up at him!"  

In some ways, most of us have personal experience in this area, whether it was just a silly celebrity crush as a child, or a friendship you desperately hoped would become something more. 

Love Talks: The "Less-Shiny" Friend

For this "Love Talks" edition, I've decided to talk about friendships. Also, since I DIDN'T post a "Love Talk" on July 17th, be on the lookout for a SECOND surprise "Love Talks" post sometime during the month of August! :)  And now, our Feature Presentation. :D

I'm ADOLS.  If you've never heard of that condition, it's like ADD, except it stands for Attention Deficit OOH LOOK, SHINY!!!!

I am attracted to shiny, exciting things.  This carries over to my friendships, as well. I tend to want to be around hyper, fun-loving people who are a tad bit on the crazy side.

There's nothing wrong with hanging out with the "shiny" people, but sometimes, like a fish attracted to the shiny, metallic bait, it has gotten me in trouble. 

Audio Blog #2 Smarter Pants - REMIX!

For my second Audio Blog, I've done an audio version of Smarter Pants, my popular shopping story (which may get turned into a book, one of these days!) about finding the perfect pair of jeans. Now you can listen to this Thoughts of Joy classic.  

(P.S. I've even added some "bonus features" and bloopers not found in the original, print version! Oh, Joy!)  :D

Audio Blog #1 - Mud Pies!



Hey everyone! I'm doing something new! From time to time, I'll be uploading original stories that I've recorded as audio files with myself as the narrator! It's an idea I got from Todd Busteed, one of the instructors at the Lamplighter Guild.

I realize I have a long way to go and a lot of things I can improve, but for my first one, I'm extremely pleased!

So sit back, relax, and take a listen to "Mud Pies"!



Synopsis: When I was little, I actually tried to make pies...out of mud! Silly me. I now realize it doesn't work like that. Clean things don't come from dirt, dust, and mud! ...Or do they?

When You're Made of Mud, Sometimes You Go "SPLAT!"

Dirt. Dust. Mud. Icky, nasty stuff. It's so...dirty!

Oh wait. That's the stuff I'm made of.

Couldn't be wood, or steel, or even better: titanium!  Nope, I'm made of dirt.

"Then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the earth" Genesis 2:7

I've always wondered, is that why Jesus used mud to heal the blind man's eyes?  Earth dirt + God spit = man mud?  Seems logical enough to me.

Anyway, sometimes I feel like dirt. Don't we all, at times? Then I realize: I AM dirt. Ouch.  Talk about being tough on the self esteem!

Toothbrush Christianity

A couple of months ago, a friend (let's call her Beth) related to me her battle with recurring nightmares, which were keeping her from sleeping well at night. 

Having recently dealt with the same problem myself, I was able to offer her some advice. I suggested that she read scripture before going to bed, and spend time in prayer asking for God's peace and protection.

My friend agreed that this would probably help. Then she confided, "You know, I feel like a really bad Christian sometimes. I know I'm supposed to read my Bible more, but I just don't do it!"

I think all of us have felt that way at times, and as I began to explain this, an illustration popped into my head.