Because YOU Asked! (Part I)

WOWZA! I asked for questions and guess what I got? Lots of questions! Don't fear though, it's only two parts! I have to say that I just love your creative minds and the diversity in the questions. You covered everything from abortion to Kiefer! Not to mention that you have given me SO much to think about! Some of your questions made me laugh, while others made me think deep! (Charlotte, I guess you really wanted me to post answers, huh? 20 questions? Too funny!)

So, because you asked, here are the first half of my answers.

*Itty Bitty Disclaimer: These are my views and not necessarily yours. Therefore, you may not like my answers. If that's the case, ummm, I can't wait to hear your respectful take on things and then we can agree to disagree!

Anonymous said...

Do you think women that have abortions are forgiven?

A.B.S.O.L.U.T.E.L.Y! There's no doubt in my mind that if you repent and are truly, with your entire heart and soul, remorseful for your actions (regardless of the sin) and you turn to God, you will be forgiven. Christ willingly was nailed to a cross and died for our sins and so that we may have eternal life.

"...and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land." - 2 Chronicles 7:14

Sassy Pants Freckle Face said...

What do you Really Think of Obama?

Boy! This is a loaded question. I don't know the man and I really try not to judge since I myself do not want to be judged, so I won't comment on him as a person. But, I can tell you this. I in no way support his leftist radical ideology and continue to pray for his heart to be changed.

Do you believe in the end of times??

As a Catholic and a Christian we are taught and I fully believe that "Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.". I believe that on Judgment Day at the end of the world, Christ will come in glory to achieve the definitive triumph of good over evil.

"For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather. But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other." - Matthew 24:27-31

If so how do you think it will happen?

See above scripture from the book of Matthew. You can also read Luke 21:11, 23. Of course, the book of Revelations is filled with prophetical scripture. I'm sure there are other places (Daniel, for one) throughout the bible that speaks of the coming of the Lord, but with 50 questions to answer, I don't have the time to look them up for you.

Do you believe in Past lives???

Nope! Although I must say that before I began my walk with Christ, I read a book called Many Lives, Many Masters by Dr. Brian Weiss. It really freaked me out and had me believing that for sure there were past lives. When I truly found Jesus (not just going to church and saying I believed in God) and began to learn the truth, in His word, I realized that we only have one earthly death.

"Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him." - Hebrews 9:27-28 (This scripture also reaffirms the second coming of the Lord).

Why do you think some people are handed a full deck and others half a deck????

Wow! Another very tough question. This one I have no answer to. Only God knows why He chooses certain lives for certain people. For instance, some are born into wealth and power, while others are born in a remote village in a distant land. Sometimes I think it's not fair, especially when I think about orphans. I also often wonder why I am so very blessed to live the way I do when there are others in Africa or Asia who have no access to medicine, food or clean water.

It breaks my heart. But I think that's what Jesus wants. He wants our hearts to break so that we could turn to Him. He wants us to feel for those that are less fortunate than us and be His hands and feet. I think of it as an obligation, yet I am always honored when I serve someone, as our Lord would have.

"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' - Matthew 25:40

He And Me + 3 said...

What type of Camera do you use to capture your precious memories with?

I have a Canon EOS Rebel XTi and I LOVE it!

Do you scrapbook?

I have tried it, but am absolutely terrible at printing pictures. I do love digital scrapbooking, when I could find the time. I have over over 10,000 pictures in my computer.

Katie@ThisCrazyLife said...

ARE YOU STILL SIDEWALK COUNSELING?

No, I haven't done it since my two little ones first came home in 2006.

HOW DO YOU KEEP FROM GETTING TOO PERSONALLY INVOLVED OR DO YOU STILL GET A LITTLE TOO INVOLVED?

The few months I did it after "Maria" settled in to her new life, I managed to direct the girls to the places they needed to go for help. I feel in my heart that "Angel's story" was truly the reason we moved to Florida's west coast. My two years of sidewalk counseling prior to moving here was God's way of preparing me for meeting Maria. By the way, if anyone is interested in doing sidewalk counseling, please feel free to email me.

Timmy's Girl said...

I have never heard your name before...what is its origin?

My name, Ohilda, is of Russian origin.

Where you named after someone?

My great-grandmother had read a Russian novel whose main character was named, Ohilda. She fell in love with the name and begged my grandmother to name her first daughter, Ohilda, My grandmother did. So, in answer to your question, I am named after my Mom.

Amy said...

How/where did you and Scott meet?

I first met him almost 11.5 years ago in a chat room called Comic Chat. Three months later, I met him "in person". And three years, to the day, of when we first met in person, we were engaged. You can read some more details HERE.

Was it love at first sight?

Actually, I was pretty smitten with him online. When I first met him in person, I laughed because being a Miami city girl who was used to dark, Latin chauvinistic men. Scott was the total opposite end of the spectrum. He wore tight jeans and cowboy boots on his "dress up" days and his casual days included tube socks (OMG! Do you remember THESE from junior high?) and these teeny running shorts that showed off his milky-white New Englander legs. (Ame, please don't take offense, I know you and a few other readers are from his old stompin' grounds.) After I got to know him for a while and properly dressed him, cut the hair, got rid of the "Don Quijote" mustache, he told me that "everyone up north dressed like that!" :) Nope, that part was definitely not love at first sight. But, he melted me with his words and was the first man in my life to actually lead me to my walk with Christ. (If I can find a picture in the next few days, I'll post it.)

The Ferrill's said...

What is your favorite Bible character of the Old Testament and why?

Oh Laine, this one was really tough! I have so many heroes from the old testament that I so wish I were like, starting with Abraham. I still cannot wrap my mind around how faithful and obedient he was. I love the Lord with all of my heart and soul, but just cannot envision myself ever taking my child and sacrificing him at the altar. Wow! I so wish I had the faith of Abraham!

BUT....that's not my favorite character. After much thought, I have to say Queen Esther. I remember reading the book of Esther for the first time and not being able to put it down. How she risked her life and allowed herself to be used as an instrument for God. I absolutely love how she was able to prevent the destruction of her people and the death of her cousin, Mordecai, because of her devotion and willingness to listen and obey God's word. As with Abraham, I pray that someday I could be as obedient and faith filled as Queen Esther.

Gloria said...

do mom's love their kids equally?

I can't speak for other Moms, but I have to say that I love mine equally. BUT (there's always a 'but', huh?), I love them all differently. Each one of my children possess amazing virtues, yet none are the same. I seek the good in each of them and fall in love with that good. So, they are all loved equally but for different reasons. Does that make sense? Sort of how you love your spouse, your mother, your sibling. You love them all dearly, but each one is a different type of love, because of the traits that they possess that contriibute to who you are.

did you go to college?

I started college and had always aspired to be a special ed. teacher, but after I had my first son, Tito, life got too complicated, not to mention expensive and did not complete it. This is still something on my bucket list! It's never too late!

what made you want to adopt?

After my sister gave birth to her stillborn little man, God placed adoption in my heart in a big way. You can read the details HERE.

why didn't you and Scott try to have your own kids?

I had my tubes tied when Amanda was born, but I don't think it would have mattered. God definitely had other plans. I thank Him every day for those plans. They are sitting in my living room right now in fits of giggles.

what happened to your grey hound?

I sadly had to return him to the rescue where we got him from shortly after the boys were home. He was a gentle giant, but was terribly afraid of them, and they of him. He found a new home within days. :)

when/why/how did you become more religious?

My heart always wanted to be close to the Lord, but I always made excuses; too boring, my spouses never wanted to go to church, I didn't have time, blah..blah...blah. Then, one night, my very first phone conversation with Scott (before I had seen him in tube socks...heh) I brought up what he thought about God. His response was that he didn't believe in "organized religion" but he believed in God. That turned me off a bit, but then later on in the conversation, he quoted a scripture from the bible and I almost fell out of my seat. I had never met a man that had read the bible, including my Dad (who you know I adore) that went to a Jesuit school his entire schooling. When he moved to Florida, I told him I wanted to start taking the kids to church every Sunday and would he go with us. With no reservations, he agreed. That was it. I truly found Jesus and have realized that he IS the way, the truth and the life (John 14:16). I don't know how I ever lived without Him in my life. (By the way, Scott is a faith-filled Catholic man now!)

deedee said...

Would you come visit my blog and check out my "P's?" I sure did!! And I encourage other's to go see DeeDee's "P's" also!

Holly said...

What's it like being a Mom to grown kids and to toddlers at the same time? I love it! I love seeing the sparkle in my little ones eyes when their siblings play come over. It still blows me away that I could have a 26 year old and a 2 year old! GOD IS GOOD!!

How is parenting the "2nd time around" different than the first time? I find the 2nd time around is a lot easier, albeit more exhausting. I know what to expect and don't have the anxiety that I had as a new mom. I'm also now a SAHM, which I wasn't able to do with my boys, and love every second of it. I pray the Lord continues to provide so that I could keep "this job". Lastly, this time around I know Jesus, whereas with the boys I went to church during Easter and Christmas. This is one of my biggest praises to God, the fact that He has allowed me to try again!

What have you learned that you didn't know the first go-round?

I was 18 when I had my first son and 21 when I had my second. I was really a kid. Although I loved them with every fiber of my being, I was pretty selfish and thought about myself a lot. I also learned through counseling and failed marriages, that God HAS to be a part of my marriage for it to work. In addition, my marriage has to come right after God and right before the kids. If you are not in a happy marriage, it's very difficult to be happy "family" around your kids. Others may think differently, but that's what works for us.

What's so great about Keifer? Isn't that the 24 guy you love?

Ahhh, Kiefer. Yes, there's just something about the man that I absolutely LOVE! (Don't fret. Sweet hubby is aware and is not jealous.) Maybe it's the mystery behind him. I honestly don't know. He's absolutely everything I would never want in a man; short (5'9), an alcoholic, a smoker, loves women and is infamous for his wandering eyes. Yet, I love the look in his eyes. I love his lips (A reader mentioned something to me the other day about not liking his lips. HUH???!!!) I love that he is in real life a true gentleman. I've read over and over how he never refuses a hello or an autograph to a fan, He is always saying please and thank you and opening doors for women. And of course, HE'S JACK BAUER! Hope that answers your question.

Angie said...

"This is not a question about you, but one that you of all people will most surely know the answer to...we didn't quite get the kids to bed on time Monday and missed the first 10 minutes of 24! But it's okay. We will recover from that if YOU help us. So, here's the question:"

How did the lady from the FBI get out of that ditch?

First, I gotta say, I cracked up at your question Angie. You're too funny!!

Here's the scoop. I think that was a 'FOX faux-pas' since when it happened, I turned to Scott and said, "How did Bill and Chloe find out?" Scott's answer was his usual when I ask stupid questions about what's going on. His response, "It's in the script!" The scene started with Bill and Chloe driving up to the ditch and saying (after digging her up and giving her an adrenaline shot to the heart), "It's O.K. We're here to save you. Jack sent us." I even watched the episode again since I have it on TiVo and couldn't figure out how they knew. Either Jack was wired or he called them. OR...Scott's logic, "It's in the script!"

...and how on earth did that bad guy get Jack in a head lock?

When Tony, Emerson (the bad guy) and Jack got out of the truck. Emerson already had suspicions that Jack wasn't a "bad guy". In the truck, Jack had asked Emerson about why he had "saved" Tony and they discussed how Tony had turned to the evil side. Upon arrival, Emerson asked Tony to go outside and prepare for the people picking up Matobo and his wife. He asked Jack to let Matobo and his wife out of the truck. As Jack was walking away, Emerson pulled out his gun, grabbed Jack in the headlock and asked Tony for answers.

That's it for today! Stay tuned and I will have Part II up by tomorrow evening. Hope y'all appreciate the honesty. :) Off to eat dinner and watch American Idol!

(TO ANONYMOUS WHO SHARED HER HEART ABOUT HER EXPERIENCE WHEN SHE WAS 16.)

I don't know if you'll be back to read this. I am praying you do because I have a favor to ask of you. Please pray about it first. If after praying, you feel led by the Lord to Email me privately, under absolute and complete confidentiality, I have an AMAZING story to share with you. God bless!