Follow Your Heart

Have you ever heard the statement (or others like it ) "follow your heart"?

 It looks so good, doesn't it. 

But be careful. This is such a dangerous statement!

I have long wondered about the fallacy of this statement, "follow your heart". It is a popular idea... just google image search it and find a whole heap of memes like the two above encouraging us to follow our hearts and not our heads. We are told to 'trust in what we are made of' and 'be happy', the obvious implication being that following our hearts will make us happy.

You see, our hearts are fickle. We can't just trust in how we are feeling. Feelings change. I might get up one day feeling grumpy, and be happy the next minute because my little sister gave me a note which said 'I love you'. Feelings are fickle. We cannot trust our hearts because they change. 

There is also another reason why I believe that the popular idea of trusting in your heart and not your head is a dangerous place to be. It's because the Bible distinctly tells us not to.

Here is Proverbs 28:26, in three different translations because they are all slightly different.


Proverbs 28:26 
Those who trust in themselves are fools, but those who walk in wisdom are kept safe. (NIV)

He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered. (KJV) [emphasis added]

He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, But he who walks wisely will be delivered. (NASB) [emphasis added]

Ah! Whoever trusts in his own heart is a fool! Interesting, isn't it!
Here's another verse that shows why we shouldn't rely on listening to our hearts.



Jeremiah 17:9.
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked..... (KJV)

Let me put this all into context for you. Let's say, for example, that there is a big decision coming up for you. One way looks really good. It is the easy way... the way that pulls at your heart strings. It looks good. 

The other way doesn't look so good. It is the hard way. The difficult way. Yet as the Bible says, hard work brings a profit. Sometimes we have to be willing to work for what we want. :) I know, horrible thought!

The easy way tugs at your heart. The difficult way is the best way, but you have to learn to look past what your heart says and think about what is really the appropriate decision in the circumstances, based not on how you feel, but what the Lord wants. Pray about it. Ask the Lord for help. Don't  jump straight into it without considering everything! 

Above all, make sure your heart is governed by your head. 

(Originally posted on the Jewels of Jesus blog.)

The Competition is Over and the Congratulations are in Order

Hello everyone!

Now I just know that you are all dying to know who won my inaugural Worst First Line competition... but before I get to those meaty details, may I first be allowed to offer my heartiest congratulations and felicitations to each entrant and each entry. I had such a hard job and a whole lot of fun deciding the winner.

I had entries on such a wide range of subjects - from politics to bananas to hobbits to high mountains to eyes shining like candlesticks! You all did such a great job and I can't wait for the next competition.

After I weeded out the entries I didn't like quite so much, I had such a hard time tossing up between my four favourite entries. So here we have my four favourites - beginning with fourth place, and culminating with the overall winner of the entire competition.

Fourth place goes to this wonderfully awful entry:

"It all began with a torrential flood of diarrhea." 

I think you'll all agree with me that is truly a really bad first line. Congratulations to the author, Michael. 

Third place goes to this even awfuller entry:

"I was hitting the backspace key deliberately when the alarm clock rang--and only then did I realize it was only a dream."

Full of cliches, and some terrible backspacing. Congratulations to the author, Esther.

Second place goes to this terrifically terrible entry:

"Just a warning before you go on with this story, I don't think you'll enjoy going on with it, you probably shouldn't go on with this story, it might be better if you don't go on with it, and going on with it probably won't be good, and so I don't advise you to go on with it."

I mean, who starts a story like this? A truly awful first line. Congratulations to the author, Matthew.

And now, for the winner of the Bonnie's Blessings Worst First Line competition 2014 - drumroll please!

First place goes to this truly magnificently hideously atrociously atrocious entry:

"It was a dark and stormy night, like the ones Snoopy always writes about in the Peanuts cartoon, but this one was even darker and stormier than that, so that Horace Stubbleton entertained the thought that if he opened his mouth the precipitation might be enough to drown him, and he wouldn't have to suffer the ordeal awaiting him in the ornate Georgian mansion with anachronistic modern gables towards which he was picking his way through sodden bushes."

I chose this entry because I loved the awful name of the character. I loved the dark and stormy night bit. I loved the awful adjectives sprinkled liberally everywhere (I mean, anachronistic? Seriously?!?). I loved how long the sentence is and how much you just want to put a stop to it. In short, a magnificent entry. A massive round of applause and a huge amount of congratulations to the author, Michael. (This is actually a different entrant than the entrant who won fourth place, just in case you were wondering. The just happen to have the same name.)

Now, wouldn't it be nice if......

Two days left, folks. Two days. Only. The deadline for my Worst First Line blog competition is in TWO DAYS time. (Did I mention that you only have 48 hours left?) Better not put off entering any longer, people! I haven't had very many entries yet so please feel free to enter (hint, hint) if you feel so inclined. If you want to read the rules and all the other info about it, it's all here.
(Oh, and this will be my last prompting post before the contest ends, so enter now because I won't be reminding you again.)


   

Orchestra and the 1812 Overture

Firstly, my contest closes in 5 days so if you haven't entered, better enter quick. If you have entered, how about entering again? No one has reached the 5 entries per person limit yet. :)

Since I'm super busy today but I thought it was probably time for another blog post, here's a nice simple quick blog post for you all that hopefully you won't mind too much.


Seeing… the music for the 1812 Overture by Tchaikovsky in front of my eyes as I type... perhaps I've been practicing too much.
Hearing… aforesaid song. You know how songs go round and round in your head and they just won't stop? Not that I have anything against the 1812 Overture, it's a lovely song but I'm a bit sick of it now!
Tasting… absolutely nothing. Breakfast was far too long ago.
Needing… food. Chocolate, preferably.
Wanting... aforesaid chocolate
Regretting… that you only get told about plans at the last minute! I need plenty of advance notice, peoples!
Feeling… very hungry and slightly tired.
Wishing… that tonight would come sooner because I'm really excited. ;)
Thinking… that you guys are absolutely awesome
Laughing… over the conductor's antics at orchestra. He's pretty funny.
Recovering… from a massively busy day at work yesterday.
Anticipating… my orchestra concert this afternoon and then something awesome this evening
Dreaming… about that catchy 1812 Overture
Praying… for the national elections today. May God's will be done about who governs this country! :)
Reading… blog posts by friends.
Singing… yes, you guessed it! The 1812 Overture. Not that it has words, y'know. But singing it in my head. "Ba ba ba ba dum ba dum DUM dadum"
Wearing… my favourite comfy purple and black stripy top and a convenient pair of jeans
Preparing… for the concert this afternoon
Googling… nothing. Actually, seriously, honestly, nothing. At the moment, anyway.
Working… on this post somewhat frantically
Emailing… friends and having lengthy conversations about the most random of topics. It's all good though.
Sewing… hastily finishing alterations on my outfit for tonight
Considering… which top to wear to the concert this afternoon. I had a bit of a discussion with Mum about it last night but I still can't decide. Shall I go too small or too big?
Checking… my chocolate stash
Suffering… not having any chocolate.

Practicing… my piece for this afternoon (prepare to be amazed....), the 1812 Overture. Also practicing a couple of card games because it's good to keep up your skills on that sort of thing. ;)


I hope you are having a fun and fulfilling Saturday! I certainly am.

Announcing: The Worst First Line - Over To You!

Okay, everyone, time for a little fun. I'm hosting an awesome competition - one that you won't want to miss out on!

The Competition:
Write the worst first line of a story that you can possibly think of.

The Prize:
Can we just say for now that it's awesome?

The Deadline:
25th September 2014, NZ time. No arguments.

The Rules:
- The winner will be the entrant who will be judged to have written the worst first line of a story out of all the entries.
- Make it weird. Make it cliched. Make it full of awful puns. Make it funny to read. Make it completely cringeworthy. Make it a truly awful first line.
- Each entry must consist of a single sentence but you may submit up to 5 entries if you wish.
- Sentences may be of any length but I strongly recommend that entries not go beyond 50 words.

- The contest will end on the 25th September unless I inform you otherwise prior to that date.

- Anyone living on the face of the planet is eligible to enter. 

- I reserve the right to grant extra entries at my liberty to those who tell their friends about the competition. 

- My decision is final. (Don't you just love that?? I get to judge!! Yay!!)

- The worst first line of a story will be published on my blog along with the author's name and a bio. If you are not comfortable with that, I advise you not to enter.

- Having said that... please enter! I'd love to be able to judge and read lots of awesome entries! Tell your friends!

- If the entries are all really amazing (meaning: super awful :) ) I may even publish more than one on my blog. Runner up, anyone?


Whoops, I nearly forgot to give you a way to enter! Sorry! Here is the official entry form.



   


Any questions? Ask away!

A Tour Of Our Property

Here's something a little different for you today, everyone. Welcome to a Tour of our Property... by way of showing blossoms, daffodils and the arrival of spring. Buckle your seatbelts and let's go!

The morning sun above the hedge. The garden shed is on the right with our house on the left.

That portion of the house you can see beyond those plum blossoms is actually the room where I sleep.

A closer-up view of both the blossoms and my room

A sunny bright daffodil beside the fence

Golden queen blossoms and daffodils blooming in the backyard.

Some kind of fruit blossoms in the backyard. I'm not completely sure what kind of fruit it is.

What we call the Garden Room (where Abbie and Lydia sleep) with daffodils in front of it.

There's this kind of alley-way thingy that runs down between the courtyard and the boundary fence. It's behind the trellis in the photo. That is always a favourite place to hide when playing Hide-and-Seek or Sardines!

And since we are on the subject of hiding places, this tree that grows right out the front of our house is always a favourite place to hide beneath. The thick hedge that grows underneath it affords plenty of protection from prying eyes - just be careful you don't snag your hair on some stray branch or two!

Blossoms... these will be golden queens hopefully one day soon

This tree grows beside our house, with the hedge in the background being the boundary between us and our neighbours.

This plant hangs over the trellis gate that leads from the front of our property round to the back behind the house. It smells absolutely heavenly.

          Have a wonderful week!

Fix Or Repair Daily

Note: I am not trying to put Ford vehicles down in any way, and I apologise profusely if you happen to own/use a Ford and take offense to any of these. I am just posting this because I personally found it entertaining... :) Have a lovely day!

 

With lots of love and many hugs to my absolutely incredibly amazingly awesome Dad xxx

A + A // Daffodils, Pegging and Frozen Yoghurt

Awkward:

- That awkward silence on the telephone when nobody knows what to say...
- Hearing Mum say "I've found the right house for us!" and wondering how many times you've heard her say that. Probably over a hundred. None of those 'right houses' have been the right house yet, lol!
- Losing the back of one of my stud earrings and despairing of ever finding it.
- Awkward silences in general.
- Hearing a sibling say "I put a nice tasty worm in the bird feeder for the birds to find" and wondering how she knew it was tasty. Did she try it?
- Going down a 'shortcut' that actually turned out to be a dead-end. So much for that. It was pretty funny though.
- Trying to keep from being pegged.
- "How are you?" "Good thanks, how are you?" "Good." Now what???
- Helping Lydia with her ballet when the floor of the lounge was so cluttered with toys and stuff that every time you moved you had to kind of jump over piles of stuff or stand on top of it.
- Forgetting the right words to say... "It's a three letter word, I think there's a G in it and it's something they put in food that is bad for you." (Turned out to be MSG.)
- At work when there's a massive queue of customers lined up to get the sandwiches you're making. Someone finally gets to the top of the line and they've been waiting for ages to get there... but they mutter something under their breath and race out the door before you get a chance to greet them. "Did I do something wrong??"
- Wishing you knew something and trying a million different ways of phrasing the question to find it out.. but no, there's no polite or non-inquisitive way to ask it without appearing extremely rude and inquisitive. :(



Awesome:

- Daffodils poking their beautiful yellow heads out of the earth.
- Finding the back of one of my stud earrings that I had despaired of ever finding!
- Blossoms in bloom
- Being invited to go out and eat frozen yoghurt with some friends - frozen yoghurt is really good!! Just sayin'.
- Really looking forward to something awesome
- Spring! Biking along and noticing the fragrance in the air... I love how you can smell spring.
- Laughing uncontrollably with someone when something funny happens. :)
- Taking Jana out to look at the bird avairy and showing her the budgies. Her eyes are so big as she darts them around trying to follow the birds who are flying all over the place.
- Siblings who say (and do) funny things.
- Smoothies
- Getting (finally) our family's audio dramatized version of the Bible that we can put on our ipods and listen to on long trips. I've been looking forward to it for ages, and it's actually really cool.
- American accents. I love listening to them.
- Hot waffles with golden syrup... mmmm...
- Finding out your best friend is going to be at an event that you were booked in for and looking forward to it twice as much as you were before you knew she would be there. :)
- Finishing a project. Or half of it, anyway.


What's been awkward or awesome about your week?

Blossoms and Baby Animals

I have always loved the changing of the seasons. There is something so wonderful and thrilling about leaving the old one behind and looking forward to new delights in the new season that you haven't seen for a whole year! :)

Here is just a tiny smidgeon of what I love about each of the seasons.


Summer:
The warm sun, Christmas (yay!!), barefeet and jandals, beautiful summer flowers, barbecues, summer fruits like peaches and apricots and nectarines, beaches, walks, icecream, tree climbing, long warm evenings, frisbee, Dad home from work, delicious birdsong, long holidays.....

Autumn (Fall):
Golden-brown leaves, orange leaves, red leaves, beautiful colours, the days beginning to shorten, that first fire in the fireplace, marshmellows, wearing more clothing and being bundled up, apples, gumboots, the knowledge that on the other side of the world everyone is getting blessed with spring....

Winter:
The hopefulness that it might snow, skiing, frost, cups of hot chocolate, squelchy mud, being able to see your breath linger in the air in a beautiful frosty cloud, hail, bowls of hot soup, being toasty warm, shorter days and longer to spend cuddled up in bed....

Spring:
The joy of new life, baby animals, lambs prancing in fields, daffodils, blossoms everywhere, that delicious spring rain, ducklings following their mothers everywhere, fresh air, warmer temperatures, opening up the windows wide, looking forward to summer, green grass everywhere...



For us over here in NZ Spring is here!! Yay!! It's September, and everyone knows that September is Spring! I must confess it. Spring is my favourite season. :D I love them all... but there is always something so refreshing about spring coming after winter. And I absolutely love all the blossoms out and about.

So tell me, what is your favourite season?