Foods and Friends

FOODS are like FRIENDS, you need a variety to keep you healthy and strong!



That is what I love about circle of friends:



I have friends that make me laugh,



friends that encourage me,



friends that challenge me,



friends that make me think,



friends that share their wisdom and help me learn.



But mostly, I have friends that love me!



Talk about a healthy diet!

It Wasn't Supposed To End This Way

Have you ever been totally caught up in reading a book or watching a movie, only to be completely let down by the way it ended?

Even though there was conflict, maybe major conflict, you just knew they would figure a way out of, or a way through the situation. But in the end, all you felt was shock, disappointment and maybe even a little betrayal, because of where the writer chose to take you.

We all want the "happily ever after" endings, but in real life, that is not what always happens, and it makes for some very sad stories.

And it is because I wouldn't ever want to discourage others from pursuing or believing in their own "happily ever after" endings, that it is so very difficult for me to share with you, what I am about to share.

When I married Nan, almost 17 years ago, I had absolutely no doubt that we were going to be together the rest of our lives. And though there were many, many rocky times for us, getting through those times only seemed to make the bond between us stronger.

Our love for each other was evident to anyone around us, and caused many people to examine their own relationships in light of what they saw in us.

But something happened to tear down everything that we had built over the years. It wasn't supposed to happen, especially between two God fearing, Bible believing, Christians, but it did, nonetheless.

What happened is very complicated and something that we both would like to remain private. But I would like to assure you that neither of us had an affair, nor are we involved with anyone else.

As a result of our problems, we have been separated for over a year now and our divorce became final this week.

I still hold Nan in high regard. She is a fine person and a joy to so many people who are fortunate enough to know her.

For those of you who know me, or knew us as a married couple, I am quite sure you are shocked, disappointed and saddened. It is, after all, a very sad ending.

We both believe that God works all things together for good, and so we believe He can do just that with the mess that we have created.

I look forward to the good things that God has planned for me as I stand in faith on this firm belief:

Each new day, each new hour, each new moment is a fresh and new beginning, fueled by God's mercy and grace.

Thank you, for all of your love and support for each of us.

North From The South, Or East From The West

Have you ever thought about this?


Suppose you were to decide to go on a journey. Suppose further, that you were only going to travel in one direction--let's say north.


So you set off on your journey traveling north. Perhaps you travel a very long time, but at some point in time, if you travel long enough, you can no longer travel north. At some point in time, you arrive at the northern most point and can go no further in that direction.


The same is true if you decided to travel south. At some point you could no longer travel south. And so the distance between the furthest point north and the furthest point south is a finite distance.


Now suppose you decide to travel east. Did you ever stop to think that you could travel east until you dropped dead from exhaustion or old age, and never arrive at the furthest place east?


And the same is true if you travelled west. So, we can assume the distance between east and west is infinite.


So why does this fascinate me?


It has to do with the following passage from Psalm 103: 11-13 (NKJ)



"For as the heavens are high above the earth,
So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;
As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
As a father pities his children,
So the LORD pities those who fear Him."





I am so glad the writer didn't say "as far as the north is from the south"!



For me, it is a wonderfully reassuring mental picture of my God's love for me.

Author's note: This was originally published on my blog on www.Tobri.com