Creation: God vs. Satan

Going along with my previous post, I received this poem in an email once... I found it to be funny... and sadly, very true...! Being one who struggles with my weight on a daily basis, I can see how temptation has been a problem for me quite often! *sigh*

God vs Satan

And God populated the earth with broccoli and cauliflower and spinach and green and yellow vegetables of all kinds, so Man and Woman would live long and healthy lives.

And Satan created McDonald's. And McDonald's brought forth the 99-cent double-cheeseburger. And Satan said to Man, "You want fries with that?" And Man said, "Super size them." And Man gained pounds.

And God created the healthful yogurt, that woman might keep her figure that man found so fair.

And Satan froze the yogurt, and he brought forth chocolate, nuts and brightly colored sprinkle candy to put on the yogurt. And woman gained pounds.

And God said, "Try my crispy fresh salad."

And Satan brought forth creamy dressings, bacon bits, and shredded cheese.
And there was ice cream for dessert. And woman gained pounds.

And God said, "I have sent your heart healthy vegetables and olive oil with which to cook them."

And Satan brought forth chicken-fried steak from Cracker Barrel so big it needed its own platter.
And Man gained pounds, and his bad cholesterol went through the roof.

And God brought forth running shoes, and Man resolved to lose those extra pounds.
And Satan brought forth cable TV with remote control so Man would not have to toil to change channels between ESPN and ESPN2.
And Man gained pounds.

And God said, "You're running up the score, Devil."
And God brought forth the potato, a vegetable naturally low in fat and brimming with nutrition.

And Satan peeled off the healthful skin and sliced the starchy center into chips and deep-fat fried them. And he created sour cream dip also.
And Man clutched his remote control and ate the potato chips swaddled in cholesterol.
And Satan saw and said, "It is good."
And Man went into cardiac arrest.

And God sighed, and created quadruple bypass surgery, angioplasties, and stints . . . . .

And Satan created HMOs...



I don't have an author for this poem - if you know it, please post a comment so I can give credit! Thx! :)

Not God... but We Found Evil In The Sunday Coupons Section...

My dear hubby works for a company that is half-owned by our local grocery store - so he is VERY knowledgable about groceries and coupons and where things are located IN the grocery store (a rare skill in men, let me tell you!) ;) He is also the CFO (Chief Financial Officer) of our family (I'm CDO: Chief of Daily Operations), so he will usually be the one to peruse the coupons and find the ones that we can use and get the best deal. (Ah... I know what some ladies are thinking... and remember, thou shalt not covet your neighbor's husband...! LOL!)

He was cutting out the coupons from last Sunday's paper, and on one of the coupon pages was a 1/2 page coupon for PLAYBOY Magazine!! Complete with a big, busty, scantilly-clad lady on it...! Wh-at? We have NEVER seen anything like that before... especially in the coupon section of the paper!! And considering I think it's mostly women who cut the coupons (although maybe I'm wrong about that), why would there be an ad & coupon for a Men's Magazine there in the first place? It's like the half-naked ads of women for make-up or hair products that you find in People Magazine or some other women's type magazine... I'll never understand that one... But I digress........

My point is while we can find God in everyday places... working daily in our lives, we can also find Satan in everyday places. Not the crimson, horned-headed beast of fairy tales, but the fallen Angel who drops temptations into our laps-- luring us into making bad choices. It is up to us to be ever-watchful and resist those temptations.

I use The Message translation of the Bible and 1Corinthians 10:13 says No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he'll never let you be pushed past your limit; he'll always be there to help you come through it. That should be a comfort to you - that you are not alone... others have felt your temptation... and God will be with you as you resist.

I don't know you - but I'm thinking of you today... and saying a prayer that you find the strengh you require.

:) Mags

I Found God In Potatoes...

DH is out-of-town tonight so the kids and I went to Bob Evans for dinner. I had French fries with my burger, and though it might be a stretch to say I "found God" in my French fries (in all their heavenly saltness!), it's my blog, and there aren't many other heavenly tastes than hot, salty fries - they must be created by God!!

Plus, I was reminded of this poem that I wrote for a graduate writing class... thought you might enjoy it!

My Thighs Are Made Of Fries
By Maggie Carlton*, July 1995
(*my maiden name)

Give me the steaming, golden French fry,
Truly, it will light up my eye.
That mouth-watering stick heavy with salt,
Surely, this weakness cannot be my fault.

Some starch-craved relative passed along,
This spud-lovin' gene that does my body wrong.
To me it is worth it-- the extra flab cushion,
Formed by the fries, into my mouth I've been pushin'!

No cardboard, healthy rice cake for me,
Nor stale bran flakes to make me dreary.
Keep away those diets the little fry is not a part,
For to be separated from him would break my heart.

Yes, I'll forgo those slender hips,
Just so mine can be made of chips.
I'll let the cellulite gather,
Around my middle, the greasy fries slather.

A perfect marriage of potato and grease--
Oh! To have just one more piece!
Burgers and pizza, even chicken with fries,
With any meal, they're a pleasant surprise!

And as I prepare to meet my maker,
I'll be fry-in-hand reaching for that salt-shaker!
Oh, to have just one more fry...
That single moment before I die!

If you decide to copy or save it, please keep my name with it - I appreciate it!
:)

I Found God On The School Bus...

...Or rather, my 6-yr. old son did! :)

Turns out, last week, my son and his friend did a bit of witnessing to two girls who were trying to say that God didn't exist. All the way home, they told about the Bible and what they knew about God - and didn't back down at all!

If my six-year-old can have the confidence and steadfastness to witness to near-strangers (we don't know these girls), how could I not make sure I'm a witness for God, myself?!

Out of the mouth of babes... we learn a valuable lesson!

:) Take care of you today!
~Mags

I Found God In My Computer...

Seriously... some crazy glitch/crash/mess happened in my computer last week. All of the subfolders and folders that housed my various emails I've saved dumped out of each other and organized themselves in ABC order... so I had 65+ email folders all "out" and not neatly tucked away within the 10 or less main folders. And I use Incredimail; all of the saved IM Letters (email stationery) neatly organized into some main folders, dumped themselves out as well.

The time it took to re-organzed was lost when I rebooted my computer, and THE SAME THING HAPPENED AGAIN!!

In addition to the folder issue, I could receive my email, but not send any.

To fix the situation, I started doing all I knew how to do... re-installing software, clearing out temp files, restarting the computer, checking out IM and Google Help sites - NOTHING was working!!

Finally, I stopped,
Took a breath,
Closed my eyes,
And I prayed.

I prayed to God to either fix the computer Himself or guide me to the knowledge to find the answers I sought.

Then I opened my eyes, took another breath, and started through yet another re-install/upgrade of the IM software.

Within a half-hour, my email was working again!!

Thanks, God!!!


This wasn't a miracle on the scale of water-into-wine or loaves-and-fishes, for sure - but in my little world, my laptop and my email is a B-I-G deal... by myself, I could not fix my problems, but as soon as I asked for God's help, I was able to solve my problem.

Coincidence?
Maybe... but I doubt it... that's what this blog is all about... Finding God in small doses... in everyday places... working in my life. :)

Welcome to "Everyday Places..."

So why in the world is an outspoken, semi-obnoxious gal like me writing a Christian blog? ? ? ?


I may be asking myself this same question at some point...! :)

I'm just a girl trying to learn more about her faith... a "late-bloomer" - one who rarely, if ever, "felt" God in church (when she actually even went to church)... who shied away from those "religious people" - who actually said (out loud... to people!), "It's the same old story... what they really need is a laser light show or something to liven it up..." (with regards to the candelight Christmas Eve service.... *shudder!*).

But I've felt something change in the last year or two... and I'm noticing the wonder of God's creations all around... I'd like to share my discoveries with you... and maybe help some other wanderer find their way as well.

Thank you for sharing a little corner of cyberspace with me,

:) Mags