Friday, August 26, 2011

A Call To Action - Anyone Can Say They Are A Christian

When I was little I watched a movie called A Thief In The Night... It was a 1970ish cheesy movie about the Rapture and the people left behind... I was about 6 or 7 years old at the time and did not really understand it... But there are two things from that movie I remember 38 years later... There was a scene where a electric razor was in the bathroom sink buzzing and the man/boyfriend/husband was gone AND another scene where a young woman was saying - "Anyone Can Say They Are A Christian".....

Anyone Can Say They Are A Christian....

I have higher expectations of those who claim to be followers of Christ... Because those who are real followers don't talk the talk... They Walk It - They Live It - They Do It... Posting a Bible verse and talking about their great works as a status on Facebook doesn't cut it... Getting in the middle of it and caring about Others and NOT just talking about it - is what counts... Going into the Mission field is NOT enough - being a Missionary where the need is needed is what counts - whether it is here or there... Finding that one lost sheep is what counts... Tending to the sick is what counts... Christians should not just choose how they want to honor God BUT listen to how God wants them to honor Him... I believe that God doesn't want us to only stick with people who are already part of His flock... He wants us to honor Him by getting uncomfortable - maybe by making the time and donating blood and if you were not healthy enough to donate - maybe finding those who are... Maybe He wants us to have bags of food in our car and when we see a homeless person give a bag or two or three... Maybe He wants us to stop worrying about ourselves and volunteer our time at a hospital - homeless shelter - helping the elderly.... Many Christians get so busy in "serving their Church" that they don't have time to serve those who really need it... God doesn't want us being comfortable and not making a difference - He wants us to Serve His Children......

James 2:14-17 - What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, "Depart in peace, be warmed and filled," but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works is dead.

I believed that being a member of a organized church would bring me closer to God... I believed that the people in the church would rush to volunteer - would rush to get the word out - when a need was presented to them... I foolishly believed that what was important to me - would also be important to them... I believed that at least a couple members would contact me and ask "How can I help?" I was optimistically foolish - Not one person followed through - not one.... I am sure there are those that are praying and that's great... But how many people really will pray when they say they will? I know I have been guilty of giving lip service too many times to count.... I challenge you to stop right now - close your eyes and pray those prayers that you have been meaning to pray... What's that old saying?? "Good intentions pave your way to Hell?"

I am so very thankful to those bloggers (who I have never had the pleasure to meet) who stepped outside their comfort zone and got the word out - I am thankful to all of you who ordered a testing kit - those who stepped up to the plate and was ready and willing to give your time... your blood.. your marrow to a complete stranger.... Thank you so very much... I spoke with a member of Haley's family last night and she said that the blood plasma bank had never had such an outpouring of volunteers - so much in fact that they were having a hard time keeping up with the phones... Bloggers - friends of the family and complete strangers joining in the fight to save a life - I wish I could hug each and every one of you... thank you.

Matthew 25:31-36
When the Son of Man comes in His glory and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set up the sheep on His right hand, but the the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, "Come, you blessed of My Father inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.'

This post is not a personal attack on anyone - it's more of a call to action for me and to those like me that get too caught up in their own lives that they have become blind and deaf to those that need our help... As a follower of Christ - we Need to be that light... We Have to be that light... Without that light how can Christ shine???

Matthew 5:16 - Let your light so shine before men, that they may see y our good works and glorify your Father in heaven..

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Please Pray for Haley Today.... She's In ICU


Haley is currently in ICU on life support to help her breathe

I have written several posts about Haley. Haley is a 16 year old girl who is suffering from a rare bone marrow disease called Myelodsplasia (MDS). We were looking for a bone marrow match and many of you were tested and donated money to help the family and thank you very much for that... A match was found in Germany - another young girl willing to go through the painful extraction of her bone marrow for a complete stranger in the United States... The bone marrow that Haley needed could only be obtained by an actual bone marrow extraction and not a simple blood with marrow donation.

A couple of weeks ago Haley was admitted into the hospital to start the process of getting her body ready for the transplant... Haley has had several setbacks - you see - this awful disease opens the body up for many opportunistic infections and Haley has definitely had her share... She has been on an unending roller coaster - more downs than ups.... On top of getting her body ready - she has been fighting complications - infections - bone density (loss of bone due to drugs needed to keep her lungs functioning) - side effects of the medications - and MDS related problems...

She underwent chemotherapy a little over a week ago and the bone marrow transplant was started last Thursday... Haley started complaining of severe chest pains a few days ago - the x-ray showed an abscess and a biopsy was performed on her lungs.. The biopsy came back yesterday showing a serious fungus infection in her lungs. I googled fungus lung infections with MDS and bone marrow transplant patients and this type of infection is very serious...

Last night Haley's parents reached out to their family and friends asking for type O positive donors to help Haley - As of late last night Haley was put into ICU on life support to help her breathe..

Haley will be in the hospital for a long time - She would love to hear from you - if you would like to send her a letter - please send your emails to KMLDRL@AOL.COM (ref: to Haley) or if you want to send a card - you can mail them to:
For Haley - 9808 Mistletoe Ave - Fountain Valley, CA 92708

Please pray for her lungs to get rid of this fungus infection
Please pray that all the infections are out of her body
Please pray that the donor blood marrow - thrives in Haley's body and cures her MDS.
Please pray for Haley's family to continue to be strong.

Below are a couple of the previous posts if you had not read them.

Help Save A Child
Be A Donor

Friday, August 19, 2011

Mom and Daughters' Trip - We Love NYC

So far on our Mom and Daughter' Trip - We have visited Arlington Cemetery and Mount Vernon, Washington DC, Williamsburg, and Jamestown... Well our adventure continued to New York City... We jumped on an Amtrak train and arrived in Penn Station in the middle of New York City..... And I do have to say - I planned this trip out perfectly!! Every minute was fantastic....

Before we left home - I booked two days of hop on hop off double decker bus tours and we got the third day free.... This was the best investment! For $82 per adult (that's me) and $61 per child - this is what we got... Unlimited 3 days hop on and off - downtown - uptown - Brooklyn Tours - Free tickets for Empire State Building or Top of the Rock at Rockefeller Center - Free ferry tickets for Statute of Liberty and Ellis Island - $40 off for each ticket to Phantom of the Opera - Free night city tour over the Manhattan Bridge - Free Museum tour - and $10 off Planet Hollywood meal... I enjoyed this tour company so very much - plenty of buses - great tour guides - We saw EVERYTHING - we wanted... Here is a free plug for this excellent company - City Sights NY - If you ever go to NYC - this tour really is a MUST..

The hotel we booked could not have been better - We were in the theatre district - very close to Time Square - The hotel was older but remodeled and closer to our budget... We stayed at the Washington Jefferson Hotel - Loved it!

Our first day - We checked things out
Time Square - We're here - Start Spreading the News -
I want to be a part of it - New York, New York
I Want To Wake Up a City That Never Sleeps
These Vagabond Shoes Are Longing to Stay...


The first night we saw Phantom of the Opera - I had seen it in Los Angeles a couple of times and was looking forward to the girls experiencing their first Broadway play.... They loved it! Our hotel was close enough to walk to the theatre... On the way back to the hotel - we stopped by a shake shoppe and got the best malted I have ever had - at 10:00 PM...


The next day was busy from early morning until late at night - go go go was the name of the game and we definitely took in the town! We hopped on our bus at 9:00 AM - stopped off in Soho for breakfast and some shopping - walked to Ground Zero - walked to Battery Park - jumped back on the bus after visiting Lady Liberty - headed to Central Park to see Strawberry Fields and pay tribute to John Lennon's Imagine memorial - saw the Dakota (where he lived) and lost his life at such a young age. Took a pedicab through Central Park - saw the Friends (TV show) Fountain where they played and frolicked at the beginning of each show - Saw movie locations from - Elf, Home Alone, 27 Dresses, Enchanted and many more... Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock were filming a movie as we passed by... At night we jumped on the night tour bus and crossed over the Manhattan Bridge (I hate heights - scared the crap out of me AND the tour guide it was her 2nd official tour as a guide) The view from Brooklyn was amazing.
I'm a Sex in the City fan - so to see Greenwich and Bleecker Street was cool...
Macy's not so impressive on the outside but was told the inside is amazing.
On our bus - Right through the Very Heart of it - New York, New York

Nikki shopping in So Ho
The Site of Ground Zero
This fire station garage door was around the corner from our hotel - the lives that were lost from this station are remembered here
Ground Zero - a new museum was being worked on - a fire truck was being lowered into it.
Lady Liberty

View of NYC from Lady Liberty
The Dakota - John Lennon's previous residence and where he was killed - Yoko still resides here part time.
Our very very strong pedicab driver..
Central Park
Our pedicab driver and the girls - famous site in Central Park
John Lennon's memorial
The Friends' Fountain

New York at Sunset

Time Square where you can get same day play tickets for discounts



Manhattan Bridge.. Don't look down!!!

We were in New York City for 2 nights and 3 days - saw so much - But not everything - I'm thinking another Mom and Daughters' trip to New York is most definitely in our future.... Loved it here!







Thursday, August 18, 2011

Mom and Daughters' Trip - Mt. Vernon & Arlington


Before we headed into Washington DC - We visited Mt. Vernon.. As you may know - Mt. Vernon was the home to President George Washington... Simply put - this place is Beautiful... We met up with my sister, brother in law, and niece here to start our DC area adventure... The above front picture of Mt. Vernon was taken off yahoo pictures - while we were there - there was a large scaffold that blocked the view of the front.. The back however - made up for it!
The back of Mount Vernon
George and Martha Washington's Tomb

View of the Potomac River from back of estate.

View from back of Mt. Vernon

Kids being silly at Mt. Vernon

Our last day in DC - the girls and I went to Arlington Cemetery, Georgetown, and a closer look at the White House - The house was much smaller than I anticipated... The day was incredibly hot.. While we watched the changing of the guards at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier - I put my hand on a metal chain and it blistered right away.... I am so very glad that we had this amazing opportunity to see all the things we did.... What a whirlwind trip!


John F Kennedy - grave site - the picture only close up - you can see the eternal flame

Unknown Tomb

Back of the White House
Back of the White House
Front of the White House - if you look on top - you will see snipers.. crazy
Famous cupcakes - the line went all the way around the block... no thanks!

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