Maggie's Mayheim

Successful Incubation of my first geese

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 14:45:16 -0900

I was so excited when the geese eggs that I had put in my little Brinsea incubator started showing signs that they were fertilized and growing. It’s been fun to see the growth and exciting that my geese are being active. Before the eggs were infertile and now they all have something going on.

I was even more excited that the first goose hatched was an embden. These geese are very docile and it’s rare that you see them having any activity with each other but when I have seen it, it is very interesting. My goose hen, encourages the gander and then he proceeds to gently accommodate, her request. So my first little gosling is Alpha, she is now a week old and getting fluffier by the moment. Since geese imprint on the first thing they see, she/he thinks it should be with me all the time. Luckily, I have had an African goose hatch last night but left it in the incubator for a bit longer until I think it’s strong enough to be in with Alpha.

There is another gosling talking to us through the egg although it hasn’t pipped yet. I have two more due to hatch and it’s exciting to see what’s in the egg because they pretty much all look the same except the embden eggs are larger. I have Chinese geese, that are loving on my African geese so I’m getting a mixture of African/Chinese goslings. It’s easy to tell them apart because the African have dark bills and feet and the Chinese have orange feet and bills and the goslings all look different according to their breeds. this is Alpha at about a day old and a little African hatching that unfortunately didn’t make it. It’s amazing how different Alpha looks in just a week.

This is the official ‘i care’ symbol. This is how it...

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 13:55:00 -0900

This is the official ‘i care’ symbol. This is how it works:

Basically you reblog this, and your followers know that you care and that they can message you about anything anon or not and you will reply back or at least look at their message.

Beautiful eyes on a budget - Versatile Mary Kay eye shadows

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 13:44:59 -0900

“The eyes are the window to the soul”

One of the first things I notice about another person is their eyes. Women especially love having beautiful eyes. It’s always fun working with a lady that has beautiful eyes already. You can enhance the color of your eyes just by the color of eye shadow you wear. But it is equally has fun to show a woman that doesn’t use much on her eyes, to enhance the beauty that is already there.

One of the easiest and most economic ways to enhance your eyes is with an eye liner. I’m not good with pencil eye liners. Something a lot of people don’t realize about Mary Kay eye colors is that you can use your Mary Kay eye colors wet. This is something I’ve always loved about Mary Kay eye shadows. For every color I have in my palette, I have an eye liner. I always use the darkest shade I’m contouring with as my liner. You can use sponge tip applicator and apply this color along the lash line dry or use a fine thin liner brush and a little water with the eye color and line your eyes wet. The less water you use, the darker the shade but you want enough water with the eye color to be able to apply it smoothly along the top lashes and bottom lashes. It makes your eye lashes look fuller and defines the eye better. The benefit of using it wet, is more control of where the color goes and when it dries, it stays put. You don’t have to worry about running or smudging.

Stay tuned for more tips and tricks that will save you money and keep you looking gorgeous. With Mary Kay cosmetics, you can’t go wrong. I’ve used them since I was a teenager and they are wonderful products. Consultants still offer free skin care facials and glamour techniques.

One Cordless sweeper verses another

Wed, 26 Dec 2012 11:05:34 -0900

While I was in NY visiting my family, I used a Bissell Perfect Sweep Turbo Cordless Sweeper. I loved it on my mom’s floors and short little rugs. I decided to do a comparison between that product and the one I got for Christmas which was the Crofton cordless sweeper. I really loved the Bissell and still do. It is twice the price and only has a 1 year warranty. The dirt holding container is a little smaller and not as easy to maneuver but, it does a much better job of cleaning than the Crofton sweeper.

The Crofton sweeper has a side compartment for the dirt and is easier to remove. It costs half the price and has a 2 yr warranty. I think the wheels are higher from the floor and it doesn’t grab the dirt quite as well as the Bissell.

So my thoughts are, these are both great little cordless sweepers. One definitely does a better job, but both are effective on low shag rugs. The Bissell does better on floors for grabbing dog hair and dirt but the dirt catcher seems to fill faster than the Crofton. Both are good but one is half the price of the other and has a better warranty, so you have to decide which is better for your money. Do you want one that cleans a little better or do you want to save a little money. I personally like the one that cleans better but like I said before, I think it’s lower to the floor and the other thing is it’s quieter. The Crofton is a bit louder. They both have to be plugged in for a considerable amount of time to recharge but that isn’t much of a draw back for either item.

What do you have to live for?

Sat, 22 Dec 2012 17:27:42 -0900

This seems like a simple question, but so many people commit suicide at this time of the year because they don’t feel like they have anything to live for. Recently, I was in a room when this question was asked of my very close family member. After being extremely ill and in tremendous pain, this person had an answer to that question. What brought on this question, you might wonder?

Well, being faced with the prospect of having be kept alive via a machine. Unfortunately, I didn’t and still don’t have any answer for that question. Maybe it’s because I feel like I live for every one else every day. I feel like I give all my love to my family to the best of my ability all the time. I really don’t feel like there is anything in the world that would make me want to stay here. I would like to know what keeps people going when they have to spend 3-4 hours 3 or 4 days a week strapped to a machine. In addition to that, you have to have this tube stuck in your arm and what about the pain and discomfort the kidneys cause. The disease is Polycystic Kidney Disease. I would rather die of a heart attack. Kidney failure has to be one of the worst ways for a person to pass away besides cancer.

Don’t get me wrong, I like the things I do and hobbies I have. I have a fulfilling life, but being strapped to a machine to prolong the inevitable doesn’t sound good to me. I don’t want to have my family suffer while I do. I don’t want to become a burden to them as over time, my body kills itself. I don’t want them to watch me suffer and I don’t want to suffer. This life hasn’t been easy for me by any stretch of the imagination. One of the most wonderful things that has ever been a part of my life is my children. I have been very blessed with a wonderful family, children and a loving husband, but I know if I required a lot of care from being ill, it would be difficult for them and some people are not cut out to care for other people.

So if you were asked the question, “What do you have to live for?” what’s your answer? I know Jesus as my Lord and savior and I would rather meet my maker than try to keep going dependent on a machine.

Less is More

Fri, 05 Oct 2012 12:11:40 -0800

Less is More

Life Lessons from Observations

Mon, 20 Aug 2012 11:53:43 -0800

Life Lessons from Observations

Have you ever heard the saying, “look at the dog, look at the owner”? The reason people say that, is the person usually resembles the dog in looks or behavior. Picture an afghan hound with its long flowing coat, slender but graceful body and sleek head, as it glides around the room in a dog show. Its owner is a woman with long, flowing hair, slender figure, lovely features and just as graceful as the dog she is handling. Dogs are faithful, loyal companions, always wanting to be with you, always wanting to please you, always happy to greet you when you come home and always loving you no matter what. Dogs are a lot like God in this way, there isn’t much you can do that will make them not love you. This might be a strange comparison, but let’s compare dogs with chickens a little.

It’s been my observation since I have raised several batches of chicks, that with chickens, you can raise them from an egg, hold them, feed them, nurture them and then have them run the other way when they grow up. Kids can be that way too sometimes depending on if they have been smothered or neglected. Now if you raise a dog from a puppy, hold them, feed them and nurture them; all they want to do is be with you and have your attention. You can’t touch or pet them enough most of the time. Some chickens are affectionate. They love to be around you and have you touch them or sit on your shoulder but the majority is not like this. Most are interested in you when you have the food bucket or something to give them but otherwise they don’t want to have anything to do with you or have you touch them. They want to do their own thing and be left alone.

Where am I going with this? As I was observing the behaviors of my chickens, it occurred to me when it comes to God, dogs are like God. When it comes to people, people are like chickens. Crazy thought? Maybe. In the Bible Psalms 139:13-16, it says God knew us while we were in our mother’s womb. It says that He knew us before any of our days had begun. . Even though some people are raised in church and good families, they grow up and make different choices. Church and God is the farthest thing from their minds. Other people depend on God for everything. It reminds me of the day the young chickens can be let loose in the yard, they have a choice. They can come back to you, let you touch them, care for them and they depend on you, or they go do their own thing and only come around when the food bucket comes out and don’t depend on you so much anymore.

We provide for our animals and some people believe God provides for us. We have food, shelter and more than we need most of the time. In the same way we provide bedding, food and affection for our animals. Dogs are always happy to see you and have your attention. I think God is always happy when we are grateful for what He has given us and He loves spending time with us. Some chickens are happy to see us and have us show them affection while others peck your hands even though you are trying to take care of them. People tend to be this way with God. They disregard that God does anything for them at all and basically bite the hand that feeds them. They fail to realize God’s provision for them or that He is there to help and care for them. Like the dog, God is always faithful, loyal, true and loves us unconditionally. He just wants to spend time with us, talk with us and enjoy our company.

People are like chickens in regards being busy. People are always running to and fro, too busy to slow down and enjoy the world around them. People are busy being busy. Chickens are busy running around, chasing bugs, squawking about nothing and relying on the goodness of the earth. I have sweet silkies and banty hens that are usually happy to see me, let me hold them and are quite friendly and personable, not all chickens are unsociable. Sometimes it does depend on the breed of the bird. God gave us life so we could enjoy it and enjoy it more abundantly. Dogs know how to enjoy life. We have a dog named Bowza; he is a chocolate lab, pit-bull mix that we rescued from a potentially bad life. I think God gave him to us to remind us how to enjoy “just being.” He is one of those dogs that is happy and excited all the time. He just wants to be with me and have my attention. He learned how to jump a fence just so he could get back into the house where I am. He isn’t very tall so this is quite a feat for him. I found this kind of amazing for his size so he’s on you tube now. He creates amusement for himself by chasing a plastic bottle or a tin can across the floor or chewing up a box and throwing it up in the air. He is happy with the world around him. He plays hard, he loves you with everything and he sleeps hard. I have one new rooster named Stretch, a Dominique Cuckoo Moran mix that acts a lot like Bowza. The big difference with them is that Stretch was raised from an egg that I incubated and handled by me from the very beginning and Bowza was not. The similarities with him and Bowza is that he amuses himself, loves life, acts like a goofball and is curious about me but he won’t let me touch him unless he’s sleeping.

One thing people, dogs and chickens have in common is they all need rest. God never sleeps. He’s always watching over us. Even at rest our dogs protect us because they are always attentive, on the watch and bark when they hear the slightest noise in the night to signal an alert. They have saved people from fires because of their keen attention to their surroundings. The best time to pick up a chicken is at night when they have settled in their nesting positions, when they are sleeping. You can pet them and pick them up without startling them at all. Roosters don’t crow or sound alerts at night either which leaves the whole henhouse vulnerable. Predators usually attack at night. A fox can come right in and grab a chicken without any fight at all. Owls are very quiet and can swoop in and carry a chicken off before the chicken even knows what happen. People are more like chickens at night because they are most vulnerable when they sleep hard and dream. Unfortunately, children have been stolen out of their own beds at night because they can be picked up with no noise while their parents are sound asleep in the room next door. I saw a TV program where people had a dog that had never been taught to bark. The mother said if the dog could have barked it would have saved their little girl from being taken from the house. Dogs have been considered man’s best friend. I wonder if it’s because dog is God spelled backwards. Dogs watch over us, crave our attention and love us unconditionally and so does God.

People were given free choice. When you let chickens go free in the yard after raising them, nurturing them and protecting them, they have a free choice. They can let you touch them, hold them close, get to know them or run wild and never let you get close. People can choose to have a close relationship with God and some do. Even though some people have been raised in the church their whole lives and have seen the blessings of God, they choose to walk away, run wild and never let God get close. Some drift away and stay at a safe distance knowing that this is where their provision comes from and it’s a safe place. Their attitude is, “He’s there if I decide I really need Him,” or “not right now, I’m too busy having a good time.” Still others go free for a little while, but know down deep inside that God is their refuge, their strength, a present help in time of trouble and He loves them no matter what. He is always there to listen and provides for their every need. Those people come back to have a closer relationship with Him, never to stray again.

The Bible refers to chickens in a good context as mothers. The Bible says, Hosea 11:4, “I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love; I lifted the yoke from their neck and bent down to feed them.” He is just waiting for them to let Him touch them, to care for them and to love them. The Bible refers to God as protective and loving as a mother hen in Luke 13:34, “How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!” This analogy is used because a mother hen cradles her body around the eggs with her wings covering them for 21 days constantly without much food or drink until they hatch. She continues to position her body in this manner to cover them with her warmth and protection as they mature. Some chicks aren’t smart enough to stay within this protection and die. Hens will peck your hands violently, while they are setting on their eggs and don’t even think about touching those babies when they hatch. A hen will sacrifice its life to save its chicks. I heard a story once about a fire that devastated everything. While walking through the burnt remains, a man came across what appeared to be a hen, just a charred puff. When he tapped the bird with his foot, the charred remains fell away from the lifeless body in a pile of dust revealing a dozen chicks protected by her. The sacrifice of the one for the good of the many.

Whether dog or chicken, God gave us these creatures for a reason. I take life lessons from every day activities with both of these animals. They make me laugh when they do something goofy. They make me cry when they pass on. Dogs definitely have an amazingly positive impact on people. It’s too bad people don’t always have the same impact on dogs. I think God gave us dogs to show us His kind of love. Even after a dog is beaten by its owner, it will still lick his hand and give him affection. The dog will still be loyal to its master. Chickens are like people. They squawk about nothing, run about acting crazy and are fragile. People tend to complain about everything even though they have what they need. Our fast paced society leaves little room for contentment and relaxation, which we could learn from a dog chewing on a bone. Our lives and emotions are fragile and fickle, blown off course by the wind. Even chickens are smart enough to run for cover during a storm. I think people could learn a lot more about God if they pay closer attention to their dogs and raise some chickens. This would, of course, mean that you may have to sit on a yard swing with your dog and relax while watching your chickens run about in the yard. You may have to let the sun shine down while the breeze caresses your face with the aroma of fresh flowers as it wafts through the yard. You may have to slow down and enjoy this life that God has blessed you with.

Build better lashes I would love to share these products with you.

Tue, 17 Jul 2012 08:36:48 -0800

Build better lashes I would love to share these products with you.

Chicken Forum

Mon, 02 Jul 2012 12:31:52 -0800

Chicken Forum :

For the chicken lover in you.

Mary Kay's Foundation Primer

Tue, 05 Jun 2012 08:56:52 -0800

Wow! If you haven’t tried Mary Kay’s foundation Primer, you need to. It is light as a feather and goes on so smooth, plus it has sunscreen. Your foundation will just glide on to your face. It is oil free and is unbelievable.

March is the month of Luck:

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 15:57:00 -0900

True luck consists not in holding the best of the cards at the table; luckiest is he who knows just when to rise and go home. John Hay

I want to Hatch a Better Breed, not just Chickens

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 17:58:04 -0900

Hatching a Better Breed

As with anything, there is good, better and best. This is true when developing the pedigree of a specific animal. When we obtained our first Great Dane, we were required to show her because she had champion bloodlines in her pedigree. Just because an animal is beautiful to look at doesn’t mean that the animal should produce offspring. Denali, our first dane was beautiful, sleek and did fine in the show ring although she never became a champion. She never became a mother either because when we tested her for good hips, good eyes, did blood work and x-rays, there were undesirable traits that we did not want to pass on to the next generation. The same is true with chickens. I suppose that some people may do blood tests and such on chickens if they are really looking at genetics. There are some traits that are not desirable in chickens such as a cross beak where the beak is criss cross making it difficult for a chicken to eat. Club foot is another deformity that looks like arthritis, where the foot does not form properly which is not desired. Animals with this type of deformity will be fine for eggs but you would not want new offspring from them because the new offspring could carry the same traits. However, breeding for desirable traits is why most people want to breed their animals.

Most people see chickens as a simple barnyard animal. Usually it will be a plump, fluffy, feathered hen scratching around the yard. Chickens also are useful as a utility animal which produces eggs and meat. People see a few colorful hens and maybe a rooster or two cocka-doodle-doing, but they don’t really know what kind of chicken they may be looking at. Is it a rooster or a hen? Is the rooster the same breed as the hen? Is there a Rhode Island Red rooster mating with Red Sex link or Jersey Giant hens? If you just want eggs and meat, then you really don’t have to be concerned about what breed is mating with another because you probably won’t be hatching those eggs. If you want to develop a specific type of breed, they you will want to pay attention to what rooster is dancing with what chicken.

There are many reasons for breeding a specific breed. If you particularly like the hardiness, color strains, temperament, production or edibility of an animal, then those are reasons to perfect and develop that breed. The Cornish breed of chicken has been developed for meat production. According to the following website, special breedings have taken place to make this is a rapid growing bird, with broad breasts and thick thighs. Generally white plumage makes a chicken easier to dress out if using it for meat. http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/jumbo_cornish_x_rocks.html Some chickens have been specially bred for higher egg production or for a specific color of egg. Which do you prefer white, brown, blue or speckled eggs? http://msucares.com/poultry/management/poultry_best_breed.html There are smaller chickens called bantams believed to have come from Southeast Asia. The smaller sized bird but take up less room. They are about the ¼ of the size of a standard chicken. This smaller chicken has a standard size chicken counterpart such as Cochins or Orpingtons. The smaller breeds have been bred to develop the smaller size but with the same characteristics as the larger birds. There are clean legged chickens, such as Rhode Island Reds or Buff Orpingtons . There are feather legged chickens such as Brahmas or Cochins. Some people prefer clean legged over feathered so that is a characteristic the chicken is bred for.

I live in Alaska. When I started to consider what type of chicken I wanted to raise, I knew I needed a breed that would do well in cold climates. I did my research from various places on the internet to discover cold hardy chickens. Buff Orpingtons were on that list and were the first chicks I purchased. Three years later, my Buffs are still doing well and are good egg producing hens. They have weathered temps as cold as minus 30. Other hens that do well in our cold climate are Ameracauna, Black Alstralope, Lt. Brahma, Barred Rock and Rhode Island Reds. I do have some bantams and they have done fine too. One of things I have to watch is chickens with tall combs and waddles getting frostbite. Smaller more compact combs are better.

Buff Orpingtons are good in our cold climate and quite resilient. They have nice fluffy plumage, a lovely temperament and are good egg producers. We had one get under the hen house when it got especially cold this fall and when we could finally get her out from where she was hiding, she had frostbite to an extreme on her feet. She was one of the younger hens. Over the course of the next few weeks, as sad and as horrible as it sounds, her toes on one foot completely fell off. She has continued on just like nothing ever happened. This is a strong, sound breed of chicken.

I’m interested in developing specific breeds to better the breed. I want to have a strong flock with excellent standards. I have black and white Silkies. Silkies are a unique chicken with black skin and black bones regardless of their color. Silkies have bluish purple earlobes, which are quite stunning. They have smaller, walnut shaped combs and darker waddles. The hens are excellent, protective mothers and will adopt other chicks as their own. They are good egg producers although the eggs are smaller. The Silkie is a friendly chicken with fur-like feathers that are soft and fluffy. It’s real easy to fall in love with this breed. I want to have elegant, fluffy Silkies that are show quality, have good longevity and sweet temperaments. How do I do this? I will maintain a breeding pair that exhibit the qualities I’m looking for. I don’t want the parents breeding back to the off spring or the siblings breeding with each other because that is in-breeding. In-breeding can lead to undesirable traits, deformities and unhealthy, weak chickens. I have to keep my breeding pair separate from other chickens. I have put them in a space all of their own so they can enjoy their privacy. I have had success with this pair breeding and hatching babies at Christmas this year. I will have to purchase other white Silkies if I want to breed any of the offspring because they will all be related otherwise. I could breed them with a different color Silkie in my hen house but if I want true white, then I need a true white Silkie.

Breeding for a specific breed definitely has its challenges. Keeping the pair separate from other chickens and roosters, which also keeps them from intermingling with their offspring. During the winter, you have to create space big enough for the pair to mate, with enough light and ventilation. This isn’t as much of a problem because of the way our coop is sectioned off with cubbies. During the summer, it’s more challenging because it is really hard to keep them cooped up and not let them free range with all the other birds. Our summers are short but full of light so I will have to create pens with no floors that are big enough for the couples but small enough to move around so they have access to fresh grass. These enclosures must be sturdy enough to prevent predators from being able to get to the chickens and keep the rain off too.

If you want to better your breed of chicken, there are standards of perfection for each breed of chicken. If you are interested in developing a specific breed to meet this standard, you need the knowledge of the breed’s standard. You also need the knowledge of the dos and don’ts of breeding. It is important to do your homework and research so you are an informed, responsible breeder. Remember, where there’s a will, there’s a way. I usually find one or make one. Happy hatching.

Good resource: http://poultrykeeper.com/poultry-diseases-and-disorders.html

Hatching a better breed, These are the little Brinsea mini eco...

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 17:50:00 -0900

Hatching a better breed, These are the little Brinsea mini eco manually turn incubators that I use to hatch my chicks. I have been focusing on Silkies, Ameracauna, Kacoo marans, and Polish. The chick in the incubator is a Polish chick.

discoverynews: Spectacular Aurorae Erupt Over Norway Over the...

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:05:47 -0900

discoverynews:

Spectacular Aurorae Erupt Over Norway

Over the weekend, the Earth’s magnetic field was struck by a coronal mass ejection (CME). The CME — a vast bubble of solar plasma that had erupted from the sun on Jan. 19 — took longer than expected to travel through interplanetary space, but on Sunday it made contact.

keep reading

Uses for lemon - AllYou.com

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 09:47:25 -0900

Uses for lemon - AllYou.com:

Great uses for Lemons.

All I want for Christmas is a Chicken?

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 12:40:00 -0900

I’m sure that many of you have heard the various things children want for Christmas. But, have you ever heard a child tell Santa, I want a chicken for Christmas? Usually, it’s the latest hand held game, doll, puppy or kitten, but not a chicken.
I’m so happy that I’m a crazy chicken lady who just decided to hatch some chicks after the main hatching season was over. I had lost most of my Polish hens to either a fox or creatures that fly so I wanted to hatch some. I also wanted a few more white Silkies, so I incubated a few of them. There were some bluish and smaller eggs and I was curious to see who was laying those so I also incubated them. I had beautiful white Silkies, Self blue d’uccles mixed with cochin, hatch in October. I also incubated Polish and a few misc eggs that I knew would be banty but I wasn’t sure what kind. This batch hatched right before Thanksgiving.

born October 27th, 2011

Yesterday when I got home from work, there was a message on my phone about having chicks. I returned the call as it was someone who had obtained a few chicks from me earlier in the year. I started to talk to the mom and I told her of the variety of chicks I had. She was pleasantly surprised that I had any chicks and was especially delighted when I said I had white Silkies. She said, “Oh white Silkies, that’s just what my son wants, he even brought out a book and showed us a picture of one.” I told her they were about 2 months old and but nicely fluffing out. I told her the white Silkie hen was also sitting on a few eggs at this point that I expect to hatch around Christmas, so I would be fine with parting with a couple of the older ones. I told her that I had some red ribbon that I could make big bow for on the chick or chicks. She asked how late she could pick it up and I told her, she could come on Christmas eve if she wanted to so it would be a lovely surprise for him.

about 1 month old currently they are with the Polish and the mix.

I think I’m as excited as the parents about giving the little boy this special gift. I have been very pleased with how lovely the Silkies look. I would love to see the look on the little boy’s face when he receives this chick or chicks. The parents haven’t decided if they want to get one or two. What a delightful and special gift. I’m so happy I was crazy enough to hatch out a few chicks for myself or I wouldn’t have this opportunity. Happy Hatching and Happy Holidays. Chickens are a joy year round.

Free Indescribable Gift

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 11:44:34 -0900

2 Corinthians 9:15 Now thanks be to God for His gift [precious] beyond telling [His indescribable, inexpressible, free Gift]! amplified version
Jesus was the Best gift ever given. once you have opened this gift and received it and accepted it, you be never be the same. This gift makes you forever rich,forever blessed, forever forgiven, forever loved unconditionally.

God's love is Fuel -faithful, unconditional, extravagant, longlasting

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 12:20:06 -0900

You can’t be it. If the world could run on this kind of fuel, it would be a much better place.

Does your Fragrance permiate your World?

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 17:07:00 -0900

Yesterday was Sunday and the sermon was good. Of course, Thanksgiving is coming up so that was what most of the sermon was about. He talked about having nose bleed seats at a sports event or having 50 yard lines seats, but he put it in relation to our relationship with God. Where are you sitting? The handout he gave had a few questions on it: Why am I here? What or who do I worship? Who am I? Does somebody love me? The main text was Psalm 100, a psalm for giving thanks. It’s a good one, read it.

I took a pic of it and texted it to my daughter who is another time zone away. I told her, “these are the questions I’ve been asking my whole life.” Then the speaker gave the scripture Matt. 26:6-16 which is about the woman who poured perfume over Jesus’ head. They say the perfume was very expensive and may have cost a year’s wages. For most of us, we could not imagine being that extravagant, especially when it comes to things of God or the Bible. This is one of my favorite stories but I have several with great meaning. According to people who have preached this particular story, the seal on the bottle had to be broken before the perfume could be poured out and once it was opened, the whole bottle had to be used. As I was texting my daughter, I told her, “We are like the seal on the bottle and have to be broken so that God can use us.” We have to be willing to be poured out and poured over by God so that our fragrance can be noticed by others.

Once a perfume gets on you, others smell it. If you hug someone, that fragrance may linger on their clothing long after you’ve left. This is how our lives touch others. Simple acts of kindness, acts of love or sacrifice. This is how the love of God permiates us and rubs off on other people. Sometimes you smell so good, it keeps people coming back because they are curious about that “special fragrance” you have about you. What makes you so different?

When she poured this fragrance over Jesus, everyone in the room saw the act and smelled the aroma of this costly perfume. It must have filled the room. Now in Luke 7:36-50, there is a more in depth account. I have heard preachers say. The “sinful” woman poured the fragrance over him and wept at his feet and washed his feet with her tears and wiped his feet with her hair. It was customary in this place to offer the travelers water to wash their feet when they entered to home and to greet them with a kiss. The host did neither, so Jesus points this out to the whole group congregated there. In verse 47, the most special words Jesus ever spoke “Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven - for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.”

I have heard preachers mention that the reason the accounts of this are a little different because the writers of the books were different and had quite a different perspective. Matthew was a tax collector so his version was money based. Luke was a Doctor, so his version takes in quite a bit more of the emotions and actions presented in the room. Getting back to the point, it was the brokenness of the woman and the seal on the bottle that allowed the aroma to pour out. Some times, we have to be in a broken state before we are willing to allow God to do the work in us that he wants to do. We are His Masterpieces and we all have a unique “fragrance” that He wants to use in the world.

So the questions of the day are; is your fragrance inviting like the smell of fresh baked bread or sweet honeysuckle or roses? Or is your fragrance like rotten eggs or spoiled milk or repulsive like limburger cheese? Do people like being around you? When the love of God permiates you, it overflows into the lives of others and it’s that sweet aroma of His Love that draws them to you so you can be used by God to touch their life. Also, the closer you are to God, the better your seat is. :- )

magicalnaturetour: “Did someone say food?” by Julie...

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 15:53:33 -0900

magicalnaturetour:

“Did someone say food?” by Julie Clegg:)

I’ve seen our great danes make that same face. I just love this