Ten Years

Although I've been inconsistent sometimes... Although I've simply copied and pasted sometimes... Although some of my blog posts are only seven words long... I've been blogging to Scripted Notions for ten years.  Actually, it'll be ten years next month.  But I thought that was something to be celebrated.  So celebrate with me as we take a look back at what the heck I've been talking about!


In 2008, I was complaining about an all-day headache.  I was also practicing inconsistent parenting.  I was very frustrated that day.  You can read all about it here.


In 2009, I didn't actually post on the 26th, but around that time I was complaining about being tired, sleeping my weekend away, and being a lazy bum.  You can read about that here.


In 2010, I didn't post on the 26th.  In fact, I only had one post during the entire month of August and it was my Mary Kay I-Story.  We all came up with a story that expressed why we chose to do Mary Kay.  I published mine on my blog.  I no longer do Mary Kay, but you can read about it here.


In 2011, I didn't post on the 26th, but that month, I thought I was in love.  Let me tell you this about that... I totally made up that relationship in my head.  I wanted to be in love, but I was the only one.  You can see that post here.


In 2012, it was a Sunday and I was posting about one of the readings I'd heard at mass that weekend.  So in this post, you'll read Joshua 24, Decide today whom you will serve.


In 2013, I didn't post on the 26th.  But around that time is when I decided to go gray.  I haven't colored my hair since then... and probably never will again.  See that post here.


In 2014, I didn't post on the 26th, but I was all about posting psalms at that time.  So you can read that here.


In 2015, I didn't post on the 26th, but I was rejoicing about being depression free for three months in a row.  You can read about that here.


This year, I've been depression free for over eight months.  I have a new job that I've been doing for about three months now and I'm really enjoying it.  It's very challenging, but good.  Really good, in fact.  Callan is three, sweet and smart and such a joy to be around.  Xavier is five months, growing like a week, and learning to say mama.  I just bought a new car and I'm rereading all of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum novels.  Life is good.  Life is very good in my world right now.

Find the Time

I don't even remember how I came across it now.  But I'm doing a Jon Acuff challenge called #DoSummer2015.  It's all about finding a task you want to focus on and improve on.  And stop telling yourself you don't have the time. He's only asking for 15 minutes a day.  That's it, just 15 minutes a day... for three months.  By the time you're done, you'll have 1500 minutes (or 25 hours) under your belt doing what you really wanted to do.

Jon Acuff writes about finding the time, if you'd like to hear it from a professional.

I think this might have started out as a way to better yourself as an employee or make yourself more marketable... by choosing a skill you wanted to enhance.  But I honestly wanted something NON-WORK related.  So I chose walking (which will be good for my mental and physical health) and bible reading (which will be good for my spiritual and emotional health).

We started June 8th and won't finish until we get to September 8th.

If you'd like to see more about #DoSummer2015, click here.  I love it when I have a chart I can update everyday with my progress.  Just like I like it when I have a list of things to do and can cross things off that list.  I don't know, maybe I'm strange that way.

At any rate, find the time to do something to get you closer to the person you want to be.  And enjoy it!

Psalm 150

1 Alleluia! Praise God in his holy place, praise him in the heavenly vault of his power,

2 praise him for his mighty deeds, praise him for all his greatness.

3 Praise him with fanfare of trumpet, praise him with harp and lyre,

4 praise him with tambourines and dancing, praise him with strings and pipes,

5 praise him with the clamor of cymbals, praise him with triumphant cymbals,

6 Let everything that breathes praise Yahweh. Alleluia!

Psalm 149

1 Alleluia! Sing a new song to Yahweh: his praise in the assembly of the faithful!

2 Israel shall rejoice in its Maker, the children of Zion delight in their king;

3 they shall dance in praise of his name, play to him on tambourines and harp!

4 For Yahweh loves his people, he will crown the humble with salvation.

5 The faithful exult in glory, shout for joy as they worship him,

6 praising God to the heights with their voices, a two-edged sword in their hands,

7 to wreak vengeance on the nations, punishment on the peoples,

8 to load their kings with chains and their nobles with iron fetters,

9 to execute on them the judgement passed -- to the honor of all his faithful.

Psalm 148

1 Alleluia! Praise Yahweh from the heavens, praise him in the heights.

2 Praise him, all his angels, praise him, all his host!

3 Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all shining stars,

4 praise him, highest heavens, praise him, waters above the heavens.

5 Let them praise the name of Yahweh at whose command they were made;

6 he established them for ever and ever by an unchanging decree.

7 Praise Yahweh from the earth, sea-monsters and all the depths,

8 fire and hail, snow and mist, storm-winds that obey his word,

9 mountains and every hill, orchards and every cedar,

10 wild animals and all cattle, reptiles and winged birds,

11 kings of the earth and all nations, princes and all judges on earth,

12 young men and girls, old people and children together.

13 Let them praise the name of Yahweh, for his name alone is sublime, his splendor transcends earth and heaven.

14 For he heightens the strength of his people, to the praise of all his faithful, the children of Israel, the people close to him.

Psalm 147

1 Alleluia! Praise Yahweh -- it is good to sing psalms to our God -- how pleasant to praise him.

2 Yahweh, Builder of Jerusalem! He gathers together the exiles of Israel,

3 healing the broken-hearted and binding up their wounds;

4 he counts out the number of the stars, and gives each one of them a name.

5 Our Lord is great, all-powerful, his wisdom beyond all telling.

6 Yahweh sustains the poor, and humbles the wicked to the ground.

7 Sing to Yahweh in thanksgiving, play the harp for our God.

8 He veils the sky with clouds, and provides the earth with rain, makes grass grow on the hills and plants for people to use,

9 gives fodder to cattle and to young ravens when they cry.

10 He takes no delight in the power of horses, no pleasure in human sturdiness;

11 his pleasure is in those who fear him, in those who hope in his faithful love.

12 Praise Yahweh, Jerusalem, Zion, praise your God.

13 For he gives strength to the bars of your gates, he blesses your children within you,

14 he maintains the peace of your frontiers, gives you your fill of finest wheat.

15 He sends his word to the earth, his command runs quickly,

16 he spreads the snow like flax, strews hoarfrost like ashes,

17 he sends ice-crystals like breadcrumbs, and who can withstand that cold?

18 When he sends his word it thaws them, when he makes his wind blow, the waters are unstopped.

19 He reveals his word to Jacob, his statutes and judgments to Israel.

20 For no other nation has he done this, no other has known his judgments.

Psalm 146

1 Alleluia! Praise Yahweh, my soul!

2 I will praise Yahweh all my life, I will make music to my God as long as I live.

3 Do not put your trust in princes, in any child of Adam, who has no power to save.

4 When his spirit goes forth he returns to the earth, on that very day all his plans come to nothing.

5 How blessed is he who has Jacob's God to help him, his hope is in Yahweh his God,

6 who made heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them. He keeps faith for ever,

7 gives justice to the oppressed, gives food to the hungry; Yahweh sets prisoners free.

8 Yahweh gives sight to the blind, lifts up those who are bowed down.

9 Yahweh protects the stranger, he sustains the orphan and the widow. Yahweh loves the upright,but he frustrates the wicked.

10 Yahweh reigns for ever, your God, Zion, from age to age.

Psalm 145

1 [Hymn of Praise Of David] I shall praise you to the heights, God my King, I shall bless your name for ever and ever.

2 Day after day I shall bless you, I shall praise your name for ever and ever.

3 Great is Yahweh and worthy of all praise, his greatness beyond all reckoning.

4 Each age will praise your deeds to the next, proclaiming your mighty works.

5 Your renown is the splendor of your glory, I will ponder the story of your wonders.

6 They will speak of your awesome power, and I shall recount your greatness.

7 They will bring out the memory of your great generosity, and joyfully acclaim your saving justice.

8 Yahweh is tenderness and pity, slow to anger, full of faithful love.

9 Yahweh is generous to all, his tenderness embraces all his creatures.

10 All your creatures shall thank you, Yahweh, and your faithful shall bless you.

11 They shall speak of the glory of your kingship and tell of your might,

12 making known your mighty deeds to the children of Adam, the glory and majesty of your kingship.

13 Your kingship is a kingship for ever, your reign lasts from age to age. Yahweh is trustworthy in all his words, and upright in all his deeds.

14 Yahweh supports all who stumble, lifts up those who are bowed down.

15 All look to you in hope and you feed them with the food of the season.

16 And, with generous hand, you satisfy the desires of every living creature.

17 Upright in all that he does, Yahweh acts only in faithful love.

18 He is close to all who call upon him, all who call on him from the heart.

19 He fulfills the desires of all who fear him, he hears their cry and he saves them.

20 Yahweh guards all who love him, but all the wicked he destroys.

21 My mouth shall always praise Yahweh, let every creature bless his holy name for ever and ever.

Psalm 144

1 [Of David] Blessed be Yahweh, my rock, who trains my hands for war and my fingers for battle,

2 my faithful love, my bastion, my citadel, my Savior; I shelter behind him, my shield, he makes the peoples submit to me.

3 Yahweh, what is a human being for you to notice, a child of Adam for you to think about?

4 Human life, a mere puff of wind, days as fleeting as a shadow.

5 Yahweh, part the heavens and come down, touch the mountains, make them smoke.

6 Scatter them with continuous lightning-flashes, rout them with a volley of your arrows.

7 Stretch down your hand from above, save me, rescue me from deep waters, from the clutches of foreigners,

8 whose every word is worthless, whose right hand is raised in perjury.

9 God, I sing to you a new song, I play to you on the ten-stringed lyre,

10 for you give kings their victories, you rescue your servant David. From the sword of evil

11 save me, rescue me from the clutches of foreigners whose every word is worthless, whose right hand testifies to falsehood.

12 May our sons be like plants growing tall from their earliest days, our daughters like pillars carved fit for a palace,

13 our barns filled to overflowing with every kind of crop, the sheep in our pastures be numbered in thousands and tens of thousands,

14 our cattle well fed, free of raids and pillage, free of outcry in our streets.

15 How blessed the nation of whom this is true, blessed the nation whose God is Yahweh!

Psalm 143

1 [Psalm Of David] Yahweh, hear my prayer, listen to my pleading; in your constancy answer me, in your saving justice;

2 do not put your servant on trial, for no one living can be found guiltless at your tribunal.

3 An enemy is in deadly pursuit, crushing me into the ground, forcing me to live in darkness, like those long dead.

4 My spirit is faint, and within me my heart is numb with fear.

5 I recall the days of old, reflecting on all your deeds, I ponder the works of your hands.

6 I stretch out my hands to you, my heart like a land thirsty for you.

7 Answer me quickly, Yahweh, my spirit is worn out; do not turn away your face from me, or I shall be like those who sink into oblivion.

8 Let dawn bring news of your faithful love, for I place my trust in you; show me the road I must travel for you to relieve my heart.

9 Rescue me from my enemies, Yahweh, since in you I find protection.

10 Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. May your generous spirit lead me on even ground.

11 Yahweh, for the sake of your name, in your saving justice give me life, rescue me from distress.

12 In your faithful love annihilate my enemies, destroy all those who oppress me, for I am your servant.

Psalm 142

1 [Psalm Of David When he was in the cave Prayer] To Yahweh I cry out with my plea. To Yahweh I cry out with entreaty.

2 I pour out my worry in his presence, in his presence I unfold my troubles.

3 However faint my spirit; you are watching over my path. On the road I have to travel they have hidden a trap for me.

4 Look on my right and see -- there is no one who recognizes me. All refuge is denied me, no one cares whether I live or die.

5 I cry out to you, Yahweh, I affirm, 'You are my refuge, my share in the land of the living!'

6 Listen to my calling, for I am miserably weak. Rescue me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me.

7 Lead me out of prison that I may praise your name. The upright gather round me because of your generosity to me.

Psalm 141

1 [Psalm Of David] Yahweh, I am calling, hurry to me, listen to my voice when I call to you.

2 May my prayer be like incense in your presence, my uplifted hands like the evening sacrifice.

3 Yahweh, mount a guard over my mouth, a guard at the door of my lips.

4 Check any impulse to speak evil, to share the foul deeds of evil-doers. I shall not sample their delights!

5 May the upright correct me with a friend's rebuke; but the wicked shall never anoint my head with oil, for that would make me party to their crimes.

6 They are delivered into the power of the rock, their judge, those who took pleasure in hearing me say,

7 'Like a shattered millstone on the ground our bones are scattered at the mouth of Sheol.'

8 To you, Yahweh, I turn my eyes, in you I take refuge, do not leave me unprotected.

9 Save me from the traps that are set for me, the snares of evil-doers.

10 Let the wicked fall each into his own net, while I pass on my way.

Psalm 140

1 [For the choirmaster Psalm Of David] Rescue me, Yahweh, from evil men, protect me from violent men,

2 whose heart is bent on malice, day after day they harbor strife;

3 their tongues as barbed as a serpent's, viper's venom behind their lips.Pause

4 Keep me, Yahweh, from the clutches of the wicked, protect me from violent men, who are bent on making me stumble, laying out snares where I walk,

5 in their arrogance hiding pitfall and noose to trap me as I pass.Pause

6 I said to Yahweh, 'You are my God.' Listen, Yahweh, to the sound of my prayer.

7 Yahweh my Lord, my saving strength, you shield my head when battle comes.

8 Yahweh, do not grant the wicked their wishes, do not let their plots succeed.Pause Do not let my attackers

9 prevail, but let them be overwhelmed by their own malice.

10 May red-hot embers rain down on them, may they be flung into the mire once and for all.

11 May the slanderer find no rest anywhere, may evil hunt down violent men implacably.

12 I know that Yahweh will give judgement for the wretched, justice for the needy.

13 The upright shall praise your name, the honest dwell in your presence.

Psalm 139

1 [For the choirmaster Of David Psalm] Yahweh, you examine me and know me,

2 you know when I sit, when I rise, you understand my thoughts from afar.

3 You watch when I walk or lie down, you know every detail of my conduct.

4 A word is not yet on my tongue before you, Yahweh, know all about it.

5 You fence me in, behind and in front, you have laid your hand upon me.

6 Such amazing knowledge is beyond me, a height to which I cannot attain.

7 Where shall I go to escape your spirit? Where shall I flee from your presence?

8 If I scale the heavens you are there, if I lie flat in Sheol, there you are.

9 If I speed away on the wings of the dawn, if I dwell beyond the ocean,

10 even there your hand will be guiding me, your right hand holding me fast.

11 I will say, 'Let the darkness cover me, and the night wrap itself around me,'

12 even darkness to you is not dark, and night is as clear as the day.

13 You created my inmost self, knit me together in my mother's womb.

14 For so many marvels I thank you; a wonder am I, and all your works are wonders. You knew me through and through,

15 my being held no secrets from you, when I was being formed in secret, textured in the depths of the earth.

16 Your eyes could see my embryo. In your book all my days were inscribed, every one that was fixed is there.

17 How hard for me to grasp your thoughts, how many, God, there are!

18 If I count them, they are more than the grains of sand; if I come to an end, I am still with you.

19 If only, God, you would kill the wicked!-Men of violence, keep away from me!-

20 those who speak blasphemously about you, and take no account of your thoughts.

21 Yahweh, do I not hate those who hate you, and loathe those who defy you?

22 My hate for them has no limits, I regard them as my own enemies.

23 God, examine me and know my heart, test me and know my concerns.

24 Make sure that I am not on my way to ruin, and guide me on the road of eternity.