FELLOWSHIP!!. . .IT'S GOOD TO BE HOME

Here is a picture of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Manchester, NH. Happy Memorial Day Weekend, although I will be glad to get back to work Tuesday. Today at the Memorial Day fellowship, among lots of good food, I was told that it is someone I know in my church that is laughing silently (that's probably just poetic, but I do free verse in my spare time) at the minister who is leaving my church soon, because finances are supposedly not strong enough to keep the minister there. After hearing the minister's side of the story, I asked what I could do.. . . because this IS my church...home. She gave me one word. . . pray. It's good to have a home church...

HOME....AND CHURCH FINANCES

Well, ladies and gentlemen, the date on the last blog post wasn't as bad as I had feared, but here is something that has me baffled...the idea of a church home. Here is a picture of Alexandria United Methodist Church, in Alexandria, NH. I've been told by someone very influential to me that we should not be supporting the church with our money, yet I pledged for the first time last year in my Methodist church in Las Cruces, New Mexico. MY church. Not the one my parents chose, which by the way were many over the years, but MY church. Here is a statement from a pastor in New Hampshire, where the weather is green and lovely!!
* New Hampshire ranked 11th in the nation in 1996 in its average statewide income.
* New Hampshire residents also appear to have accumulated significant assets, judging by the fact that New Hampshire ranked 9th in terms of the average amount of dividends and capital gains reported on tax returns in 1996.
* In 1992, New Hampshire had a concentration of individuals worth at least $1 million that was higher than the national median, unlike Maine and Vermont which were both below the national median.
* In 1997, 64% of New Hampshire residents reported volunteer activity, up from 61% in 1995, and much higher than the national average of 41%. Kudos for doing well.
* In 1996, and this is my point of concern, New Hampshire ranked 49th (remember there are 50 states) in the nation in itemized charitable contributions from federal tax returns. This low ranking has been consistent in the 1990's. Since 1991, New Hampshire has ranked between 47th and 50th.
* In 1996, New Hampshire residents reported $283 million in charitable giving on their tax returns. An additional $147 million would have gone to charity if they had given the national average.
* Individuals with estates worth at least $600,000 left bequests that represented about 10% of New Hampshire's total giving in the 1990's. Nationally about 7% of all giving to charities come from charitable bequests. In four out of the six years between 1991 and 1996, these New Hampshire residents left a higher percentage of their total assets to charity than did people with estates of a similar size in the nation as a whole. In 1996, 11.5% of these estate assets went to charity, placing New Hampshire in fourth rank nationally.. . . The Bible has quite a bit to say about money. The Bible has 500 verses on prayer, and less than 500 verses on faith. There are more than 2,000 verses on money and possessions. One out of every 10 verses in the Gospels deals directly with money, as do a full one-sixth of Jesus' own words. Only the kingdom of God is mentioned more than money and possessions by Jesus. Sixteen out of 38 parables are about how to handle money and possessions. Trust me, if you hear just one or two sermons a year about money, you're getting off easy.


I thought this very interesting, considering how far my church is in debt for their new building, and considering how my parents had the tendency to leave a church quickly when they did not agree with something, how could I be any better if I did the same thing, especially now that I am....Home???? Now...let me see if I get this citation correct.
Robertson, Anne. "Spiritual Disciplines: Tithing." Anne Robertson 2000 Web. www.annerobertson.com/CBSD/Tithing.htm 22 May 2011

CHURCH BUDGETS

I don't even want to look at the date on the last post for my blog, and I'm sincerely sorry. I have found home at a Methodist church here in New Mexico, but since this blog is about New Hampshire, I will post of picture of a New Hampshire church. I pledged in the church's budget for the first time last year, and am honored to support the church, and it hurts me that some do not do their best. A few weeks ago we found out that our associate minister is not returning because of budget concerns. Some people have even told me that we should not be supporting the church with our money...but I do.

VIEWS ON THE TOTAL TRANSFORMATION....AND TRUTH

http://www.almightydad.com/behavior/kid-acting-badly-try-the-total-transformation-scam

Check out this lady here and her positive indoor paradise playground for kids in Merrimack, NH. If I get in trouble putting a link to someone else's site on my blog, I will apologize, but I latched on to it right away. As I posted in my post about the Senate election in New Hampshire, there is a selling element to the total transformation program touted by James Lehman, who died last year, so consumers must sift through to find the truth. Is it really a magic solution? I am now an adult, so I am supposed to have theoretically outgrown the bitterness that happens at the teen level, but this commercial makes me angry. Check out this man's web site. I think it's great. There is no way that Lehman's program can turn an angry child into a submissive well-behaved one so quickly...doesn't it take two to make a fight? And though my now grown peers sit in church with their parents and their little ones, I just don't see how someone who never got along with their parents after the age of four could ever be remotely "friends" with them. It is my first instinct to say 'Definitely not through the "Total Transformation" program.' And to think it got only positive reviews.

WATER!!!

Here is the image I wanted to add, because we do not have water in New Mexico. Enjoy it. And for anyone who received a scary jack in the box for Halloween, I was surprised to find only positive reviews for those creepy things. I would never buy one for anyone!! if you read my blog, tell me what you think of them. Here's a harmless Halloween costume for you.

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TRUTH

I Am a journalism major first, before anything else, and one of the things we learn in print classes is "If it Bleeds, it leads." A horrible car accident killing sixteen little children will air before a fundraiser that raised twelve hundred dollars for a children's hospital. It is a cloudy day in New Hampshire finally, after much New Mexico-like weather, and the ads are fierce. The female candidate for Senate is accused of erasing e-mails after she resigned in shame, and her opponent used a sound byte to enhance his case. However, the female candidate slung the same mud, but with only a surprised shot of her male opponent, with no sound putting him to shame. If I lived in New Hampshire, it would be a tough choice for me, but she probably would not get my vote. I am not very good at making decisions, but the truth is so hard to find, especially in a situation like this. It's like advertising a new car--you only hear the good stuff.

ONLY CHILD SYNDROME

In this photo, notice how she stares into the child's eyes. She is intent on this child, and the child seems happy. However, there is also something called "only Child Syndrome," which I would like to talk about here. I promised this would be a blog that focuses on good news, and so I will never print about bombings and shootings and teen pregnancies, but this is too much. To think that a couple would specifically decide to have one child, in order to give him everything. There are two of these in my life. One is very sweet and well-mannered...with his bad days...and the other is an intelligent spoiled brat. Only child syndrome...is it real, or imagined?? An issue to be dealt with???? Something to be avoided????

Stanley G Hall was the father of child psychology. This man lived in the 1800's and called the only child syndrome "a disease in itself". He used words such as lonely, maladjusted, and bossy to describe only children. Boy, Can I relate. I am angered that one of the only children in my life, who in my opinion, needs to get a clue, is considered a highlight of a visit to New Hampshire. I respected this child's parents, until now. How could a couple choose this life??? If you read my blog, do YOU think these children are maladjusted?????