Right Brain/Left Brain

Here's an interesting one. How long does it take you to find the man in the picture?

Doctors have concluded that if you find the man in the coffee beans in 3 seconds, the right half of your brain is better developed than most people. If you find the man between 3 seconds and 1 minute, the right half of the brain is developed normally. If you find the man between 1 minute and 3 minutes, then the right half of your brain is functioning slowly and you need to eat more protein. If you have not found the man after 3 minutes, the advice is to look for more of this type of exercise to make that part of the brain stronger!!!

And, yes, the man is really there!!
Simplistically, in a nut-shell, as I have been told, left brainers are more practical,logical, scientific whereas right brainers are the opposite, more creative/artistic, free thinkers with greater intuition.

Is this right for you?

Grace!

I used to think grace was just about posture and the way you managed your body. Graceful - like a ballet dancer - not at all like me.
I went to a very small Primary School and when anyone new joined they stuck out like a sore thumb, and none more so that Grace Bullock. Her name was a contradiction in terms to my young mind. She was more of a bullock in her movements than a grace, until, that is, she was asked to read out loud in class. We were all mesmerised by the way she could read anything, from a text book on the Grimsby fishing industry to a Bible story about Jesus feeding the five thousand. She flowed. She read effortlessly, no stammering, no hesitation and she made it all sound interesting. She was the best reader I had ever heard and I was very jealous as I had had that title before she came and I was the one who was usually asked to read in class.

So now that I am much older and a Christian I understand something far different about grace. Grace is undeserved favour from God. He loves us and forgives us because of His Son, Jesus, and the fact that He went to the cross in our place.

I don't deserve God's favour but I have it just because I believe in His Son and that He died for me.

We listened to a brilliant sermon today and the Grace of God was explained to me very clearly. Imagine a young child playing and he accidentally bats a ball at a precious and highly expensive ornament and it falls to the floor and shatters into a million pieces. The father who knows the value of the ornament leaps to his feet and is about to beat the child when the boy's older brother stands between them and says: "Dad, my brother is more precious than the vase!" This makes the father think twice and he sits down chastened.
This is what Jesus does for us; he is like the older brother who steps between the punishment that God could deservedly mete out to us and reminds Him that we are more precious and God agrees with Him because we believe in His Son. Amazing. That's grace.

We are in the New Covenant. The Old Covenant was between God and the Israelites and they failed. They were bound to - there were too many rules and they could not possibly succeed. So God made a New Covenant between God the Father and His Son. We get in on that because we believe in His Son; we cannot fail. We think we have to earn it but we receive it by grace, through faith. We feel it's our performance that earns us God's Grace but it isn't! God declares me righteous because I believe in His Son.
Grace is a gift of God. I don't deserve it but I believe in His Son so He releases grace into my life. What a great deal. Why do so many people turn it down?

Stats!

I have been clicking around some of the other buttons on the blog site and came across the "Stats" section. Absolutely fascinating! Do you know that 18 people have looked at my blog today? Incredible! That is very gratifying but also it makes you think about the importance of what you write, as those 'hits' have been from UK, Canada, North America, Europe and South Africa; so my audience is wider that I perhaps expected!
It would be even more exciting if more people would leave comments as I love it when an e mail tells me someone has left a comment for me.
So, many thanks to my faithful readers and I see I have a responsibility to write a fresh message more regularly!
Keep reading!

The Poet!

Happy New Year to all my followers and apologies that there hasn't been a new post in 2011 - until now!
The postman has just delivered our copy of The North Magazine, which is a celebration issue of 25 years of their published poetry. They have made a selection and have chosen one of Duncan's poems to be included. We were informed that he had a poem in this edition back in December and were both excited and curious as to which poem it would be. I was surprised by their choice - we had both speculated on this - but the chosen one is a very good choice! However, he did write this many years ago; years before he ever knew me I think. He has written more since, and even better poetry and today's post has made me determined to encourage his gift even more.
My husband is a very talented man as well as being, actually, the nicest person I have ever met! I feel I can write this as he is out at the moment and won't be able to stop me from pressing the "Publish Post" button! So, well done, Duncan and just keep on keeping on. I am very proud to be your wife - and not just because you're a published poet but because you are you!

No Comment!

Love it or hate it Face book is an incredible success. Over the past few days people on my "friends" list have joined in a campaign to help prevent violence against children by changing their profile picture to a cartoon character from childhood, thus promoting the happy times and memories these characters conjured up. I don't know HOW this helps against child abuse but was prepared to believe it as it was a very good cause. It was incredible! Every time I logged on to Face book I saw Beryl the Peril, Sponge Bob Square Pants, Bod, Sleeping Beauty.....such a lot of fun and so colourful and yes, it did evoke memories of childhood; in my case Harry's childhood as I was Buzz Lightyear! "To infinity and beyond!!!" That character has memories for both me and Harry.
Now reports are coming in suggesting it was all a paedophile hoax and it was designed to help inter action between children who would be drawn by the cartoonies and the predators. Well, again, I don't know how that would work either. Maybe I am just too gullible. I enjoyed it and as far as I'm concerned, it was innocent.
Another thing I fail to understand, while we are on the subject of Face book, is when you join a 'social inter action' site how can you have a setting that won't allow anyone to "Like" or "Comment" on what you write or post? And why would you want to? Is it because you believe only your voice is worth listening to and no one could add, or even should want to add, anything to your declaration? This is not social inter action is it?
Not many of my "friends" have adopted this setting. Maybe they're just not my friends!

Greed?

I am an unashamed fan of cookery programmes. I watch Nigella, Nigel Slater and Jamie Oliver with great interest and enjoyment; each have a great knowledge of food and what marries with what, each has a very different style. Jamie's 30 Minute meals are excellent and even though it may take me a bit longer than the expert it's still good to get a well cooked, fresh meal in under an hour! Nigel is slower and more ponderous in his delivery and presentation; his recipe books are very well written, his command of the English language drawing all of your senses in as you read. And Nigella? I was caused to think about my enjoyment of Nigella's programmes by someone commenting that she thought Nigella encouraged greed and wrong moral values in her presentation of food.
Mmm! She is certainly unstinting in her delight in butter, olive oil and all things chocolate. Is it immoral? I have thought about it for awhile and I rather think that I will continue to be a fan, despite the fact that I blame her for my increased weight! She enjoys food and she delights in all aspects of it, as indeed do I, but she is also an antidote to the society which increasingly seems to suggest that enjoying food is a sin and we should be concentrating on maintaining a stick-like figure at all costs! Maintain? I have never been stick-like!
Food is to be enjoyed in all its varieties. Yes, we must guard against over indulgence but not banish all expressions of excess. A bit of what you fancy does do you good. I tend to think that the overindulgence is just Nigella's adopted style which has become her "way"! She is a larger than average woman who delights in food and has a rather large appetite. Rather like me!

Hallelujah Praise, Duncan's 2010 Snowman!

It's becoming a tradition! Last year we had Hudson and this year we have our own praising snowman. December is here and we are in the worst snow that we've had so far and it's still coming down. The study and our bedroom are very dark as the skylights are covered and the whole landscape is a beautiful wonderland - as long as you don't have to venture out. Our next door neighbour is stuck in Bradford and is unsure that she will even get a train home. Danny Lane is impassable so we are stuck! Trapped in our home and I must say I like the feeling. I know I am fortunate that the fridge and freezer are full enough to keep us going for a few weeks and I can always make bread when we run out. We even have a tin of Marvel in the cupboard if the worst comes to the worst! Oh here I go, exaggerating - we can pop to the "Pop-In" our local store up the hill if we need milk!
We are proud to see Harry on Tees TV commenting on the peaceful student protest about fees in Newcastle. He spoke very well, not an 'um' or an 'err' at all. Very articulate for someone who had a microphone thrust in his face as he marched along! (See the link on Face book)
So we are homebound! I may get round to a few more blogs. I may even do one on the state of the butter/butter dish that you will have seen if you are a Face book friend!