Pray for Joplin!

In lieu of my original post, I have chosen to forgo that and speak about the tornado’s that hit close by last night.

I have never personally been in a tornado, but honestly I’m not sure if I ever want to be. I have witnessed firsthand what they are capable of doing. In 1999, I went on a mission trip to Moore, Oklahoma to help with the devastation from the tornado of OKC 99. It was an F5, 6 Mile wide, the largest ever reported, and the Channel 9 meteorologist said “If you’re above ground right now, you will NOT survive!” There was nothing left of neighborhoods, just cement slabs. I was broken and humbled.

Disaster: a calamitous event, especially one occurring suddenly and causing great LOSS of life, damage, or hardship.

Mike Gullett / AP- http://www.time.com/

At a time such as this, I ask you to pray. I am reminded of a song by casting crowns.

Praise You in This Storm
words by Mark Hall/music by Mark Hall and Bernie Herms

I was sure by now, God, that You would have reached down
and wiped our tears away,
stepped in and saved the day.
But once again, I say amen
and it's still raining
as the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain,
"I'm with you"
and as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise
the God who gives and takes away.

Chorus:
And I'll praise you in this storm
and I will lift my hands
for You are who You are
no matter where I am
and every tear I've cried
You hold in your hand
You never left my side
and though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm

I remember when I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry to You
and raised me up again
my strength is almost gone how can I carry on
if I can't find You
and as the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
and as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise
the God who gives and takes away

I lift my eyes onto the hills
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth
I lift my eyes onto the hills
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth

Give Here 

Volunteer Here

Lucy

Pray for Joplin!

Favorite Fabulous Friday!

Drum Roll... ADVOCARE! The best has yet to come! So Advocare has been picked for today’s topic.  What is Advocare? Advocare is a world class nutrition line that is AMAZING! From Energy to Muscle builders to just general nutrition, the entire product line is superb.

I have a couple of products that are my fav but I can’t speak enough about it. In this day and time, we do not get the nutrition we used to! Why? Well 1} because so many people are short on time or in a hurry so they buy processed foods at the grocery store. Golden Rule at the grocery store: Do not shop on the inside; meaning everything your body needs is on the outside of the aisles. When you start shopping the aisles that’s when you get into all the processed foods, high fructose corn syrup, etc. AKA: BAD THINGS and 2} we go through the drive thru.  Now don’t get me wrong I love CHICK-FIL-A, but when I eat it, I take it as a “treat” so therefore I don’t get it often… Ok maybe ever Saturday. J Still a treat though. So because of this our bodies need nutrition because obviously 80 % of the people are not getting it from foods these days.

Advocare is the solution. Check out their website, endorsers (who are non-paid) and medical and scientific board.. AMAZING!

Contact me @ lucyandlanceclaypool@gmail.com for information

Lucy

Getting to know me.

Hey! Hey! So I must first off by apologizing on not posting in a couple of days. For those who blog on a regular basis you know that “Blogger” was down over the weekend. I had this really awesome “Favorite Fabulous Friday” post that I didn’t get to post because of “Blogger”, so I’m saving it for this Friday! J It’s a great one!

Anyway on to blogging… Ha! So there's  numerous other blogs I read, and Keely @ {MannLand5} decided to have a “get to know you more” day. So I have decided to do the same except change some things around.

So today is get to know me more day!  Feel Free to link up and share yours too! J

The Q's.

1. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?

Seychelles, Indian Ocean or, Taiwan

2. Would you rather go through a tornado or a hurricane?

A hurricane! Why? Because they are more predictable and you know they are coming thus, giving you a better chance to escape; verses a tornado, which is sporadic and VERY unpredictable. I just rather watch Reed and Joel on Discovery’s “Storm Chasers”! J

3. What book are you reading currently?

The Leadership Secrets of Billy Graham (Though I have kind of slacked off)

4. What's your favorite accessory?

            My Engagement and Wedding Rings.

5. What’s your favorite verse in the Bible?

            Isaiah 6:1-8

6. One thing you couldn’t live without?

            Advocare

7. What is your dream job?

            Secretary of State for the United States

8. What's your favorite network show?

            We have a couple! Swamp People. The Voice. and Storm Chasers!
the end.

Lucy

The Organ Trade..

Giving credit to an article on Bloomberg that I read {Read it Here} this morning, many Americans who are desperate for a Kidney translate here in the states {and on the waiting list} go elsewhere in order to “Buy Kidney’s”!

 I choose this article to highlight because I think it’s absolutely ridiculous that we {Americans} reach out to others who are “Desperate/Poor” in order to save their own life. Are we that SELFISH?

According to the article {By Michael Smith} “Affluent, often desperately ill patients travel to countries such as Egypt, Peru and the Philippines, where poor people sell them their organs. In Latin America, the transplants are usually arranged by unlicensed brokers {are you kidding me?}. They’re performed -- for fees -- by accredited surgeons, some of whom have trained at the world’s leading medical schools. The global demand for organs far exceeds the available supply. In the U.S., 110,693 people are on waiting lists for organs, and fewer than 15,000 donors are found annually. Every year, about 5,000 gravely ill people from countries including the U.S., Israel and Saudi Arabia pay others to donate an organ, says Francis Delmonico, a Harvard Medical School professor and surgeon. The practice is illegal in every country except Iran, {Surprised? They never comply!} Delmonico says.

“The problem is that you have so many people who are desperate for a transplant and willing to pay for one and so many poor people who need the money and can be exploited,” he says. Americans who go abroad for illicit transplants can contract infections or HIV from unhealthy donors, posing a public health threat when they return, Delmonico says.”

This is obviously a very serious problem, though it still continues. Apparently there is even a market and companies that support it. According to a report by Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Ltd. “The illegal organ trade is the ugly side of the otherwise legal medical tourism industry, in which people travel to other countries for cut-rate hip replacements, tummy tucks and gastric bypasses. The legitimate medical procedures generated about $100 billion in revenue in 2010.”

And really what makes it worse is I was unsuccessful at locating an organization that was dedicated to stopping Organ Trafficking. I did find www.HumanTrafficking.org though there wasn’t anything specific on the Organ Trade!  If you are apart of an organization or know of one, please leave a comment.

Lucy

Who eat's rice?

So I discovered an article that I thought I would share with you. A} because I love rice and I know many people who eat it B} because Riceland Foods is out of Arkansas and C} When I worked for the World Trade Center I did a lot of work for Riceland Foods.

So Riceland Foods is the largest supplier rice cooperative in the US, and according to the article I read from Reuters {Read it Here}, stated “Germany's Bayer Company which yes is the {aspirin company} was ordered by a jury here in {Stuttgart} Arkansas to pay Riceland $136.8 million for contamination of U.S. long grain rice stocks which had a genetically modified strain from Bayer that destroyed exports more than four years ago. “

According to Riceland’s homepage, {Riceland.com} “Riceland provides marketing services for rice, soybeans and wheat grown by its 9,000 farmer-members in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Texas. Each year, its 1,900 employees receive, store, transport process and market more than 125 million bushels (2.5 million metric tons) of grain. Riceland is the world's largest miller and marketer of rice and one of the Mid-South's major soybean processors. A major rice exporter and oil producer, Riceland markets rice and oil products under the Riceland and Chef-way labels, private labels, as ingredients, and in bulk. Riceland products are sold across the nation and to more than 75 foreign destinations.” The judgment given by the jury included payments to Riceland for $125 M in punitive damages, {though will be capped at $1M because of Arkansas Law} as well as $16.9M in compensatory damages.

So what is a "GMO" and why does this article matter? A GMO is a {Genitally Modified Organism} Food. According to Wikipedia; “GMO’s or genetically engineered organism (GEO) is an organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques. These techniques, generally known as recombinant DNA technology, use DNA molecules from different sources, which are combined into one molecule to create a new set of genes. This DNA is then transferred into an organism, giving it modified or novel genes. Transgenic organisms, a subset of GMOs, are organisms which have inserted DNA that originated in a different species.”

So my question is “Why do we alter our natural food source?” There are sooo many risks and side effects that occur after we eat them. From Infertility, colon cancer, damages to your immune system, super viruses AND food allergies, I’m still a little curious as to why the government does not put labels on these food items? GMO are mostly found in Soy, Corn, Cottonseed {used in vegetable cooking oils}, Canola Oil, Sugar from Sugar Beets, Hawaiian Papaya, Some Zucchini, and Crookneck Squash. {Source: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/08/30/gm-crop-escapes-into-the-american-wild.aspx}

So moral of the story,  just be careful next time you eat Rice, Corn, Soy, Canola Oil, Surgar, Papaya, Squash or Zucchini! :) I now understand "You are what you eat!"

Lucy

And she said….. YES!

Normally on Friday, I write about “Fabulous Favorite Friday’s”; though today is special in the Claypool household. Today marks the two {2} year anniversary that L asked ME to be HIS wife; I can hear it now {awww}. J Yes it was a special day even though it was HOT, and in the Middle of Mud! J

So for all you hopeless romantics out there I’ll give you the brief story. The first of May, probably around 85-90* here in Arkansas {I can’t fully remember} at a lake here in town. I had just finished finals and L had taken the afternoon off. I knew he was up to something because he had “pretended to propose” to me a couple of times before. We had lunch and then headed for some golf. After golf we went to the lake for an hour and half walk thru the nature trails. Now by this time I was sweating {gross}, and all I really wanted to do was swing. J  On our way back we walked down to the water in a wooded area, he then began to tell me how much he loved me and wanted to spend the rest of his life with me. As he went down on his knee to propose… {Girls I don’t recommend this} Ha! … I thought he was joking. J So I told him to get back up. Yes Seriously I said “get up… Why are you pretending again?” He then pulled the ring out of his pocket, and it looked a little bit more “Shinny then a fake ring” lol so at this point I KNEW he was FOR REAL! After he repeatedly asked me for an answer, I “obviously” told him YES! And I finally got to swing!!  We then told our families and ate a nice Italian celebration meal!!

My Ring

More Ring. HA!

So L and I only knew each other for 4 1/2 months before we got engaged, but I wouldn’t change a thing. We have been married for 209 days as of today! J I never thought it would happen so quickly, but so thankful it did. I thank God for him Everyday, the Man that he is, the Man that he is becoming and the Father he will become some day. God has blessed me so much and continues to bless US everyday, and I thank God that I am able to “borrow” L while on Earth! We are BEST FRIENDS, we LAUGH together all the time, and we make the BEST out of every situation. I can’t wait to celebrate 50 years together.

Right after we were engaged!

I am blessed!

Lucy

National Day of Prayer

“A nation without God's guidance is a nation without order. Happy are those who keep God's law!” Proverbs 29:18

What is the NDoP? The National Day of Prayer is an annual observance held on the first Thursday of May, inviting people of ALL FAITHS to pray for the nation. It was created in 1952 by a joint resolution of the United States Congress, and signed into law by President Harry S. Truman.

Why should we Pray? 1. We pray because we love God. We spend time with God in prayer and communion because we love him. Just as a man and woman in love desire to be together and communicate, so we – if we love God – will desire to be with Him and to fellowship with Him in proportion to our love for Him.
2. We pray because we depend on God. God is our source. He is our life (Colossians 3:4). Through prayer we receive the comfort, the strength and all the other resources that we need in life – both naturally and spiritually. Prayer – relationship to God – is as necessary to the spiritual life as air to the natural life.
3. We need to pray in order to resist temptation. “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation.” (Mt. 26:41). Much sin is the result of the sin of prayerlessness. Through lack of prayer, we are weak, others are weaker and Satan gains the advantage in our lives.
4. We need to pray because it is necessary for men to invite God to act in salvation. God gave the earth to Adam and his descendants. We must invite God to work here. If no-one invites God to work here, Satan (the god of this world through man’s universal rebellion – 2 Corinthians 4:4) will dominate the affairs of men and eventually the judgment of God will come. By inviting God often and specifically, multitudes can be saved that would otherwise be lost.
5. We need to pray because God commands us to pray. “Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving.” (Colossians 4:2). “Then he [Jesus] spoke a parable to them to this end, that men ought always to pray and not lose heart.” (Luke 18:1). The need to pray is as great as the authority of God which commands us: “Pray without ceasing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Prayer is so vital to all that God wants to do on the earth, and so essential to us, that God commands us to do it all the time. We should even deny ourselves sleep and food at times in order to pray more and with greater power. (Matthew 6:16; Luke 6:12; Luke 21:36; Colossians 4:2; 2 Corinthians 11:27).
{Source: National Day of Prayer}

“I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust” Psalm 91.2

What do I pray for?

1.    Our Nation.

2.    Our President.

3.    Leaders {i.e. Presidents, Prime Ministers, Ambassadors} around the World.

4.    Military. {Marines, Navy, Army, Air Force, Coast Guard}

5.    Different nations would see Christ is the only way.

ONE Nation, UNDER God!  God Bless YOU and God Bless the United States of America.

Lucy

7 and 1 on Food Stamps

Outrageous! Ok so if you know me well. I tend to be a little outspoken, and I should probably preface this by saying {I’m sorry} HA! I am not saying food stamps are wrong. I am saying they are COMPLETELY taken advantage of.

So a little brief history: The United States Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program {SNAP},  historically and commonly known as the Food Stamp Program, is a federal-assistance program that provides assistance to low- and no-income people and families living in the U.S. Though the program is administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, benefits are distributed by the individual U.S. states. {Source Wikipedia}

According to the Article on the WSJ by Sara Murray {Read it Here} said "Growth in the food stamp program appeared to reach a plateau in February — with 14.3% of the population relying on the safety net program. The number of food stamp recipients with the most recent month available, with 44.2 million Americans receiving benefits, according a new report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. {See data here.} The food stamp program ballooned during the recession as workers lost their jobs or saw their hours and income reduced. The rise in recipients has begun to flatten in recent months, which may mean that as the economy is improving fewer Americans are seeking to join the program. Enrollment in the program is still high though, with 11.6% more people tapping benefits in February than the same month a year earlier.

Mississippi and Oregon were among the states with the largest share of the population utilizing food stamps in February: At least ONE in FIVE residents in each state were receiving benefits. While Wyoming had the lowest rate of recipients with just 6.6% of the state’s residents using food stamps."

Arkansas: Our population in 2010 was 2,926,229, and in 2011 we had 460,754 people on food stamps,  that’s 16.5% of our population. The numbers are staggering.  So let me re-iterate the fact that I am not opposed of programs that “Help People in Need” though I feel like many people take advantage of the system. If you have lost your job and you are currently looking for a new one, and are low on funds… completely understand this scenario, BUT if you lost your job 5 years ago and are not looking for another nor do you want to go back to work and you continue to receive state support. I think that is taking advantage of the system. I am not Governor of this state yet, but I will promise that if and when I ever run and if and when I am elected, many of the people on these programs will be investigated and determined whether they are “In NEED” or “Taking Advantage”. There is a fine line there, but these numbers don’t lie.

Lucy

”All leadership is influence"

What is Leadership? How do we Lead? What does it mean to Lead? What sets apart a Leader from a Follower? All of these questions I want to know the answer to. I should also tell you that there are so many GREAT quotes from GREAT people on Leadership. {I could only pick a few} :)

Leadership: Leading is establishing direction and influencing others to follow that direction. I think many people lead in different ways depending on the Person. There is Corporate Leadership {CEO’s}, Political Leadership {The President, Prime Minister}, Spiritual Leadership {Pastors}, as well as Family Leadership {The Husband}.  I think we would all agree that we each aspire to be great leaders, but why is it only a few make it to that level?

I defiantly think we are NOT born leaders. I was babysitting my nephew once and while we were driving, we drove past his favorite donut shop {Rick’s Bakery} he shouted “Do-Nuts Wucy, Do-Nuts”. Now even though he was 2 ½ at the time he knew the scenery but if we were lost, he would not be able to lead me there nor give me directions in order to get there. Not because of his lack of talking or communicating or understanding, but because he needed to learn this; thus leadership is something we develop over time, not born with.

To lead means having passion, being an effective communicator, listener, and having a plan. I have high political aspirations as well as high International aspirations and I know I will fail somewhere along the way, but that is where I place my faith in the one and only Jesus Christ, in order to help me succeed and meet those goals.

I once heard:  a Great Leader talks 20% of the time and LISTENS 80% and the followers TALK 80% of the time and Listen 20%. Is this true for you? I know sometimes I need to hush and listen. :) ...But that's easier said than done!

The pessimist complains about the wind. The optimist expects it to change. The leader adjusts the sails.”- John Maxwell

Lucy

“Geronimo has been KIA”

“Geronimo” code name for Bin Laden. “KIA” Killed in action. 9.30 pm CST on Sunday May 1^st I can’t even begin to describe what I felt. I have been right in the middle of the Action, I have faithfully served my country, and luckily I was blessed to serve alongside a president that LOVED his country so very much he did everything in his will power that eventually led to the death of Bin Laden over the weekend. I am sure you have all heard by now the story of what actually happened and how the SEALs accomplished this mission. What a beautiful day.

Official White House Photo by Pete Souza

 Even though we are rejoicing, we still have a long road ahead of us. Even though we killed the #1 man with a 100M bounty on his head, we must understand that this will cause a huge rise amongst the Islamic communities. Even though I am joyful, I am sad because Bid Laden is not in Heaven. I saw a quote on Facebook today from a gentleman who I think has lots of wisdom for such a young age. I thought I would share with you what J shared with me. “Celebrating in the streets is just like the terrorists do when they kill an American makes us look just like them. “Justice before a holy God is a terrible thing. Those crying out for justice on earth should be very careful what they wish for” #USA #Osama”.. WOW! Very insightful.





Thank you to President Bush for starting the search and I know this is going to be bitter tasting coming out of my mouth, but Thank you President Obama for finishing the search. Thank you to the SEALs, the CIA, the NSC, DoD and Robert Gates and every one of those who actually took part in Mission Geronimo! Press on!

Lucy

God Bless the United States!