Mourning to Dancing

how to have 1000 addictions

2012-02-13T18:46:00.000-08:00

when you love creation more than you love the Creator,

you have given birth to a thousand addictions and to a gangrene that will attach itself to your relationships and erode out the joy meant to be had in your life even in a fallen world.

when you love creation more than you love the Creator,

you are trying to get from creation what creation can not give you.

you are forced to medicate with drugs and alcohol, sex and love, new trinkets and toys...

~Matt Chandler

Creation does not satisfy
The CREATOR does.

Faith that goes forward triumphs

2012-02-13T07:21:00.000-08:00

A poem I discovered in Streams in the Desert about Columbus and the value of perseverance.

Behind him lay the gray Azores,

Behind the gates of Hercules;

Before him not the ghost of shores,

Before him only shoreless seas,

The good Mate said, "Now we must pray,

For lo! the very stars are gone.

Braved, Admiral, speak, what shall I say?"

Why, say, 'Sail on! sail on! and on!'"

"My men grow mutinous day by day,

My men grow ghastly wan and weak!"

The stout Mate thought of home, a spray

Of salt wave washed his swarthy cheek.

"What shall I say, brave Admiral, say,

If we sight naught but seas at dawn?"

"Why, you shall say at break of day,

'Sail on! sail on! sail on! and on!'"

They sailed. They sailed. Then spake the Mate:

"This mad sea shows its teeth tonight.

He curls his lip, he lies in wait,

With lifted teeth, as if to bite!

Brave Admiral, say but one good word;

What shall we do when hope is gone?"

The words leapt like a leaping sword;

"Sail on! sail on! sail on! and on!"

Then, pale and worn, he kept his deck

And peered through darkness. Ah! that night

Of all dark nights! And then a speck--

A light! A light! A light! A light!

It grew, a starlit flag unfurled!

It grew to be Time's burst of dawn.

He gained a world; he gave that world

Its grandest lesson: "On! sail on!"

~Joaquin Miller

Birth control is not a health care issue.

2012-02-10T18:43:00.000-08:00

So, how exactly is birth control a health care issue?

It doesn't improve your health.
It doesn't take care of some disease.

It alters the normal behavior of your body.

Medicine is a health care issue.

Physical check-ups are a health care issue.

Surgery is a health care issue.

Child birth is a health care issue.

Cancer is a health care issue.

Birth control...is not a health care issue because birth is not a disease...contrary to popular and stupid belief.

How about if you don't want to get pregnant, you buy your own damn birth control?

How about self-control?

How about a brain?

an accurate perspective of the issue:

the power of language

2012-02-10T00:24:00.000-08:00

"With the gift of language, you can move people in other places and in other times, many miles and years from the sound of your voice, just as God's Word does. With the gift of language you will influence and shape your child's life for God."

"The power of God's gift of language is in the ability to use words to move people --- to cause another person to learn, to change, to act, to resist, to believe, to follow. ...those who understand its power use it to change lives and influence history."

~Clay Clarkson, Educating the Wholehearted Child.

The depth of this I didn't understand until now, but my heart has moved in this direction for a while for I absolutely seek to change lives and influence history through passionate words and truth.

Buyer Beware

2012-02-09T10:54:00.001-08:00

"From satan's first entrance on the stage of earth in Genesis 3, he's tried to convince believers that God is holding out on them. Cheating them. satan tries to suggest that this life is all we can be sure of: live it sacrificially and we've lost it all. he mocks, 'How gullible -- how stupid -- could you be? Live it up while you've got the chance!' As we walk up and down the sidewalks of our present Babylons, stay alert to his seductions and the songs in his town square.

In reality, satan is the cheater and Babylon is his queen, offering false fulfillments for any taker.

Buyer beware."

~Beth Moore

2012-02-09T10:53:00.000-08:00

Simplify.
Enjoy what's real.
Live.
Love.
Reach.
Pursue beauty...and truth...and peace.
GOD.
Creator.
Avenger.
King.
Good.
Perfect.
Right.
Satisfying.
My cup overflows.

Sound bites from the Mom Heart Conference

2012-02-08T23:10:00.001-08:00

Marian, Robin, Melanie, Nikki, Kay, Sally, baby Russell, Kori, Barbara, Anne

(All quotes are by Sally Clarkson, unless otherwise noted.)

We have to be willing to build our portion of the wall. Roll up your sleeves. Get dirty. Don't be lazy. Work. (inspired by Angela Perritt. www.GoodMorningGirls.org)

To our children, we must say,

"God wants you to be a Daniel in Babylon."

"God used 12 uneducated men to turn the world upside-down."

He can certainly use me and my family too!

"I always felt like I was too much for everyone. Too loud, too passionate..."
I feel like this every day of my life. And for some, I am too much; but I will not apologize for who I am (even though sometimes I want to).
It is HE who created me.
It is HE who knows all my days.
It is HE who searches the attitudes and intents of my heart.
It is HE who I must please.
"For am I know seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ." ~Galatians 1:10
"You can not live by faith and by the fear of men." "There is great freedom in being yourself."

"The fear of man brings a snare." ~Pr. 29:25

"Curriculum doesn't create genius or excellence."

"We are called to prepare warriors for what is ahead."

"Motherhood isn't a choice or a philosophy; it's a calling."

Adversarial vs Advocate Parenting

Adversarial: How many ways can I correct you?

Advocate: How many ways can I inspire you?

"Train your children not to know things about God, but to know God." ~Nathan Clarkson

"Chase God!" ~Nathan Clarkson

Prayer is "a wonderful power placed by Almighty God in the hands of His saints...to achieve unusual results." (E.M. Bounds)

Keep praying and don't stop.

Have shameless audacity!
~Deb Weakly

Something so cool that Deb Weakly shared was the idea and act of praying for your heritage. I loved that! For my grandchildren, great grandchildren and the descendants to come...should the Lord tarry. That I will leave a godly heritage. What more could a momma want?!
"A legacy doesn't happen unless you plan it and do it."

"Life is a balance between reality and ideals."

"Just because you're busy doesn't mean you're being productive."

And my favorite quote of the weekend:

"For Kori, everyday is the fourth of July."

~Anne Collins (my friend. teehee.)

What was a big overall theme for me personally this weekend?
LEGALISM.
How good intentions can easily become things of bondage and cause division.

"Don't shoot at people; love them." (Yeah, so I may be a little convicted by this one.)

I worry that with my passion for righteousness in this nation, I might make it too much about morality and behavior and not the heart of the American people. I worry that I might be more passionate about doing and less about praying. I worry that I might be too rigid and not gracious. I worry that if I am relaxed in one area, then I'll relax in all...when there are real things that need to be fought for. I worry that I will blur the lines between the important and that which is not. I worry that I will be unloving and will want to be unloving because I want more for things to be right (how desperately I want this!)...when all that really matters is love. And then I will not please God in all my efforts, when the driving force behind my efforts is to please God. I worry that I will exit the will of the God whom I adore because my passions outweigh my love.

I don't want to be so confident in my calling that I become snobbish in it. I think it's good to be courageous in home schooling, faith, and patriotism. But it is not good to be prideful and exclusive in it. I don't want to marginalize those who don't understand; I want to be able to gently and effectively teach them in spirit, love, and truth.

"Law is about fitting in the box, pleasing people, performing." Who am I going to please? Who am I trying to impress? God, check me every moment of every day that my driving force is your Holy Spirit and not my will. God, don't accomplish my will. Thy will be done, Lord Jesus...on earth as it is in heaven!! I want to please and impress YOU only!

where is conviction?

2012-02-08T23:10:00.000-08:00

What's it like to live a life without conviction?
Ignorance is bliss, they say.

It is... until reality arrives at your door step...or until you stand before God in heaven and have to give an account for what you've done or not done...especially with those things that were brought to your attention but you ignored or didn't want to bother with because, well, it was just too "uncomfortable" or might upset someone or was inconvenient or cost you something.

Certainly if we take a stand for something, people won't like us because it challenges them to exit their complacency and to step up their own efforts and responsibilities. Are we so lazy and comfortable and complacent and apathetic that we won't even acknowledge the obvious problem(s) before us?

"The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything." ~Einstein

You can only ignore the enemy for so long before he takes everything from you. We turn our heads aside. We pretend a problem doesn't exist. We fool ourselves into our own false security.

We sacrifice our children born and unborn on the altar of convenience and comfort (and no, I'm not just talking about abortion), why would I assume that we would give up something far less valuable?! If we don't stand for righteousness for the sake of our children...even if it makes things inconvenient for us for a while or if people criticize us, then we won't stand for righteousness for anything. (Sorry to be so vague here...but I am trying not to specifically point fingers at some very specific folks.)
Will you do it for God? I wonder.

Father, lead me, please.

(Now, I think I will try to get a look at that plank in my own eye.)

an unscripted life

2012-02-06T19:09:00.000-08:00

Recently I found myself saying in front of a large crowd of people that I'm the type of girl who lives life unscripted. Of course, those words were, in reality, unscripted and unplanned. Now, I'm not really an advocate of just saying any random thing in front of large crowds of people (that's been known to get a person or two in trouble), but there it was leaving my mouth and it stuck with me the rest of the day.

Live outside the box. Think outside the box. Educate outside the box. Play outside the box.

Unscripted.
Not by the world's expectations, political correctness, or even etiquette-obedience.
But by God's script.
A melodrama unfolding scene by scene. God as the Narrator.

What is our default? We have all been brainwashed, indoctrinated in a variety of ways. I hate this. And I'm trying to cure myself of it by facing head-on every mindless default response I have to a variety of issues. Why do I have a particular perspective of certain things? Oftentimes, it is because someone told me to think that way. I don't want to be told what to think. I want GOD to tell me the truth and to judge everything against His Holy and Perfect Word. I want my opinions to be the result of the Holy Spirit's resonance in my soul.

thankful...#39

2012-01-31T12:19:00.000-08:00

39. The seven thousand who will not bow the knee. I am not alone.

"I have left 7,000.. which have not bowed the knee to Baal..."

~1 Kings 19:18

"God created the world out of nothing,

and as long as we are nothing,

He can make something out of us."

~Martin Luther

(What is 1000 Gifts?)

thankful...#37-38

2012-01-31T11:54:00.000-08:00

37. bare feet
38. baseball hats and freckles

(What is 1000 Gifts?)

2012-01-30T20:55:00.000-08:00

"The eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth

to strengthen those who's hearts

are fully committed to him."

~2 Chronicles 16:9

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You his son, O Belshazzar, have not humbled yourself, though you knew all this."

~Daniel 5:22

What did Belshazzar know?
He knew the mighty works of the Mighty God and yet refused to acknowledge Him and humble himself.

"That very night Belshazzar...was slain." ~Daniel 5:30

So Belshazzar wasn't ignorant of the works of God and because he knew, God held him responsible to do the right thing. But in Belshazzar's pride, he refused to do it. And God held him accountable.

When unrighteousness is revealed to us, and we pursue it anyway - justifying our excuses and lusts - we fail to humble ourselves and we become disobedient, rebelliously defying Holy God.

"God resists the proud..."

~1 Peter 5:5

"God can still love us and oppose us..."

~Beth Moore

I choose to not be willfully ignorant. I choose to seek out the truth so that I wouldn't even unknowingly sin. I choose to do my very best to not put myself in opposition to God. I choose to resist Christian mediocrity.

More gleanings from Beth Moore's study on the book of Daniel.

an extraordinary spirit

2012-01-29T22:24:00.000-08:00

"Caleb and Daniel...refused to blend in. They never assimilated. Neither did they settle into the lowest common denominator of devotion practiced by their closest friends or kin. ... Anyone who goes overboard or takes it too seriously is considered eccentric, not extraordinary. For some, the flow of the world can be easier to resist than the flow of Christian mediocrity." ~Beth Moore

NEVER SETTLE FOR CHRISTIAN MEDIOCRITY.

Oh, that there would be revival amongst Christians!!

Where is principle? Where is conviction? Where is righteousness no matter the cost?

"You and I want God to be able to look on us amid our overindulged, self-absorbed culture, then glance to His right and say, 'She has an extraordinary spirit, doesn't she, Son?' Perhaps Christ will nod His head and, while thinking the thoughts of an anxious bridegroom, lean over and say, 'And isn't she beautiful?'" ~Beth Moore

O God, could this ever be me?

thankful...#36

2012-01-28T14:03:00.000-08:00

36. Making lemonade from lemons.

It seems a downed tree is way more fun

than one of those boring upright ones.

(What is 1000 Gifts?)

God by default

2012-01-26T23:37:00.000-08:00

We drove through Garibaldi on the Oregon Coast the other day. A “G” appears on a low hill. Jamie and I bantered back and forth over what the G could stand for, and Brandon speaks: “That's God's mountain!”

We drive further down the 101. A sign comes into view: “Welcome to God's Country”...wait, no, it says “Welcome to Coos County.” My first observation was better.

Oh, that God would be our default always. I hope I will be ever mindful of God that, like Brandon, or like my poor physical eyesight, my spiritual eyesight will reign where everything is God's...because truly all is His. (1-21-12)

"If the Lord wills, we will do this or that..."

2012-01-24T21:47:00.000-08:00

We left our Monterey hotel this morning with grand plans to end up in L.A. at a friend's house.

Silas: "Mommy, where are we going today?"
Mommy: "We are hoping to make it to Mr. Wayne's house."
Silas: "What if we don't make it?"
Daddy: "Oh, we'll make it."

So we made our way down the coast on highway 1. We fixed our gaze out the window across the ocean. For days we've been hunting for whales and haven't seen a single one. I gave up, picked up a book and began to read aloud. After the first two pages, I glanced up.
What was that?! Did I see a whale spout?
Yes!
Stop the car! This is it!
How could I have seen it in one little glance? I was reading after all.
But, yes, there it is again. A whale.
Finally.
The truck coasts to a hasty stop and out we jump; camera, binoculars in hand. We see him fluke and spray and roll...way out in the distance.

We are captivated.

The spray center right in the photo is our whale. :)

After a long pause as we spy this one in the distance, we finally decide to continue on. If we don't, we'll never make it to Los Angeles. We drive 15 more minutes... ROAD CLOSED.
What? A rock slide? Were there signs? How far back is the detour? 50 miles? All the way back to Monterey? Really? This will add 4 hours to our day.

There were signs. We were too busy looking for whales.

What's that verse again?

"Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit'; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? it is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.' But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil." (James 4:13-16)

Right. AS THE LORD WILLS.

Jamie met a CHP officer who told us about a secret waterfall and a beach with purple sand and elephant seals.

We found the waterfall.

We found purple sand.

We found the Lord's will for our day

...and it was way better than our plans.

L.A. will come tomorrow, as will the elephant seals. ...if the Lord wills.
Today, Brandon said it was "a great and fun day."

It was.

We're in Cambria tonight at a cozy motel. Just south of San Simeon.

Thank you, Father, for being so totally sovereign.

thankful...#29-35

2012-01-24T09:01:00.000-08:00

"Being in a hurry. Getting to the next thing without fully entering the thing in from of me. I cannot think of a single advantage I've ever gained from being in a hurry. But a thousand broken and missed things, tens of thousands, lie in the wake of all the rushing... Through all that haste I thought I was making up time. It turns out I was throwing it away."

"In our rushing, bulls in china shops, we break our own lives." ~Ann Voskamp, One Thousand Gifts

29. down comforters like clouds
30. spiritual moms (He truly sets the lonely in families.)
31. the incomparable ferocious might of the God of all
32. pursuing "impossible" adventure - just to see if it is, in fact, possible. Ignoring nay-sayers.
33. Being victorious in the impossible...because with God ALL things are possible.
34. The mighty, lethal ocean.

"Praying with eyes wide open is the only way to pray without ceasing." ~Ann

35. Little boy quiet, eyes-closed prayers, self-initiated and spied by mommy.

(What is 1000 Gifts?)

thankful...#20-28

2012-01-16T08:31:00.000-08:00

20. The ability to scrub and clean and vacuum and persevere for the end result of something lovely, neat, and clean again.
21. Sarah Palin. She's sassy, straight, honest, and brave. I like that.
22. My patriot neighbor, Wilson.

23. Mountains silhouetted at dusk.
24. Lost dogs returned home.

25. Full moon: a lesser light to rule the night.
26. catching snowflakes on the tongue underneath flying saucers.

27. snow-drunk boys
28. cousins.

(What is 1000 Gifts?)

thankful...#19

2012-01-06T22:53:00.000-08:00

19. Chuck Smith. Pure joy. Love. Peace. How I want to aspire to be.

Greg Laurie interviews Chuck Smith.

Watch this. It will bless you beyond imagination.

(What is 1000 Gifts?)

Why I love Sally Clarkson's Mom Heart Conferences

2012-01-05T10:34:00.000-08:00

I love Sally. After having my first little sweetie, I was horribly depressed. Crying everyday, unmotivated...literally hating my life and could see nothing but my 4 walls, piles of laundry, exhaustive all-night feedings (I had trouble nursing), and just not keeping up with life.

Life was mundane and meaningless to me.

My pastor's wife (Marian Mellor) invited me to attend Sally's conference in '07 and I went. God used Sally to give me permission to be a mom and it totally liberated me. I think culture (which as an entertainer, I had been totally immersed in) doesn't give value to moms and I was feeling like I was wasting my time doing nothing but changing diapers and existing. I literally felt like my life was that movie "Groundhog Day": the same meaningless existence day after day after day.

I was an awful mom to a newborn.

I did not transition well.

I did not love it.

I did not like my child.

I was only mindful of my own selfish sufferings.

I was totally floundering.

Sally showed me how totally valuable it is to be a mom and inspired me without being negative or guilt-tripping. She said that as moms we already feel guilty that we're not doing enough and she wanted to encourage and inspire. She is certainly gifted at this.

Now, I feel influential every day of my life...for these two little boys who will be the heart of the next generation. I feel like every day I am a world changer through 2 precious lives. And it has inspired me to become involved in the history, politics and righteousness of my country. This is not the result for all so don't worry if you don't want to be a political nut case (lol) ...but this is an extended way Sally's message has affected my life. I not only have influence over my family, but God has used my passion to influence the generation my boys are in, and my church, and in whatever area of influence He places me to speak boldly and confidently the truth of history, politics, and God's word.

I AM FREE! And I thank God for using Sally in my life. She is an excellent example to us as moms!

I hope you can come to Sally's conference. You will never regret being an intentionally passionate mommy to your precious children.

Register here!

True Biblical motherhood must be intentionally pursued. It doesn't just happen all by itself. We gotta stick together and urge one another on toward godliness, righteousness, and joy in the every day wonder of raising our children. I will be your cheerleader in this great responsibility and mission! We matter! Don't grow weary in doing good. God has chosen you to be the very best mommy to those little hands and feet and hearts in your home. He will enable you!

thankful...#8-18

2012-01-04T10:23:00.000-08:00

Ann Voskamp's book is shaking my world. To be truly thankful for everything handed to us by the open fingers of God... From my earliest remembrance, my Mom and my Grandma urged the pleases and thank yous, yet I am now learning these 37 years into life how to be truly thankful by the beautiful example of this Ann. I want to be an Ann Voskamp copy cat. ...so, as I make my own list, know it was her idea first. Taking pictures is her idea. I don't mind mimicking if it leads me to the fuller life of true thankfulness and depth.

"...slapping a sloppy brush of thanksgiving over everything in my life leaves me deeply thankful for very few things in my life."

"...life-changing gratitude does not fasten to a life unless nailed through with one very specific nail at a time."

~Ann Voskamp, One Thousand Gifts, p. 59

8. Christmas leftovers so abundant I can't get creative enough to use them all up in time.
9. When you unknowingly prep too much food, then an unexpected guest arrives.
10. Early bird shopping in a quiet store.
11. 2-seater shopping carts that allow little boys to hop on and off like stuntmen

12. The ability to teach old dogs new tricks. I'm attempting to learn how to run the sound board at church. I love this!
13. Congressman Duncan Hunter who accurately represents my family and so many others. How thankful we are to have an ethical man of integrity and righteousness interceding on behalf of the government for us.
14. Lazy New Year's Day mornings watching The Tournament of Roses Parade.
15. Late nights with kindred-spirit friends.
16. Underdog winners. (ok, so he was 8 votes shy of actually winning. Go Santorum!)

17. Pandora

18. A little 6-year-old boy voice lofting "Gloria in Excelsis Deo" from the bathroom...10 days after Christmas...immediately followed by pretend-play battle cries.

(What is 1000 Gifts?)

"Mary, Did You Know?"

2011-12-29T07:39:00.000-08:00

Mary, Did You Know? danced on Christmas Eve.

What you don't see is me rolling my left ankle on (of all places) "The lame will leap" and the incredible pain I am in. "In my weakness, He is strong." I am healing well. It was a little scary at first. I couldn't even drive my car home after the service. Yikes! But I know prayers are going up and though I am a wee bit swollen still, I am functioning on it just fine. Even did a day walking on it at the Wild Animal Park the other day, so it can't be that bad, right? Enjoy. And forgive the wobbles...

To God be the glory!

thankful...#1-7

2011-12-28T09:56:00.000-08:00

I am reading what I think is a revolutionary book about living the abundant life in Christ. I love being a Christian and I love being serious about it. I love challenging people to go deeper in their relationship and walk with the Lord.

Why should we be content with the status quo when Jesus Himself promised us life and that more abundantly?!! Do we really believe He can give us the fullest and most satisfying life? He can! And He does!

Ann Voskamp is an out-of-the-box, independent thinking, committed to Christ, believer. Her amazing blog is www.aholyexperience.com and her book is One Thousand Gifts: A Dare To Live Fully Right Where You Are. Get it!

I am hoping to consistently post my list of 1000's of God's gifts to me on an ongoing basis. I hope it will cause me to see His hand always around me and encourage you to do the same if you don't already.

Here goes!
Thank You, God, for...
1. painful twisted ankles forgotten because Christmas excitement and Jesus' hope is overwhelming.

2. steamy hot noisy running water baths that drown out the loud din of the world.
3. suction cup balls stuck to the side of the shower reminding me that there is new and young enthusiastic life within these four walls.
4. Bibles in prison cells that forever change lives without a preacher.
5. hot cider vapors consuming my face in the cold early sunrise-y morning as I sit near the window with my Bible in my lap loving the cactus and mountain view.
6. unopened Christmas packages promising that the receiver will soon occupy my home.

7. skinny black cuddly doggies that snuggle close for warmth and companionship.

More to come!

Proverbs 17

2011-12-17T08:48:00.000-08:00

"He who is glad at calamity will not go unpunished." (v. 5b)

Calamity (def.) = a state of deep distress or misery caused by major misfortune or loss

On September 11, 2001, I turned on my t.v. and witnessed the most horrific attack on America in our history. I also saw a gleeful woman in the middle east surrounded by equally wickedly gleeful people celebrating and dancing in the streets in celebration of the murder of 3000+ innocent Americans.
Romans says "Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay,' says the Lord." (Rom. 12:19) I have know this verse since early in my conversion and wrong or right, it has always brought me comfort and taught me to not retaliate.

"...the glory of children is their father." (v. 6b)

My Jamie is the glory, honor, hero to Brandon and Silas. How true this is! They utterly adore their daddy.

"He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the just,

Both of them alike are an abomination to the Lord." (v. 15)

"[Abraham Lincoln] was... a man of integrity. He never tried to win more for a client than he felt the client deserved. And if someone wanted his services, he had to convince Lincoln that his cause was just. Moreover, if it turned out that a client had deceived him, Abe would simply quit the case. --- On one occasion, Lincoln had present his client's side to the judge. After he was through, the opposing counsel produced a receipt proving Lincoln's client had lied. Before this attorney had finished talking, Lincoln had left the courtroom and returned to his hotel. --- 'Go get Mr. Lincoln,' the judge ordered. --- 'Tell the judge I can't come,' Lincoln replied to the clerk. 'My hands are dirty, and I came over to clean them.'" (Sounding Forth the Trumpet for Children. p.152)

I loved this story as I read it to my boys yesterday morning. As I read this scripture this morning, I was reminded of it.

Nuggets from Francis Chan

2011-12-14T23:42:00.000-08:00

"God is the only Being who is good, and the standards are set by Him."

"The point of your life is to point to Him."
Will that be the theme of my life?
When I look at my life now or the synopsis of my years on this earth,
is it about
"making much out of God"?

"Jesus began speaking in parables 'so that' those who weren't genuinely listening wouldn't get it. (Luke 8) ...He just wasn't interested in those who fake it."

"Lukewarm people love others

but do not seek to love others as much as they love themselves.

[They are] typically focused on those who love them in return...

[but not those with] whom conversations are awkward or uncomfortable."

ouch.

"Lukewarm people are thankful

for their luxuries and comforts,

and rarely consider trying to give as much as possible to the poor."

"Lukewarm people ask,

'How much time should I spend praying and reading my Bible?'

instead of

'I wish I didn't have to go to work so I could sit and read longer.'"

"If life is a river, then pursuing Christ requires swimming upstream.

When we stop swimming, or actively following Him,

we automatically begin to be swept downstream.

Or... we are on a never-ending downward escalator.

In order to grow, we have to turn around and sprint up the escalator,

putting up with perturbed looks

from everyone else who is gradually moving downward."

"We are consumed with safety. Obsessed with it actually. [W]e've made safety our highest priority. We've elevated safety to the neglect of whatever God's best is, whatever would bring God the most glory, or whatever would accomplish His purposes in our lives and the world. --- Would you be willing to pray this prayer? God bring me closer to You during this trip whatever it takes..."
"People who are obsessed with Jesus aren't consumed with their personal safety and comfort above all else. Obsessed people care more about God's kingdom coming to this earth than their own lives being shielded from pain and distress."

"Joy is something we have to choose and then work for."

"Oswald Chambers said, 'Never make a principle out of your experience; let God be as original with other people as He is with you.' I would also add, 'Be careful not to turn others lives into the mold for your own.' Allow God to be as creative with you as He is with each of us. God is a Creator not a duplicator."

"[Y]ou must learn to listen to and obey God,

especially in a society where it's easy and expected

to do what is most comfortable."

"The world needs Christians who don't tolerate the complacency of their own lives."

from Crazy Love by Francis Chan.

Crazy Love by Francis Chan

No gray areas, but grace areas.

2011-12-13T08:24:00.000-08:00

"I know I chatter on far too much...

but if you only knew how many things I want to say and don't.

Give me some credit."

~Anne Shirley, Anne of Green Gables

So many things pass before my eyes and ears day to day and some create a burning in my soul. I must not be silent!

Recent descriptions of me by others have often included the word "passion." A relative (who will remain unnamed) recently ~~accused~~ stated that I was far too black and white. Well, she didn't really say it like that, but she meant it that way. And I can't say that I am really all that offended except for the fact that I obviously meet with this person's disapproval in this area (as well as several others, I am certain). That as she has grown older, more "gray areas" have come to prominence in her life. I know it is fully possible that I am immature, impulsive and too rigid in many areas. But even Jesus said, "I wish that you were either hot or cold, but since you are lukewarm, I will spew you out of my mouth." (Rev. 3:16) This critic of my black-and-white-ness stated that Jesus was more of a gray-area guy and she proceeded to use the example of the woman accused of adultery (John 8) and how the law was clear but Jesus didn't condemn her. My response (partly out of pride, self-righteousness and maybe truth) was , "That's not a 'gray' area, that's a 'grace' area. Jesus doesn't have gray areas, He has grace areas." I too want to be a woman of grace. I try to exhibit that with my children. I appreciate Sally Clarkson's position that we ought to be practicing grace-based parenting, and I really strive for that though my natural black-and-white inclination causes me much trouble in this area.

So, is life to be ~~gray~~ gracious and merciful, or black and white?

In some things, love and forgiveness must reign rather than the rule of law...for the sake of teaching and promoting the loving character of God. But sometimes, we should never shrink, never compromise, never back down. In ideals, standards, holiness, righteousness. Now, I am in no way a master of which scenario is grace-based and which is uncompromising. I tend to lean toward grace with my kids; with people who have sinned immensely and suffered grave consequences but God has given new life to --- after all if God gives second chances, I ought to as well.

Still I don't think the black and white lines ever blur to gray. But I think grace supersedes law. And we need to ask God for wisdom to know how to handle every circumstance and offense.

And we ought to stand firm on those things in which we ought not to waiver:

the one true God,

His institution of family,

loyalty to the country in which He has caused us to reside

(so long as the governing principles of that country are in line with His perfect word).

What do you think?

Are things black and white, and gray?

Or are there no gray areas but only "grace" areas?

My tunnel vision mind can only calculate black and white at the moment.

Enlighten me. :)

Goodbye, Vicente Ibarra.

2011-12-12T08:31:00.000-08:00

Our sweet friend, Vicente, is gone. What a fighter. What a worker. What a lovely and special person who was far more influential in my life than I ever let myself think...until today.

Vicente left this world last night. Battling cancer for so many years and really giving it a run for its money. He could cook like no one I know. He landscaped our entire property. I can't look anywhere outside my home and not see his handiwork. He let my boys set their hand and foot prints in the concrete on the patio. He called the patio "the freeway" since the boys would blast across it on tricycles and little play cars. He built a little mound for our cactus and cemented rocks in the side of it in the shape of a "B" and an "S" to honor our two little sweeties. And while he did this work, my little Silas would call out the window to him, "Hi Ma-sentay!" And Vicente would call back "Hello little mijo!"

I honor my friend's life today.

Si's first loose tooth

2011-12-06T20:03:00.000-08:00

"How I got that tooth out is I just smacked myself in the mouth."

~Silas

childlike faith

2011-11-07T07:48:00.000-08:00

Last Monday night, I received a mysterious text from my darling Aunt asking if we had time for a visitor the following day. Umm, yeah!

She arrived by 9am on Tuesday morning.

In our preparation to welcome her, Brandon asked me, "Mommy, Great Aunt Toby doesn't know Jesus, does she?"
"No, she doesn't, sweetie," I said.
"Well then, we need to tell her."
"Yes, we do. Knowing Jesus is the most important thing we do in our whole life."

I didn't know if Brandon really had anything planned and so we continued cleaning up the house (it had gotten neglected...nothing like a surprise visitor to whip us/it into shape in light speed!).

She arrived and the boys were so excited that I'm pretty sure they pulled every toy they own out of their room to show to her. Silas dragged out this gun and that gun. LOL. Eventually we sat down at the table for some pancakes and pears.

Brandon: "Great Aunt Toby? I want to read something to you." He proceeded to pull out and read from his Bible various memory verses he had collected from church in recent weeks. "I'll be right back, Great Aunt Toby, there's something I have to get from my room." He returned a few seconds later with a neon green bracelet with the words "Jesus made me special" stitched onto it. "Great Aunt Toby, do you know why I am wearing this bracelet?"

After breakfast, she and I collected the dishes, cleaned up, and chatted. Brandon entered the kitchen and said, "Great Aunt Toby, I want to read my Bible to you." Me: "Brandon, can you wait a minute until we finish talking?" So, Brandon with his Bible sat on the bench in the dining room and patiently waited for us to finish. Finally, I realized (yes, some of us are slower than others) his motive. He wanted to share God's Word, God's love and Jesus with my Aunt whom we all love so dearly and pray for so often and desperately plea with the Lord for her salvation and that of her entire family. I asked him to read to Aunt Toby in the living room while I finished cleaning up. He read the most random passage from 1 Samuel....all I could hear was something about boiled meat. LOL. And she helped him with all the hard words...and it blessed my heart. (All the while, Silas was blasting into the living room with this weapon and that. Bahahaha!) It was certainly a sight! So funny and sweet. But later as I pondered the morning and really let Brandon's actions settle into my core, I realized that it wasn't just sweet or cute, it was all that I desire as a mother: to raise children who understand the most precious thing in life is Jesus and to introduce others to Him. It is EVERYTHING. My 7-year-old, more bold than I, did what I should have done many times over. And he did it without considering rejection, ridicule, embarrassment. What a sweet gift he desired to give to my Aunt. And what a blessing he is to my own heart.

My Aunt is so beautiful and dear to me. I love her life and her attitude about things. I see in her so much of what I want to be. Her first grandchild will arrive in another month...and I am a little jealous of this precious one soon to be born because I have coveted and loved her attention and affection imparted to my own boys. Soon, she will have her own grandson to embrace, snuggle, chase and have fun with. Really, I am glad. Everyone should have a grandma like the one she is going to be.

Share Jesus with your children and with all --- in love, in word, in deed, and in truth. Raise disciples of Him who gave everything for you and for me and do not hinder them to share.

Have childlike faith.

"Whoever receives one of these little children in My name, receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me." ~Mark 9:37

don't read this book.

2011-11-07T07:40:00.000-08:00

Skip the book: Presidents Who Dared by Edmund Lindop.

Stated on page 32 about Thomas Jefferson:

"His often-quoted demand for 'a wall of separation between Church and State' later found its way into the United States Constitution's Bill of Rights."

Which made me wonder: what else will the author and publisher lie about?

Yes, these are the types of books with blatant lies that your children will learn from.

Pay attention.

There is no "separation of church and state" found anywhere in The Constitution of the United States. Nor is it found in nay other governing documents.

More on this subject: http://www.wallbuilders.com/libissuesarticles.asp?id=123

a Fall morning.

2011-10-31T08:08:00.000-07:00

This morning is so beautiful. The weather has cooled...though it will still climb to 85 degrees today...but now it is about 60 and I bundled up in my robe and slippers (don't laugh! To us desert dwellers, this is chilly.) and slipped out the back door to sink into my white adirondack chair and spend a little time reading my Father's Word.

The weeks have been so busy and I've been squeezing schoolwork into the cracks as we've been here and there. But it's all good. I do however miss the times to just read for fun and not have an agenda. This is constantly out-of-blalance for me. I am so driven to avoid "twaddle" that sometimes I think I am not letting my boys be children: enjoying fun and amusing and beautiful and cute children's stories. I need to balance this and manage my time better.

Thankful for Fall and the feeling it brings. The anticipation of the greatest of all American holidays: Thanksgiving, and the build up to Christmas. Made my first Christmas purchases last night and am excited to see the radiant faces of their recipients when the time comes.

Bless you as you embrace this season in your own way.

Happy Fall!

today God healed my dog

2011-10-23T00:56:00.000-07:00

Today was Borrego Days and the first in 6 years that I wasn't organizing and staging the parade. So, the boys and I readied our bikes for a ride to the parade route. I asked them to go into the car and grab umbrellas to keep the sun off of them. Lily (our dog) had been out with the boys and Jamie. I was inside gathering things together for our day out in Borrego enjoying the Festival.
We loaded our bikes and were about to leave when Jamie said that the dog was missing.

We looked through the house and called for her but to no avail.

She likes to roam the neighborhood so we figured she was out and about and would make her way home soon. So, the boys and I set off and were gone until about 4pm while Jamie periodically stopped by the house to check to see if Lily had returned. She hadn't. We were getting very concerned...especially as the day was nearing dusk.

We had planned a barbecue at our house tonight. I decided to pull the bounce house out of the garage for my boys to play on. I went back and forth between the front yard and the garage a few times and was on my way back for one final time to retrieve an extension cord when I heard a noise from inside of my car. I ran to the back driver's side door and opened it, and there on the floor was Lily! She had been in the car for 10 hours...and our high temp here in Borrego today was 98. Needless to say she was incredibly disoriented and weak. I couldn't believe she was alive.

Apparently when the boys went to the car to get their umbrellas, Lily had jumped into the car so she wouldn't be left at home. Jamie and I never knew she was in there and the boys...being children weren't paying much attention. I had asked Jamie earlier in the day to check the cars in case we had opened any of them up to grab something and didn't realize she was in there. He checked, but never saw her. She is black and the interior of my car is black.

I ran to get her some water but she was too disoriented to drink so I carried her into the house and gave her water from my hand. She slowly regained some of her strength but was incredibly wobbly and seemed confused. We began to be concerned about neurological damage and severe dehydration, so we beat feet to an animal urgent care hospital in Escondido.
I was so upset and emotional and blamed myself over and over for not looking hard enough for her. I sat in the backseat with her while Jamie drove. I texted several friends and asked for prayer. She was so unsettled and kept moving, adjusting, and being anxious. I knew I should pray fervently for this dog. I felt ridiculous doing it for a dog but I placed my hands on her little head and prayed that God would heal her brain wholly. Soon, she settled into a comfortable position and rested until we arrived at the animal hospital. Jamie was rushing to get to the hospital and he said, "Every time I think of passing another car, I hear, 'Oh you of little faith.'" So, I prayed aloud and we calmly proceeded to our destination.

As soon as we got there, she was checked out and everything seemed completely normal. They ran some blood tests and other than signs of dehydration (duh!) she was perfectly normal. She even ran out to us and jumped on us and cried to leave and sniffed around the lobby, etc.

It is now 12:39 A.M. and Jamie and I just returned home from the vet (a 3-hour drive roundtrip). Our Lily is back to normal. I do not want to be ignorant of God's work here and so I want to record this here and now. I can not believe the dog I pulled out of that baking hot car is home, eating, chasing a fly around the kitchen, and now sleeping in her bed beside me. God, thank You so much that You care for our silly doggies. Thank You.

Evil is good?

2011-10-19T21:04:00.000-07:00

below is an article in a recent CWA newsletter. Have fun!

EVIL GOOD

Isaiah 5:20

by Mario Diaz, Esq., Legal Counsel

I suggest you brace yourself as we enter the theater of the absurd.

Dateline: McIntosh County, Georgia. A seven-year-old girl is causing quite a stir at her public school by demanding she be allowed to use the boys’ restroom. Why, you ask? Well, according to her father Tommy Theollyn, the now-second grader told him when she was just 18 months old that she was in fact a boy.

So when school officials made his daughter use the girls’ restroom, Mr. Theollyn took her out of school. He wrote in a petition that "Forcing [his "transgender" daughter] to use a bathroom that does not match [her] presentation effectively discloses [her] status as a transgender child and thus endangers [her]."

One small detailed buried in the many reports of the story is that the "father" is, in fact, her mother! She actually gave birth to this little one before she became transgender herself.

You cannot make this stuff up. Enter ("stage right") the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Georgia, of course, which is very concerned about this situation and has promptly sent a letter of intimidation to the county. It reads:

[F]ederal law requires that every public school student have access to a free and appropriate public education. The McIntosh County School System's recent decision regarding restroom access consistent with a student's gender identity appears to conflict with these expectations.

Unbelievable! There are, of course, no laws that would even hint at requiring a school to accommodate this child’s gender confusion. The ACLU is notorious for intimidating schools into doing what the law never requires when it comes to their leftist agenda. We have seen it for years, for example, with religious liberty.

In fact, there might be another part of the law that could apply here. There was a time when what this mother has done to this innocent child would be called child abuse or neglect. Her daughter told her she was transgender at 18 months? Come on! Have we lost all common sense!

When I ask my daughter how many apples are on the table and she counts, "one, two, five, ten," it is my duty as a father to correct her and show her how to count to four. I would be in fact harming her if I let her think there are ten apples on the table.

But the amazing thing is that my daughter is three. I also have an 18-month-old baby boy, and he can barely speak! He can't even understand that he is not supposed to throw his food on the floor. And this parent wants us to believe her daughter knew she was transgender at 18 months. My son doesn't even know he's a human for crying out loud!

Is it not more probable that this mother, considering herself a transsexual, actually encouraged her daughter to identify herself this way? Is that too hard to imagine? My daughter wants to be like her mom. She puts on her dresses and walks around in her shoes. She wants to be "just as pretty as mommy."

But they tell us there are no consequences to children with all this, remember? All children need is love and it doesn't matter if they grow up with a mother and a father, or with two mommies, two daddies, or with a mommy that becomes a daddy, or anything else they can come up with.

Woe to those who call evil good and good evil;

Who put darkness for light and light for darkness;

Who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!

~Isaiah 5:20

We can not stand silent while this type of incident continues. We must be that light that exposes the darkness. And we must be willing to pay the price.

May we never lose the will to fight for God's truth.

2011-10-17T16:05:00.000-07:00

"Oddly enough, presidents who are children of privilege sometimes feel an obligation to reform society in order to give children of poverty a better break. And...presidents who are children of poverty sometimes feel that there is no need to reform a society that has enabled them to rise from privation to the summit."

~Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., Childhood of the Presidents: Andrew Jackson

COURAGEOUS

2011-10-06T22:56:00.000-07:00

I know I'm being somewhat repetitive (especially if you follow me on facebook), but when something is this important and this good, it bears repeating. I hope you will schedule right now to go see this movie. It is not to be missed. It is the key to freedom, hope, and life for future generations...particularly the one living under your own roof.

http://www.courageousthemovie.com/

Will you courageously influence your family for righteousness?

"I WILL!"

our D.C. excursion, part 7: the Grande Finale

2011-10-06T22:26:00.000-07:00

(for the beginning of this series, click here.)

Tobi and Rich dropped us at our hotel in D.C. After getting some laundry taken care of, we walked a mile or so to the most charming Irish Pub you ever saw...with real Irish people working there displaying their hospitality.

The next day, we headed over to the National Mall where we took in the Jefferson Memorial, had lunch with some of the CWA staff at their offices, visited the Star Spangled Banner at the American History Museum, pored over the greatest documents of freedom any nation has ever created at the National Archives (I tell ya, staring at George Washington's signature on the Constitution is something else), and eventually made our way toward Union Station to get some dinner and head back to the hotel.

This is, by far, the best exhibit in the Museum.
Take a minute to listen to this audio drama
(specifically the Star Spangled Banner episode)
before going to see this incredible work of history.

Thursday came and we set out for Mount Vernon. We caught a bus from the Metro station and spent the majority of our day walking the grounds of the beautiful home of George Washington.

This is undoubtedly my very favorite place in America and perhaps the world. Considering George Washington is indeed "First in war; First in peace; and First in the hearts of his countrymen," the opportunity to visit his home is a great privilege. To walk through the rooms he resided and to stroll the land surrounding the mansion...well, it makes you realize why he loved it so very much; why he never wanted to leave his beloved Mount Vernon.

"I can truly say I had rather be at Mount Vernon with a friend or two about me, than to be attended at the Seat of Government by the Officers of State and Representatives of every Power in Europe." ~G.W.

our D.C. excursion, part 6: Black Tom

2011-10-06T21:12:00.000-07:00

(For the beginning of this series, click here.)

We left NYC and made a quick stop (in the rain) at the site of Black Tom.

What is Black Tom, you ask?
A little bit of history that Woodrow Wilson wanted you to forget about...or never even know about. In the words of Glenn Beck, "I hate that guy!" Ok, as my Grandma always said, "'Hate' is a very strong word." And Jesus said to hate someone in your heart is the same as murder, sooooo.... I'll just say he's far from my favorite and I don't like him.

This is the only thing that marks such an unknown and tragic event in our history.
Amongst dozens of picnic tables, this marker is barely noticeable and hard to seek out.

Jamie stumbled across this story a few days before leaving for our trip.
Click here for the story. In a nutshell, Germans exploded a bunch of ammunition and artillery on this Island in the New York Harbor which blew out windows well into the city and registered a 5+ on the Richter scale, yet no one knew what it was. Because Wilson was seeking reelection and didn't want to rock his boat. So shhhhh... there's nothing to see here. This is the reason no one (except the National Park Service) is allowed to tour the arm of the Statue of Liberty: it was pierced by ammunition and has been closed since this explosion.

We headed back to DC via Philly for a cheesesteak.

(For the final part of our trip, click here.)

our D.C. excursion, part 5: 9/11 Memorial

2011-09-30T15:29:00.000-07:00

(For the beginning of our trip, click here.)

The only thing I wanted to see in New York was the recently opened 9/11 Memorial at Ground Zero.

It did not disappoint.

I reached my right hand forward over the black granite and swept my fingers over the name:

Renee A. May and her unborn child

Suddenly everything stopped. I looked over toward the woman standing nearest me. She had seen me reach my hand over the name. Where before she was collectedly somber, her hands now covered her eyes as she convulsed with quiet sobs.

I saw at least 4 other such names.

Standing on this mountaintop

Looking just how far we've come

Knowing that for every step

You were with us

Kneeling on this battle ground

Seeing just how much you've done

Knowing every victory

Was Your power in us

Scars and struggles on the way

But with joy our hearts can say

Yes, our hearts can say

Never once did we ever walk alone

Never once did You leave us on our own

You are faithful, God, You are faithful.

~Matt Redman

"Never Once"

A work in progress - the Freedom Tower will rise to 1776 feet.

Survivor Tree.
This Callery Pear Tree was in the WTC Plaza,
was crushed and nursed back to health.
All the other trees at the Memorial
are swamp white oaks, so this one stands out
...as it should.

WTC Tridents can be seen through the unfinished museum scheduled to open next year.

(click here for part 6)

our D.C. excursion, part 4: the Big Apple

2011-09-30T14:14:00.000-07:00

(For the beginning of our trip, click here.)

Monday (Sept. 19th) we rose early and scooted up to New York City, hopped on the ferry to cross the Hudson (the same ferries that rescued Sully's passengers), and --like the tourists we are-- boarded the double-decker red sightseeing bus to tour the Big Apple. What fun and fascinating information.

On our way across the Hudson

From the 2nd floor of the bus,
you get a good view of stuff like this.

Eeeeeeewwwwwwww.
That's gum with coins stuck to it on a lightpost.
Sorry, should've warned you to bring your barfbag.
Hey! Be thankful I didn't post the closeup.

Tobi and Rich

Flat iron building

Nathan Hale.
"I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country."

Mayor Bloomberg's welcome to all conservatives.
What? Don't you think so, too?

Waiting for N.Y. pizza in Little Italy

May I back up a moment?

As I write, it seems that I allude that our trip was smooth sailing. Though it was VERY fun, it was filled with bumps, wrong turns, and much laughter. My sister was the navigator... ummmmm.....let's just say that if anyone would like to pitch in to purchase a GPS for her, I'm taking donations. For the sanity of her husband and anyone who travels with her, this is very necessary. :) (Just playin' with ya, Tob...but not really. ha!) We all had SO much fun on the drive to, from, and through DC, New York, and Pennsylvania. There was much laughter, conversation, and delight.

After we left the Memorial (will cover that in my next post), we attempted to make our way back to the tour bus for their nighttime tour but misunderstood the boarding location and ended up missing out on the excursion. My sister -who had orchestrated the day- was heartbroken over disappointing us all. Though we were a teeny bit bummed out, we also understand the absolute sovereignty of the God of the universe who cares even about fun trips to NYC, so we lifted her spirits, jumped on the subway and finished our evening in the bright lights and bustling busy-ness of Times Square.

Armed with my pumpkin spice latte and my sweet hubby, we were happy campers indeed. One of Tob's fave restaurants, Junior's, was nearby, so we popped in there for a little (I mean HUGE) cheesecake dessert and then ~~waddled~~ rolled back to the ferry and our hotel.

It was c-c-c-c-c-c-oollld-d-d-d-d-d-d on the way back.
(btw...do you like my new NYC sweatshirt?)

I know these aren't your typical NY shots,

Yoos got a problem with that?!

(Please say the above line with a New York accent.)

Our main destination: THE 9/11 MEMORIAL at Ground Zero. That's next.

our D.C. excursion, part 3: the Preston wedding!

2011-09-30T11:20:00.000-07:00

(This is a series on our recent trip to DC. For the beginning, click here.)

My sweet friend Marian just returned from a month long trip to the east coast seeing everything imaginable. One of her facebook posts said, "If you ask me my favorite part of this fabulous vacation, I will say FAMILY!!!"

I agree. When we took our month-long trip 2 years ago, my very favorite part was the 3 or 4 days we stayed with my Aunt in New Jersey. There's just something awesome about family.

Tobi and Rich (my sis and bro-in-law) scooped us up from D.C. Saturday afternoon and we made a beeline (actually this be may have been a little confused) to Doylestown, PA, where Jamie and I attended the rehearsal dinner for Kyler and Vanessa's wedding. The long car rides were hilarious! We laughed and laughed until our sides ached...but I digress.

Uncle Glen, Aunt Toby, and Cody

It was so wonderful to see my beloved Aunt. How desperately I love her...so much so that to think of her right now makes my eyes a wee bit watery. The dinner was at Slate Bleu, a lovely and cozy little French restaurant in a really endearing part of Doylestown. A novel area lined with charming boutiques. ---We entered the restaurant and were directed upstairs where I saw my Aunt as soon as we rounded the corner. She is so gorgeous! She wore the most beautiful cargo-style floor-length golden silky skirt and an elegant silk blouse. I do want to be her! (...and not just for her clothes. heehee.) She is so beautiful inside and out. Her taste is impeccable and so earthly and fun.

Me and Aunt Toby during our visit 2 years ago.

Hope you don't mind a little diversion here:

Uncle Glen and Aunt Toby

A month or so ago, the boys and I stopped in a little dress shop and I found the most perfect dress to wear to the wedding. I bought it and took it home. The next day I got on my Aunt's facebook page and was so impressed with the 100-mile bikeride she did that I commented on her wall, "I want to be you." Later that day, I sent a picture of the myself in the dress with my boys to my Aunt's cell phone. Shortly after I received a reply from her. It said this: "That's MY dress! Except I don't have 2 boys hanging off it." Well, you can imagine the text message exchange that flew between California and New Jersey the following few minutes. It is so awesome that we had the same dress! ...except for the minor detail that I absolutely could not wear the same dress as the Mother-of-the-Groom. Needless to say, my dress was returned, but we have so enjoyed the fact that we both picked out the same dress. After all, I did say that day that I wanted to be her. Maybe I really meant it. ;)

We had quite an enjoyable evening visiting with family. It was disclosed that my Uncle Troy, Aunt Karen and their daughter Rachel had driven down from Canada and were staying at the Preston home (my Aunt Toby and Uncle Glen's house in NJ). After weeks and maybe months of debating whether or not they would be able to attend the wedding, God made a way for them to come! What an exciting time!

Sunday's wedding was perfect and beautiful. The church was so pleasing to the eye with its tall and pristine white steeple and red brick walls. I tried to get a nice shot of the building before the wedding - attempting to not have any people in the shot. But a man standing on the steps was unavoidable, so I took the pic, lowered my camera and realized it was my Uncle Troy I was so rudely trying to cut out of the photo! How fun is that!?

Uncle Troy, Aunt Karen, and Rachel

So blessed was I to have been asked just a week or so earlier to read for the ceremony. Vanessa chose the most beautiful passage:

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. (Col. 3:12-17)

I couldn't get to the church in time for the rehearsal the night before so I was a little nervous about the order and timing of the ceremony ...especially since it was Catholic and I'm not so familiar with their very formal way of doing things. Thankfully, another reader was much help and set an excellent example for me to follow so all was well. It went beautifully and I am so honored to have been able to love on my cousin and new cousin-in-law by reading God's perfect Word to them (which I love) on the day of the beginning of their marriage. May they have a long, prosperous, God-blessed, and beautiful marriage committed to Jesus, the Savior of our souls.

Vanessa & Kyler Preston

The reception was a blast! Vanessa found the most gorgeous venue and we had a ball dancing, eating, and watching the Charger game.....yes, that's right. They had the decency (lol!) to provide a special room with a big screen t.v. and foosball table so that avid football fans could have the best of both worlds: wedding festivities and the NFL! Let's just say that many trips were made by various fans (who will remain nameless) to the aforementioned secret football location to report back to the Charger fans the score. Sad news, though:

THE CHARGERS LOST.

Ho hum.

Though nothing could possibly put a damper on the elation and fun time we were having with family and new friends; and watching the beautiful bride and groom.

Richard and Tobi

It was so nice to be with my sister and Rich; my other new cousin-in-law, Emily; my Uncle Troy and his fam; my Uncle Glen's elusive brother, Paul; and the occasional interaction with family occupying the other table. Being. Existing in a place with loved ones. Not a lot of conversation 'cause it was just too darn loud for it. However, being in the presence of these I love and get to be with so rarely was so precious to me. I wish the time was longer.

My cousin, Peter, and his gorgeous wife, Emily. Baby boy to come for Christmas!

Jame and I in the library...of course.
I love books!!! :)

Next up: NYC and the 9/11 Memorial.

our D.C. excursion, part 2: the rest of the CWA leadership training

2011-09-27T15:32:00.000-07:00

(part 1 of our trip can be found here.)

The rest of the CWA training was awesome. It is so nice to be surrounded by likeminded people who not only love this country and our Constitution, but are wholly devoted to the Lord.
A favorite speaker of mine was George Tryfiates who expounded on some of our American history. Well, what's not to love about that?! ;) He said that it was the story of Washington crossing the Delaware that caught his attention and flung him into a love of history. So cool, because it's that same story that changed my life, too. I recently wrote this article for our history club (a history co-op I am helping to teach) newsletter.

While visiting my aunt in New Jersey a few years ago, we visited the presumed site where George Washington crossed the Delaware on Christmas, surprised attacked the British, and changed the course of the Revolutionary War, the future of the United States, and history forever.

I hated history in school. I was bored memorizing dates and names for the sake of passing the next test.

But this day on the banks of the Delaware River, something in me was set afire. As I watched the short film in the Visitor's Center, I recognized in my mind and heart the very obvious hand of "Providence" in the shaping of the great and free nation we call home. Though God was never mentioned, I was unable to ignore His absolute favor on George Washington and this land.

Fast forward three years: My boys are 4 and 5 years old and we are planning a trip to return to the east coast. It is the summer before our first school year and I decided that America's beautiful history is a great way to kick off our home schooling venture. We dove into the Revolutionary War, great Presidents, history's heroes, America's great technological accomplishments, and so much more. We fell in love with Paul Revere, George Washington, Nathan Hale, and Abraham Lincoln. We gained courage and hope from the examples of these who gave their "lives, liberty and sacred honor" for the sake of their posterity: you and me! We looked around at the current state of our national and global culture and realized that if these great founders could change the world, then so can we! And so can you!

Mommies and Daddies, we are raising heroes!

Dr. Janice Crouse also spoke to us on sexual trafficking and other unpleasant, but must-be-addressed issues. And Kenda shared some beautiful words with us. Her love for this country brought me to tears. She also told me that I'm not normal. Actually that none of us in the room were normal. I sort of already knew that. :) I find great comfort in my non-normalities, and in the fact that there was a room full of "not normals" there with me.

Kenda led us on a prayer walk that Friday afternoon. We learned the history about some of the not-so-noticeable buildings in Washington, D.C. ...particularly those surrounding the White House such as the Blair-Lee House, LaFayette Square, Daughters of the American Revolution, etc. How blessed we were to pray for specific things at each landmark. For example: at St. John's church we prayed for the salvation of living Presidents; at the Dept. of Veteran's Affairs we prayed for the recovery of injured military veterans; at the National Christmas Tree we thanked God for our religious freedom; etc.
Since we had such a large group (20+), Jamie and I offered to hold up the rear to make sure we didn't lose anyone in the shuffle. You should have seen us all parading from the hotel to the Metro station, trying to figure out tickets, and ultimately pouring onto the train. Amazingly everyone made it.

a self-portrait of Jame & I
on the prayer walk.

Jamie was a hit with many of the ladies since his gender was a minority throughout the training. (Note: Concerned Women for America typically attracts women...shocking, I know. Though, it is not an organization solely comprised of women -- a little known fact.) Silvia, a woman from Visalia, CA, immediately bonded with Jamie. She's a Spanish-speaking lady, so Jamie took the opportunity to try his police-Spanish out on her -- always an entertaining enterprise. In a moment, he was commanding her to put her arms up, get her license out, lace her fingers behind her head and stand with her feet apart...and she complied.

The pew that Lincoln
quietly occupied.

Some ladies found our stop at St. John's Church an irresistible opportunity to pray inside the building. Jamie and I waited a while for the ladies to come out, but as Kenda and the front of the group got further and further away, I decided to go in and herd them so we could catch up. I exited toward the double glass doors and... wouldn't you know that in those 3 minutes I was inside trying to collect these ladies, we all got LOCKED INSIDE ST. JOHN'S CHURCH. Ha! Of all the churches to be locked in, the one Abraham Lincoln (as well as several other Presidents) frequented scores pretty high. Still, here I (along with 3 ladies and a very friendly gentleman) remained trapped inside. Jamie waited patiently outside wondering why I wasn't walking through those doors until I grabbed the handles and mouthed to him,

"THE DOORS ARE LOCKED."

Never a dull moment.

Finally we broke free thanks to the help of the aforementioned gentleman who hunted down the man with the key. I guess when the sign says they close at 3, they aren't kidding.

It was a prayer adventure. Eventually Kenda commissioned Jamie and I to escort a bunch of the ladies back to the Metro and the hotel while she sought out the stragglers of the group who somehow got lost trying to find a bathroom.

CWA CEO Penny Nance, Southern California Director Ruth Smith,
and Senator Rick Santorum

Ruth and I

Former PA Senator and current Presidential candidate Rick Santorum spoke to us at an evening banquet that night. It was really cool to hear his heart for the Lord, the nation, family, and his commitment to (and understanding of) the Constitution. At the banquet, our worship leader for the training, Deborah, sang "Stand in the Rain." Before she began the song, she said, "Do you ever feel like you are running and running and running, and you can't stop because if you do, you'll fail?"

Yes! I feel like that every moment of every day. That question stopped me in my tracks and brought tears to my eyes. What precious little time God has given us on this earth "for such a time as this." How desperately I want to be wise with my life and not waste it. To stand for what is right. To fight against what is wrong. And to influence, influence, influence and to inspire, inspire, inspire a nation, my friends, my children, a poor innocent bystander toward righteousness and truth.

Sometimes though, we must pause, and refuel by standing under the spout of God's blessed rest.

And then start moving again...centered in His will.

Saturday we said our goodbyes to the fabulous CWA ladies (and gentlemen) and awaited the arrival of my sis and her hubby. But this post is too long already...so more on that later.

Click here to read about our time at my cousin Kyler's wedding.

more from the Sharia Law Briefing

2011-09-26T07:08:00.000-07:00

(I mentioned in my previous post that we attended a Sharia Law Briefing on Capitol Hill while we were in D.C. Here is more on that.)

______________

A few bullet points about Islam, Muhammed, and Sharia Law that I gleaned from the Sharia Law briefing:

Muhammed was born in 570 A.D. He was a religious, political, and military leader...which means that Islam is a religious, political, and militant system...which makes sense when you consider even some of our limited understanding of this religion.
Muhammed spent 12 years in Mecca. During this time, he established Islam as a peaceful religion (no mention of violence) and the first half of the quran reflects this attitude. Later, Muhammed went to Medina where he and Islam took a political, militant, hostile, and violent turn (relentless forcing of religion with the sword). The second half of the quran reflects this violence.
Muhammed once took a 9-year-old as his wife. (This practice continues today.)
Slavery is at a peak today...and mostly in Muslim nations.
Islam is the opposite of freedom and liberty.
Muslim peace = world Islam
In the 1st century, Rome and China traded openly...until Muslim dominance closed off trade routes. This is why Christopher Columbus sought an alternate trade route to the east. Didn't learn that in your history textbooks, did ya? Me neither.
Religious Islam is ok. Political Islam is not ok. If they can separate the two, we'd be just fine... problem is that Islam is not only religious. As mentioned before, Islam is religious, political, and militant. That's a problem. Since they can't separate the religious form the political, neither should we.
Sharia Law was started by Assan Awana (sp?) in the 1920's. It is man-made but believed to be God's law.
AIG (yeah, the AIG that your tax-dollars bailed out) offers Sharia compliant services.
The secularism of society (kinda like what we've become in America) is a transition phase for Sharia. Departing from a moral/religious foundation to secularism/religious tolerance is an open door to Muslim extremists. They take advantage of religious freedom to gain political jurisdiction. Infiltrating until their numbers and strength are enough to dominate a society --- using "peace," friendliness, and even tolerance to their benefit until they have settled in and become strong enough to oppress and destroy. Their is no loyalty to anything non-Muslim. A seemingly good friend will easily stab you in the back if it benefits Islam and Sharia.
Muslim men are encouraged to rape infidels (non-Muslims).
A few references to women in the quran (there are 214): "deficient in mind and religion"; "not equal to man in testimony"; inheritance is half that of a man; no equality; must be veiled; seen as a dog or donkey in interrupting the prayer of men; compared to a sheep, cow, or camel because (sorry about the disgust in this) "all of them are mounted"; a husband is allowed to strike her, abandon her in bed, imprison her to death; can be purchased as a prostitute at the whim of men; men may divorce for any reason; most of the inhabitants of hell are women.
Many moderate Muslims are good citizens. However, fundamentalists view these as apostates and traitors. Should moderate Muslims become "faithful," they must follow the quran explicitly. (Say goodbye to the peaceful part.)
Nazism = corruption, terrorism, dictatorship. Islam is the same.
The U.S.'s attitude toward Sharia is to "manage chaos," not to understand the idealogy. This could easily become fatal to our nation.
Sharia/Islam politics = 1 party totalitarian state

Noni Darwish was born in Cairo and grew up in Gaza. She escaped and came to the U.S. in 1978. She strongly impressed upon us Sharia's hatred of women stating that "women bring life and civility which is why Sharia oppresses women. Sharia loves dominance, death, and tyranny. They hate women (who love life and civility) and therefore demean them so they can focus on Jihad." (Meaning if men avoid valuing women, then their focus can be undivided toward Jihad.) She tied in the fact that polygamy destroys women and children which works out great if you want to dominate --- an impossible task unless you are lacking a loving, civil conscience. She also said that Sharia is vigilante justice and pedophilia; and must be illegal. (She should know, she grew up in a Sharia-saturated culture.)

Don't be an Islam-aphobe. Be a Sharia-phobe. It is the forcing of this despotic law that must be resisted. We must not be intolerant of religious faiths, but allow freedom as we are allowed to be free. "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..." (1st Amendment to the Constitution of the United States)

Pray!

As brutal as these people can be, we must not be against Muslims, but against Islam. These precious hearts: men and women are loved by Creator God; and are horribly deceived by satan.

Love.

Respect.

Patience.

Wisdom.

We must possess these qualities in reaching out to Muslims. And try to communicate to them the Trinity: Jesus is God in the flesh.

(Thanks to Father Botros for these prayer points.)

Do you know any Muslims? My dear friend's dad is Muslim. Moderately so. And what a precious man he is. I am so glad to know him and to love him...and hope to better understand his background and thoughts on what I have learned and noted above.

Act!

American Laws for American Courts must pass in all states, especially Michigan (Deerborn, anyone?). Pray. It has already passed in Tennessee, Louisiana, and Arizona.
ACLU and the Center for American Progress. Both of these organizations are bad news and defend Sharia.
Understand that support for Sharia Law is chauvenism.
The Muslim Brotherhood is in the White House. Know that Dalia Mogahed is a member of the Muslim Brotherhood and works in our White House today.
Speak out against Sharia.

For further information by the speakers who attended the Sharia Law Briefing and other resources (I will try to get the link to this briefing so you can hear this information for yourself.) :

Bill Federer (author) - www.americanminute.com
Father Zakaria Botros (Coptic Christian minister originally from Egypt) - www.Islam-Christianity.net; Redeemer t.v. (I had trouble finding these links...except in Arabic.) Here is an article I found about him.
Fred Grandy - www.fredgrandy.com
Noni Darwish - www.arabsforisrael.com, www.formermuslimsunited.org
Alliance of Iranian Women

our D.C. excursion, part 1: getting there and Sharia Law briefing

2011-09-25T22:24:00.000-07:00

Jamie and I just returned from a 10-day visit to the Washington, D.C. area. I will write a series of posts about our time out there.
__________

Jamie joined me in attending CWA's (Concerned Women for America) leadership training in Washington, D.C. Our Arlington hotel was only one Metro stop from the Reagan Airport, but unfortunately the air miles on our credit card did not service Reagan. So we chose to fly into Baltimore because we were able to take the train and the Metro into the city and ultimately to our hotel. It was an unfamiliar experience, but I am somewhat an adventurous spirit, so what the heck?!

(I left our camera on plane #1. I'm awesome like that. Thankfully there was a Costco down the street from our hotel.)

When we arrived in Baltimore on Wednesday (September 14th) and shuttled to the train depot, I recognized a woman who entered the station. It was Kenda Bartlett, Field Director for CWA. Though I had met her only once at last year's leadership training in Irvine, her face was familiar to me because she often writes the opening devotion article for CWA's monthly newsletters. She proved to be incredibly helpful. It was a divine appointment that we should run into her that day because she helped us with the train connections and we were blessed to help her a couple of days later on the Capitol prayer walk which I will mention more about in a subsequent post. Also, we thought it would be nice to visit Kenda when we returned to D.C. a few days after the training and so it was cool to, in the end, become friends.

We arrived at the hotel with no trouble at all and were pleased with the accommodations. My soon-to-be-married cousin, Kyler, met us for dinner that evening at a Hamburger Hamlet restaurant located near the closest Metro station to the hotel. We had such a nice visit and were so thankful for the time spent with him. His wedding was only three days later...which we were so thrilled to be able to attend. More on that soon!

Thursday, we made our way to the National Mall via the Metro (yes, we utilized this a lot since we skipped car rental...a wise decision), and a quick stop at the Police Officer's Memorial at Judiciary Square.

A jaunt of 3-4 blocks found us at the Capitol Building (no thanks to a local cop who had no idea where the Capitol Building was...even after I reminded him it was that big place with the dome) where we were to attend a briefing about Sharia Law and its effects on women.

This was a mind-blowing event. A few congressmen, author Bill Federer, Father Zechariah Botros (in hiding since the muslim freaks want to kill him - his talk was pre-recorded), Fred Grandy (previously known as Gopher on "The Love Boat"), and Noni Darwish all shared with us their knowledge and personal experience with Sharia Law. Scary stuff. They spoke for a 3-hour long briefing that was streamed on the internet. It was fascinating.

(click here and here for a tiny taste of what this briefing was about.)

The biggest pearl of info I came away with was this: Islam is a religious, political, and military system. This is why it can not be tolerated. If we allow freedom of religion, then we must allow freedom for Muslims. However, a close eye must be kept because in their faith, the committed followers are compelled to carry out the quran not just religiously, but politically and militarily as well...which is why we see "extremists" commit such violent and hostile attacks upon non-Muslims. "Extremists" are those Muslims who follow their faith deeply. I am a Christian extremist because I purpose to follow Scripture as closely as I can. Muslims deeply committed to the quran are compelled to be as much like their "prophet" Muhammed as they possible can be. Just as we seek to be Christ-like, they seek to be Muhammed-like. If they succeed, then naturally the deceptive, violent practices of Muhammed must be emulated.

Does this mean that all Muslims are bad?
-No. But it does mean that the potential is there.
The ones that are "peace-loving" are the ones that are not following their faith deeply. Should they decide to fully commit to their beliefs, they would be compelled to follow in the footsteps of their violent extremist examples.

What hope is there for these who casually follow their faith?
-2 things in my opinion: They never take it seriously; or (even better) they convert away from Islam to Christ and have something virtuous (and non-violent) to live for.

Another thing I gleaned from this briefing is the inherent danger of Sharia Law. Shocking to me....and it should be to EVERY American...is the fact that the idea of Sharia Law is even entertained in our nation. Yet, in our "tolerant" political correctness, some are opening the door to allow Sharia Law into the United States. And some of our elected leaders are Sharia followers and want this to come. I want to encourage you right now to fight this with every ounce of your being. Sharia isn't just the Muslim way of law; it is degrading, demoralizing, and destructive to women. To hell with so-called "tolerance!" Do you want to turn a blind eye to the mistreatment of women for the sake of being p.c.?!! Shame on you if you do. It is one thing to tolerate and grant freedom of religious worship. It is quite another to allow that religion to permeate, infiltrate, and gradually take over a nation. (I posted again on this subject since I took extensive notes and it is something we all need to avoid being ignorant of. Click here for my notes.)

More soon. Don't worry, the trip lightens up on subject matter---you know, for those of you who hate all this political stuff. Soon I'll post pics of landmarks and tourists (us).

My 9/11

2011-09-10T22:46:00.000-07:00

I was fast asleep in my bed on Dakota Road in Garden Grove.
My hours at Disneyland often began in the afternoon and went well into the night. So, by the time I returned home, it would take me until 1 or 2 am to wind down and finally make my way to bed.

It was the first day of my vacation. In two days, I would board a plane with my friend Jan Gohlitz and fly to Tokyo, Japan to visit my friend and sister-in-the-Lord, Catherine Ramirez.

Early (for me) on a Tuesday morning, my cell phone rang. On the other end was my mom's urgent and very serious voice: "Kori, turn on the t.v. Planes have flown into the World Trade Towers." Still half asleep and quite groggy, I had trouble discerning... understanding... grasping what she was saying. But the tone and panic in her voice told me this was a very worrisome incident. My mom was driving her car when she called me...on her way to work at Children's Hospital in San Diego. I stumbled my way to my small 13 inch t.v. and flipped it on.
Confusion.
What was wrong with my television? There were two images being projected. I tried to read quickly the heading at the bottom of the screen. The Pentagon had been hit. What? I thought it was the Twin Towers. On the left side of the screen I could clearly see the Twin Towers immersed in smoke like torches, but the right side showed only smoke. Was that the Pentagon? "Mom," I said, "I think the Pentagon's been hit." The shock in her voice was stunning. "What?" "Mom, what's going on?" We both new we were under attack, but by who? and why? And what would be hit next?

I called Tony, a precious friend of mine, and told him to turn on his t.v. And while I was on the phone with him, I saw the towers fall. Breathless and shocked...even from my long-distance location.

When I was 13, my junior high school took a trip to Washington, D.C., and New York. We were asked if we'd like to visit the World Trade Towers. Only about ten of us wanted to go. Since I like to make the most of every opportunity, I, of course, wanted to climb to the top levels of the tallest buildings in New York. I stood up there more than 100 stories straight up, stepped down into a window and felt the building sway. Whoa. Never did I imagine what would occur nearly 15 years later.

I can't tell you what I wore that day...because I didn't care what I wore. I had to peel myself away from the television. For days, I and all of America were glued to that screen as the images played over and over and over and over again. As our President, George W. Bush, put into that role "for such a time as this" responded appropriately and accordingly and we all stood in solidarity to make right this terrible wrong committed against the beautiful USA.

An inspiring moment to me during those days was when George Bush stood atop the rubble at Ground Zero and when handed a bullhorn, attempted to encourage the people within earshot. A man shouted, "I can't hear you!" President Bush looked squarely in the direction of the man's voice and shouted into the bullhorn, "Well, I can hear you. The whole world hears you! And the people who knocked these buildings down will hear from all of us soon." Cheers erupted and my heart swelled. A decisive leader at a time when we desperately needed it.

I had a plane ticket to Japan which I seriously considered changing to New York so I could do something to help...after all I didn't have to work and suddenly had a whole lot of free time on my hands.

Our September 13th flight to Japan finally left on September 17th. As I passed a news stand in a train station in Tokyo, I saw a magazine peppered with pictures of 9/11.

And so I picked up newspapers, Time magazines, Newsweek and the like during that week. And I picked up the paper when Saddam Hussein was captured and again this May when Osama bin Laden was killed. I popped VHS tapes in my VCR during the days of 9/11 because I knew one day I would want to have these things to show my children. And here I am today teaching my children and sharing with them the seriousness of that day.

behind us is an FDNY first responder fire truck from Queens.

The boys and I visited the Nixon Presidential Library Monday to commemorate the lives of those lost on September 11, 2001.

Life in this country changed that day. If you doubt it, you only have to think of the security checks we go through on a regular basis when we visit this place or that.

In disbelief of what we were experiencing as a nation and only having the stories of Pearl Harbor to refer to, I asked my mom that Tuesday, "Mom, is this worse than Pearl Harbor?" because to me it seemed awful. "Yes," she said. And silently in my heart, I said, "oh."

Praying for our soldiers abroad and our heroes here at home and the families still feeling the painful loss of this day 10 years ago.
God bless America.

p.s. I know mine is only one of millions of stories. Please take some time to leave your 9/11 story in the comment section of this blog.

Forever Changed: 9/11 in Remembrance

2011-09-10T00:08:00.000-07:00

Remembering always those lost 10 years ago. And how I was forever changed because of 9/11.

Dolphin Tale

2011-09-02T13:03:00.000-07:00

This movie tells Hollywood to rally behind films that "get it right" and tell great stories without all the junk, twaddle, and moral compromise! It has all the good stuff we want more of and is truly entertaining and inspiring from ages 5-95!!!

It's a story that affirms who we are as homeschoolers and what we stand for. It's time Hollywood hears us.

This movie even has two homeschool kids who play the main roles! (The casting agents went to a local support group in California and found them.)

It is a family movie that will inspire, instruct, and bring you to tears because of the great story line.

The bottom line is that the Homeschool Movie Club wants to show Hollywood that those of us with Christian and strong family values are a big enough market to support other great movies with traditional, conservative family values.

Click here for Homeschool Movie Club's website.
Click here for Homeschool Movie Club's blog.
Here's what Sally Clarkson has to say.
Please share this with your friends.

9/11 Parking Spots

2011-08-31T10:59:00.000-07:00

An account of B. Viggiani after 9/11. New York.

From "A Tribute to the Heroes of 9-11, 10 Year Memorial" calendar.
www.tfpublishing.com

"Those first days of Autumn 2001 seem to wash away the lingering darkness of loss that hung over the city, like a bad dream. The smells were nearly gone or perhaps we had just gotten used to them by then. The skies were clearer that day than they had been in some time and I found I could look upward with less fear than I had in some time. I forced myself to get back to my regular pre 9/11 NJ Transit schedule I had so routinely done in the past, sitting in the last car at the same window seat reading the sports pages. It was important to get back to reality; the quicker the better. New York City was too quiet for too long. Even the notorious horn honkers, New York City taxi drivers, were more courteous with fewer blasts. People actually said hello or at least made eye contact on the city's streets. It was time for the city to 'get back to normal'!

And so it was that cool October evening heading home from another day at work. The early autumn sun made black silhouettes of the lower city skyline slowly descending from behind. As much as I tried not looking across the expanse of the Hudson River toward "that skyline", I found myself unable to keep from looking, drawn there everyday almost as if to somehow keep their spirits alive. So I looked. And the towers still weren't there.

Same train, same car, same window seat. Returning home. Losing myself in the back pages of the NY Post, my beer sitting atop the flat metal screen under the window. For a good part of the ride, I rarely, if ever glance out the window. In fact the first stop that I usually put aside the paper and look out, is at the train's longest stop, Ridgewood. Sitting in the last car, one could look straight down Ridgewood Avenue. As dusk settled in, the town's many storefronts became lit to greet the night ahead.

I was about to return to the sports pages as the train slowly left the station when I noticed something odd just outside my window. As the main street began to disappear from view, I watched a row of several automobiles go by, parked in those most sought after spots along the front row closest to the train platform. Those commuters were the ones who left earlier than most to get those coveted spots. I often wondered what they did for a living to get up so early to head into the city.

The first car that attracted my attention was a large model Mercedes Benz. How dirty it was; especially sitting in such an upscale town as Ridgewood. Dirty cars were just something you never saw, either driven or parked. The car next to the Mercedes was just as dirty as was the next until the train was moving to fast for me to see anything more than the disappearing station. The train was barely out of Ridgewood when it hit me like a lightning bolt. The dirty cars parked there along the front row closest to the station platform; those same cars that made me wonder what the owners did for a living, their owners had parked their cars and headed off to work as they did every morning only...this time they never came back.

Now I can only wonder who each of them were as people, as husbands, wives, sons or daughters, friends to so many. I wondered about their routines that day, that morning as they headed to work. Did they stop for coffee and a bagel across the street from the train station after parking in their VIP-ish spots? Did they kiss their loved ones goodbye? What unfinished work awaited them at their offices across the Hudson?

Pulling into Ridgewood station that next morning on my way back to work, I held my breath and could feel my heart pounding. It was that same feeling of not wanting to look but needing to as the train came to a stop. At first I thought I would not be able to see that far, perhaps being saved from what I knew I'd encounter. Yet, there they were. I could barely see the tops of the cars but they were still there. Dirty, side-by-side waiting for the turn of the car key, one dustier than the other, lined up in their front row spots closest to the platform. Only now in daylight did I allow it to hit me. As if seeing them in daylight confirmed my thoughts.

On that beautiful clear blue sky day, each of the owners of those cars stepped onto their favorite train, sat in the same seat, sipping coffee and reading the papers. Yet, they never came back. Not to their cars parked in those front row spots. Or home to waiting wives, husbands, children, or friends. They never came back. Ever.

Soon after that morning the cars were removed from the parking lot and from those coveted spots. It did not take long for those spots to be filled with a new group of early commuters and I began to wonder all over again. What did those people do for a living?

Dedicated to those we lost that day and those who live with their loss. Never Forget."

-B. Viggiani, August 2009

Is it good to desire greatness?

2011-08-30T21:15:00.000-07:00

Beth Moore asked me this morning, "Is it a good thing or a bad thing to have a desire for greatness within us?"

Ok, so she wasn't verbally asking me, but it was in my morning devotion...written by her.

The question stunned me.

Greatness.

It's good, right?

No, it must be bad because greatness brings pride, doesn't it?

Darn! I don't know.

With a passionate personality and "stage presence" like I have, I have grown used to attention being drawn my way. I have always figured it was the God-given personality I have embraced. Writing, dancing, motherhood, politics, scripture. I never thought maybe I was totally motivated by pride. Granted, there are plenty of moments (weeks at times) of pride, self-righteousness, and pharisaical attitudes that I am so thankful God brings to my attention. But is my sole motivating factor self? Yuck! It is certainly possible. God knows my heart and so here I am wondering why I do what I do.

I may say that my heart's intent is to do what I can to secure a free future for my children, to make the truth known, to save the unborn, to be concerned with the eternal salvation of mankind. But is it really? I am not saying it is and I'm not saying it isn't, but I do want God to search me and know my heart, try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting. (Ps. 139:23-24)

I certainly don't embrace or approve of passivity or ignorance. What's a passionate girl to do!?

God, help me to get over myself.

"Jesus...did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. He humbled Himself and became obedient to death -- even death on a cross." (Php. 2:8-9)

Humility. Service. Passion. Action for the sole motive of righteousness, salvation, and bringing pleasure to God. Not caring who gets the credit.

Oh please God, let this be me.

"There is no limit to what a man can do or where he can go if he doesn't mind who gets the credit." ~Ronald Reagan

I want to be a world-changer. Is that ok?
Why do I want this? So that truth and righteousness will reign, not deceit. Not so I can say, "Hey! Over here! World-changer here!" Do I care if anyone ever knows how much I do or what efforts I make? I can say no, but I can also look at the not-so-distant past when I was not only grossly under-appreciated for something I'd done, but wrongly accused of causing harm. I did not handle it well. It was not pretty. Suddenly I wanted to demand recognition and appreciation. And so my true colors show. Yuck!

So, I guess I don't know yet. How will I perform the next time the pressure comes? Oh please, Lord, let me pass this test.

Father,
This is a struggle for me to grasp today, and to figure out how to balance. What is my true motivation? Is it to be great? Is it to exalt myself or my ideas? I see these as possibilities. I hope not. Change me! Or is it truly for men's salvation, and a future for my children and nation as I so often claim? I must meditate on this today and see if I am standing in the right place, in Your will. Please show me. I need to know what in me requires change or even purging. Help me today, Lord.

(The devotion is Jesus: 90 Days With The One And Only by Beth Moore.)

Was the atomic bomb revenge for Pearl Harbor?

2011-08-29T20:54:00.000-07:00

I recently received a message from a dear, precious friend who inaccurately accused the U.S. of taking "revenge" on Japan via the atomic bomb for their attack of Pearl Harbor; and he accused us of killing innocent children. I was horrified since this message was also sent to several other people. Here was my response:

I'm sorry, but I feel that you are inaccurate. You know I love you more than life itself. And truly your heart of love is so apparent in this message. You are so special and precious to me.

The atomic bomb wasn't until 1945. Pearl Harbor was in '41. The Doolittle Raid was our response to Pearl Harbor. Upon my recent reading about the Pacific side of WW2 (Unbroken about Louis Zamperini, POW), the atomic bomb was necessary because Hirohito would not back down and was preparing to send even Japanese women and children into war because so many Japanese men were lost. He would not have stopped unless there was a decisive move on our end. Certainly, the atomic bomb was extreme to say the least. But, sometimes these things are necessary. Hirohito was a Hitler in Asia...believing that the Japanese were superior to other Asian people groups - enslaving women and children from other Asian countries. I'm not incredibly knowledgable about the Japanese side of WW2, but am learning more and more. It was an incredibly devastating situation for non-Japanese Asians. It is awful to think of the innocents that were casualites of the atomic bomb...especially children. But there were several warnings in the weeks preceding the bomb to warn civilians to find safety (American B-25's dropped thousands of flyers warning the people). It was the Japanese government that kept its own people from knowing about these warnings, or downplayed the seriousness of them. War is a necessary evil. But even God's chosen people, Israel, have been forced time and time again to defend themselves and typically to the utter destruction of their enemies. Old Testament references even mention women and children not being spared in some situations. I personally think that is awful, but who am I to argue with the commands of God in His Word?

However, when we (Americans) are viciously attacked on our own soil (Pearl Harbor, 9/11), a response is critical. If we fail to respond, we portray weakness and are therefore vulnerable to more attacks.

I don't mean to counter your statements, my precious friend, but the atomic bomb was not the response to Pearl Harbor...it was what ended the war...and it was unfortunately necessary (in my opinion). Hirohito brought it upon himself. He was a tyrant and unwilling to back down. Post-war crimes proved his guilt.

I want to encourage you not to blame the beautiful USA in a culture where so many Americans (particularly our very own president) are apologizing for our exceptionalism and success. We are successful because God has blessed us and because we have supported Israel all these years (God said to Israel, "Blessed are those who bless you; and cursed are those who curse you.")

I would ask that you find the truth and make that known. I feel that your message was a slam against our home country...which is the very last thing we need in our current cultural climate. Will you please research the atomic bomb and Pearl Harbor and correct your statement?

I know it is a sensitive subject and one that stirs much opinion. Let me just say that "response" and "revenge" are different. And I agree with you that we, as Christians, are not ever to seek revenge, but forgiveness and reconciliation. Don't you think that has happened between the U.S. and Japan? I think it's really sweet to have visited Japan and seen the respect that the Japanese have shown to Americans. I hope we would respond the same way. I believe that there has been a beautiful reconciliation between our two countries. Sometimes, it takes extreme measures (atomic bomb) to change the rules (Hirohito's dominance and tyranny).

I love you very much. You know I am a patriotic freak-of-nature. I couldn't let this one slide. :)

I post this in case you might be as ignorant as I recently was about the history of the Pacific side of World War II. And to encourage you to not let people inaccurately portray this great nation. Certainly mistakes have been made, but we must proclaim the truth no matter how pretty or ugly it may be. Let's be honest and not give way to agenda and propaganda.

Bless you,

Remembering

2011-08-27T21:33:00.000-07:00

I am in the process of writing my September 11, 2001 experience.

Can you believe it has been 10 years? Jamie and I will be in NYC a week after the 10 year anniversary. Yes, our main destination is the new 9/11 Memorial at Ground Zero and to hunt down the beloved cross that shouts the presence of Jesus during the darkest hours of our history.

I want to encourage you to also write your own 9/11 story. And maybe you're Challenger Disaster story and, if you're old enough, your JFK and Pearl Harbor stories. As people who have lived through these life-changing events, I think it is desperately important that we record our version for the sake of our posterity.

Tomorrow evening, an interview with George W. Bush is airing on the National Geographic channel.
Also, the History Channel is showing 102 Minutes That Changed America on the morning of September 11th beginning at 8:46 am, the same time the first plane hit the north tower of the World Trade Center.

Share this history with your children. And do something special to remember the thousands of innocent lives lost that day.

The Nixon Presidential Library is having a few special events the week preceding 9/11. The boys and I will be attending the September 5th display of 16,000 tons of WTC steel and a first-responder firetruck. I am sure there are several other events going on across the country.

Also, Laura Bush has a stunning account of her 9/11 experience in her recent book Spoken From The Heart. Get it from your library and read that section (though the whole book is very good).

I pray you have a day set aside for remembering this infamous day and that we will always remember.

more from Laura Bush

2011-08-20T08:15:00.000-07:00

"The presidency is larger than the men who are in it. The founding fathers - who in the spring of 1787 wrestled with this issue - designed it that way. Each President's responsibility is to the office, the sole national institution that speaks for all Americans regardless of their party or class or home or age. George always believed it was his responsibility to treat the office with great care. Presidents are not always right but history tells us that our core values are right and that our country is good."

"George acted on principle. He put our country first and himself last."

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. Laura is a classy and dignified First Lady. Pick it up. You will enjoy her gentleness, her truthfulness, her self-control in not slandering those who were so nasty to her and her husband. She is a refreshing woman of character.

Also, you will enjoy her account of 9-11 which we all should have at the forefront of our minds and hearts as the 10 year anniversary approaches.

(Quotes by Laura Bush from her book, Spoken from the Heart.)

wisdom and hope from Laura Bush

2011-08-19T22:35:00.000-07:00

"Things may not change, but that's no excuse for not speaking out when the need and opportunity arise." ~Laura Bush, Spoken from the Heart

Secret Service Presidential Insights

2011-08-15T20:11:00.000-07:00

SB 48 can still be fought, here's how...

2011-07-31T13:14:00.000-07:00

(for more posts on this issue, go to the right sidebar of this blog, look under "Labels," click on SB48.)

I know SB48 is incredibly frustrating especially when we feel helpless to do anything about it.

Here's something you can do:
Download, Print, Sign, and Send-in this petition to repeal SB 48.
Click on the link below.

http://stopsb48.com/get-involved/sign-the-petition/

This is very urgent. 750,000 signatures must be in by October 7th. Please act quickly.

God is sovereign.

Bless you,

My new "business"

2011-07-29T11:59:00.000-07:00

Hello all.

I've decided to sell Usborne books from my home. Borrego doesn't have a whole lot to offer for children's (K-12) books, so it just made sense to be able to provide them not only to myself but to others in town as well. But, no matter where you live, you can order them from me via my website mentioned below.

(FYI - These are not Christian-based books, but have a generalized cultural worldview. Though, they are fact-based books, there is an injection of evolutionary theory particularly in some of the science books. -- We really enjoy these books in our family and I am pretty particular over book content.)

If you are interested in ordering, you can either order them directly through me (just give me a call or come by the house) or through my website: www.myubam.com/N3380. Please bookmark this link so you can return to it when you want to do some book shopping. :)
I'm hopeful that this will be a good "business" for the boys and I to participate in together.

If you were unable to attend the book party I hosted on Tuesday, and would like to see a sampling of these books, I'd love to show them to you. They are beautiful and fun...and incredibly informational and educational.

Love you,

The curse of the double oven

2011-07-28T19:44:00.000-07:00

I heat up my oven to 400 and in a few minutes it is warmed enough for me to place my dinner inside. So, I open the top door of the oven and let dinner bake for 30, then 40, then 50+ minutes, but notice the temperature does not increase to the proper number. Maybe my thermometer is broken?
I turn the oven off. Then, I realize that I have warmed the bottom oven and put the food in the top.

Start over.

I put the food in the bottom oven and turn it back on. I wait 30, then 40, then 50+ minutes and the temperature does not increase to the proper number. I am convinced at this point that my thermometer is broken.
Then, I realize that when I turned the oven back on, I turned on the top oven, but (of course) now my food is in the bottom oven.

At this very moment, my food is in the top oven and I'm pretty sure that's the one that's heated up. Maybe I'll eat sometime tonight.

We've had this oven for at least 5 years.

And the thermometer works just fine.

Just keep swimming

2011-07-27T07:10:00.000-07:00

"If life is a river, then pursuing Christ requires swimming upstream. When we stop swimming, or actively following Him, we automatically begin to be swept downstream. --- Or to use another metaphor more familiar to city people, we are on a never-ending downward escalator. In order to grow, we have to turn around and sprint up the escalator, putting up with perturbed looks from everyone else who is gradually moving downward." ~Francis Chan, Crazy Love

Confusing calling and task

2011-07-25T23:04:00.000-07:00

"Once I began to exercise those (speaking) gifts, I assumed speaking was my calling. God soon made very clear, however, that my calling was to surrender my life every day to His will, to be His woman, and to do what He asked, whatever that was. I remember sensing Him speak to my heart, saying, 'Beth, I do not want you surrendered to an assignment. I want you surrendered to Me.' I realized that God did not want me 'hung up' on the kind of assignment He would give me. He didn't want it to matter to me whether He asked me to teach the Word of God to a hundred people or to rock one baby in the church nursery. My calling was to be abandoned to Him." (Beth Moore - Jesus, The One and Only)

My north star.

2011-07-25T08:56:00.000-07:00

Jesus.

Family.

(Thanks, Sarah and Sally.)

"Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things,

but one thing is necessary."

(Luke 10:38-42)

**Sigh**

I am worried and troubled about many things, too. Will my life always be this way? As a mommy patriot, I can totally overwhelm myself in politics and worry about what kind of a future my kids will have in this country. I worry about the evil indoctrination of an upcoming generation (as if we don't already have that...but the propensity for it to get worse...ugh!) and the subsequent flushing of the greatest nation in the modern world.

It starts with just one step and then before I know it I am running, desperately sprinting in a direction away from peace, away from trust.

But one thing is necessary.

I have to stop running. My chest heaving and out of breath. Tears of worry pool in my eyes. But, I love this country. I love my children. Stop, Kori. Settle your breathing. Settle your fears. Settle your heart. Trust in Me. Find a quiet place and rest.

So, I stop. I turn off the clamoring, fearful, worrisome noise. And I go to that which remains steady, true, unchanging for all eternity past, present, and future: the feet of Jesus. I listen to His words. I cling to them. I plant them in my heart and mind and life. And I remember, as I have hundreds of times before that He is in control. Nothing surprises Him. He isn't fretting over debt ceilings, corrupt education, even the 3000 lives that torn from the wombs of women. He sees, yes. He is just, yes. He is waiting, yes. Just as I must do.

I am burdened in my heart to be a voice calling out to a people spiraling toward destruction to proclaim truth - in things of the Spirit and all things (history, legislation, science). I know that people will not like me because of it. And I know it can't matter. We must be people who are not men-pleasers, but God-pleasers. (Gal. 1:10)

I wonder: With the burden placed upon my heart for this nation - will I always be this yo-yo of emotion and passion - sprinting desperately in one direction, being slapped upside the head with reality, and returning to quiet myself at the feet of Jesus? Is there a balance?

Can I passionately, patriotically remain at His feet? Yes. I can. And at times I have. But, I let busy-ness, commitments, obligations steal me away.

"Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you." (Matt. 6:33) So, it's still about walnuts and rice.

Solve all your problems with Spenditol

2011-07-22T11:58:00.000-07:00

"Be not one of those who gives pledges, who put up security for debts. If you have nothing with which to pay, why should your bed be taken from under you?" ~Proverbs 22:26-27

Make sure you sign the petition at www.spenditol.com.

SB48 (continued)... home school advice and opinion

2011-07-22T11:07:00.000-07:00

In light of this ongoing issue of SB48, I want to copy some statements and insights that have been mentioned in my recent conversations regarding the subject. I hope it will encourage you.
Again, I urge you to take your kids out of the public school and charter system.

The home schooling option:

I think it would be wise if the Christian/moral community would come together and create an education system who may not have the funds to private school or the ability to be home enough to home educate. Of course, I am a firm believer that if we live within our means and tighten the belt a bit, anyone can home school. Even if both parents have to work, it can be done. I'm not saying it's easy, but possible...and worth it. And for people who think it's too hard to home school, let's talk. If I can do it, ANYBODY can. Resources and support are abundant. --- Keep praying! There is a way. God is sovereign. Perhaps this is the wake up call we need to radically change how we educate our precious little (and big) ones.

and...

Regarding the concern over the expense of home schooling: Curricula can be expensive, but there are several very inexpensive routes. I'd be happy to help direct anyone in this area if finances are an issue. I am an out-of-the-box type and don't purchase a curriculum...I create my own. I do have a math curriculum, but otherwise I do my own and it's working out excellently. I utilize the public library A LOT. Also, you would be amazed at what you can get from used curriculum sales, and just by becoming a part of the home schooling community. Curriculum is often traded or given away or sold at very reasonable prices amongst home school groups. --- Anyway, all that is to simply say: Don't let finances be a hindrance. God will provide to fit your need.

Also from a recent email to a friend:

REGARDING SB48 - ALL should be recognized for their historic contributions regardless of their sexuality, ethnicity, whatever...the problem is the agenda: the lgbt lifestyle is required to be portrayed only positively...it's indoctrination. Let's face it, there are some negative aspects of the lifestyle (as there is in ANY sexual promiscuity). Omitting the truth and teaching only that it is "nurturing," "positive," and "desirable" is propaganda. And the schools have no business indoctrinating our children. Educate them. Why does a 5-year-old have to be introduced to the terms "gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender?"

There are a plethora of problems with this bill, chief is the fact that parents can not waive their children from objectionable curriculum. It is squelching parents' rights.

If bullying (the reason Leno claims to have pushed this bill) is truly a problem (and it is...and not just for gays, but for kids who don't wear the "right" clothes, are different, are Christian, and any other reason a kid can dream up to target other kids), then this will not fix it. Kids bully kids out of their own insecurity and pride. Bullying has to be dealt with at the root. This is not going to solve bullying. It's only an avenue to push through the lgbt agenda. Use whatever emotional lingo you can to push your agenda. No agenda should be in the schools other than to educate them on the 3 R's, true science, and true history. That's it. Let families deal with moral issues.

Here's an example: George Bernard Shaw had several beautiful quotes and was a literary genius, but he also was an advocate of eugenics and gas chambers to get rid of those who are "unfit to live"...which were ultimately used by the Nazis in the holocaust. Teach the whole truth. Hitler may have many admirable quotes, but it doesn't change the truth that he was a tyrannical murderer of millions.
Omitting the unpleasant for the sake of exalting a certain group of people is wrong and dishonest.

I am opposed to any type of "affirmative action" that gives special rights and privileges to any people group over another. If you want it fair, then make it fair. Don't omit truth for the sake of making a certain people group seem only wonderful and great, and ignore the ugliness. If you're gonna bring out the good, bad, and the ugly, then do it across the board.

Don't get me wrong. I am not saying we need to shut out lgbt people from basic human rights. I worked in entertainment for many years and I LOVE my gay friends deeply. But, I do not want the agenda of a few activists (gay or otherwise) to reign in my nation. "The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next." We already have an evolutionary agenda reigning which is taught as fact and not as theory. We need to teach facts, not try to brainwash a generation.

If it were really about bullying, then why didn't they specifically include the poor, the weak, and a multitude of other groups that are bullied? Let's face it, EVERYONE is subject to bullying...not just ethnic groups and gays.

I want schools to be honest. Give the kids the information, and let them choose for themselves what direction they will take in life. I raise my kids in the Lord, but am obligated to not hide from them the "world." They will ultimately have to choose for themselves morality and what they believe...and be able to critically reason their stance. If I show them only one side of the many-faceted gem, then I'm doing them a disservice and only breeding closed-mindedness and I fail to teach compassion. They must love all...especially those different from themselves and with whom they disagree. We can't pick and choose who we extend love to.

I am concerned with the seemingly "little" compromises and how they affect the big picture of the future of this nation and of our future generations. A ship only 1 degree off-course ultimately ends up totally lost.

It sure is a fine balance. We must separate a person's actions from who he /she really is deep in their soul. Love the sinner, hate the sin. And don't condemn. Show love despite offenses. Jesus calls us to no less.

I hope I am honoring the Lord. And if I'm not, I hope He will correct me. I really and truly want to please Him above all. I really want to protect the minds of children. Don't you think eternity rests on how we raise these little ones? Give them their options, and let them decide.

I finally found the actual wording for the bill SB48. You can click on the link here.

My previous 2 posts are also regarding SB48.

More on SB48 - Don't give up your precious kids to the system!

2011-07-18T22:18:00.000-07:00

This is a continuation of my previous post regarding the passage of SB48. I can not stress enough the importance of standing up against this unwanted legislation. I urge you, if at all possible, to withdraw your child from the public school system.

"The philosophy of the schoolroom in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next." ~Abraham Lincoln

Do you have a child in the government school system? What are you to do? School administrators believe that you hand your children over to the government and that you relinquish your rights as a parent the second your children darken the school door. People have been imprisoned for defying this. There is nothing you can do about what is fed into the mind of your precious child once they are on school grounds. Your child is being brainwashed to think that there is no truth, no good or evil, no morality. A generation hypnotized into this kind of thinking will destroy themselves. We reap what we sow. Forget the threat of terrorist attacks and economic devastation - we'll implode morally by becoming apathetic and totally lacking in ideals and standards.

We are losing our freedoms: chief is the ability to raise our children according to what we (not the government) believe is best. When we have no say in the curricular content of our children's education, yet are mandated to send our kids to such an institution; freedom is squelched. We are in bondage to the system...unless we will take great efforts to fight against it. Thankfully, we are still free to home or privately educate our children. This is what must be done so we don't end up with a generation hurtling toward bondage.

I recently wrote about willful ignorance: the idea that just because something is unpleasant, we intentionally refuse to acknowledge or do anything about it, falsely thinking it will just go away. Well, this (SB48) is a prime example. We may ignore SB48 while in the house, then the senate, then on the governor's desk. Now, it is too late...and it affects you. This destructive, immoral, worthless curriculum will be forced upon your child...and other than pulling them out of the public school system, there is nothing that can be done about it. Are you willing to hand your child (whom God has made you a steward of) to an atheistic, anti-God, anti-moral, socialist, government-indoctrinated education system? We are accountable to God for the things He has made us responsible for. What will you say to Him when asked what you did with the impressionable mind and heart placed solely in your hands? He chose you. He didn't choose the school teacher you barely know who spends more time per week with your child than you do.

I know this sounds harsh and perhaps it is. I'm not sure how to communicate the urgency of the situation without being unapologetically honest. We can't throw up our hands and give our children up!!! We can not quit!

I understand that not everyone can home school...but perhaps it isn't as difficult as you may think. The great thing about home schooling is that it is an incredibly flexible option. Even if you work, you can educate your child.

What's the cost?

-Time.

-Commitment.

What's the cost if you give your child up to the government system?

-Peer influence (=foolishness).

-Twisted & untrue history.

-A child that follows culture rather than righteousness.

-Immoral brainwashing.

-The possible loss of their eternal soul (as a result of worldly immersion and failing to counter it at home).

In addition, your child will be better educated at home than in the school system. I know home schooling is difficult for some. Isn't your child's future worth tightening the financial belt of your household (by having one parent stay home or work only part-time; and living within your means)? I know it is hard to find your niche in the education of your own child, but the resources are limitless and the approach that fits your family is totally attainable. A few stumbles along the way shouldn't hinder us. Try something different. There is a way. And there is a community of homeschool-minded people who are anxious to help, counsel, and guide. (Visit http://RescueYourChild.com/)

So, what's my problem? Why do I care? Why should this bother me as a homeschooling mom whose children will never (God-willing) be under the influence of the government indoctrination system?

Here is my concern: Even though I am making painstaking efforts to raise godly men. The overwhelming amount of peers surrounding them do not share their upbringing and are, in reality, being educated in opposition to their own worldview (even if their parents are moral or Christian). [I do want to recognize that many public-schooled children turn out absolutely fantastic - thanks to the committed involvement of loving, godly parents and this fact: "Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world."] Yes, we are in the world and not of it; but I want freedom for my kids. What kind of a future are we ensuring for the next generation if we are making the special treatment of homosexuals a priority over actual academics (among other worthwhile things)? We are teaching our children that pleasure matters more than self-control. We are telling our children that God is not the author of life which in effect devalues life - resulting in abortion, suicide, euthanasia, ridiculously low personal expectations, and an animalistic perception of ourselves. And don't we see this? ---since so much of culture literally acts according to their ever changing desires instead of engaging their incredibly capable decision-making mind to practice wisdom and self-control. We are not monkeys. We are not animals. We were created to reason. We were created to do good works. We were created in the very image of GOD HIMSELF. But we choose to debase ourselves for the sake of doing "what we want."

I know this can be utterly infuriating, but please remember that LGBT people are so dearly beloved by the same God who loves you and me. Love the sinner, hate the sin. Offer a heart of love to these people in your life. Not all of them are agenda-driven activists, and those that are are "in the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will." (2 Tim 2:23-26) It is a battle "not against flesh and blood but against spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places." Our greatest hope is prayer.

Father, thank You for this great nation.

We are concerned about so much and discouraged over the

victories in favor of wickedness and to the harm of our children.

But You are absolutely sovereign. You are not surprised.

You will have Your perfect will done. Please deliver these

who are so deceived by the enemy of our souls.

Deliver them into eternal salvation in Your presence.

Freedom from their lifestyle of bondage and darkness.

Give us such tender hearts of love for these.

Help us to love not just in word only but in deed and in truth

...not letting politics or morality or self-righteousness reign,

but only genuine concern and passion for their hearts.

Bless these, our brothers and sisters in the human race,

who even though they do not know You

are created in Your beautiful image.

May we always perceive them through Jesus-colored glasses.

Amen.

Withdraw your kids from CA public schools - response to SB48

2011-07-18T21:50:00.000-07:00

I write this because it is vitally important that parents be informed of what their children are being taught in school. So take this as a very serious FYI:

"The philosophy of the schoolroom in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next." ~Abraham Lincoln

CA SB 48 was signed into law on Friday. Look again at the above quote.

This is destructive legislation.

If you live in California and your child is enrolled in the public school, the LGBT contributions to history/society simply based on these people's sexual choice is REQUIRED to be taught in school...and nothing negative can be said about such people (even if they are not the upstanding citizens schools will claim them to be) or their unhealthy lifestyle. Likewise, if you are a teacher in California, you are MANDATED to teach this offensive material. This is not unlike forcing a pro-life doctor to perform abortions. In an effort to be "tolerant" and create "safe schools", legislators and the governor of California have marginalized (and not "tolerated") the majority of Californians who have twice voted to define marriage as between one man and one woman. They have ignored the plea of the people they claim to represent...instead pushing forth their own will and opinion...and at no small cost. Children will pay dearly, families will pay dearly, and ultimately our country will be held accountable for its God-less and abominable agenda. Truly men love darkness more than the light. Why? Because they don't want their own evil deeds exposed for the wickedness they truly are. Let's face it, that's what this is really about.

A few facts about SB48:

requires that homosexuality, bisexuality, and transsexuality be talked about only positively; and the unhealthiness of these lifestyles or anything that "reflects adversely" would be prohibited.
the terms "lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender" will be added to all textbooks and instructional material.
replaces the term "sex" with "gender" in the education code including "a person's gender identity and gender related appearance and behavior whether or not stereotypically associated with the person's assigned sex at birth" including a third sex that can only be defined as "other."
for every heterosexual person covered in the curriculum there must be an equal number of LGBT people covered as well including homosexual parents. Stating "both sexes should be portrayed in nurturing roles in their families" and as "desirable." (Have I ever told you about the gay men in my cruise ship cast that were stalking an 11-year-old young boy passenger? ...yeah, that's "desirable.")
This new curriculum applies to all school aged children K-12.
It is mentioned that charter and "alternative schools" "take notice." (Yeah, we noticed. Thanks.)

"It's unfortunate and sad that - at a time when many students are struggling just to graduate and read at grade level - California has allowed history classes to be politicized by adult identity politics like this. We should be teaching our children that people are deserving of celebration in history books because of their outstanding, worthy accomplishments, regardless of how they identify sexually or otherwise. After all Benjamin Franklin is in history because he demonstrated that lightning was electricity---not because of his sexual choices." ~Candi Cushman

This website is addressing this issue specifically: http://RescueYourChild.com/
Read this excellent article here: Social/Sexual Indoctrination?

I've already been contacted by a mom who has withdrawn her children from the public school system. She wanted home schooling advice. I pray there are thousands more who make a similar move.

"As California goes, so goes the nation."

(More on this issue in the following post.)

"America by Heart" by Sarah Palin

2011-07-16T22:56:00.000-07:00

Just finished reading Sarah Palin's book "America By Heart" which is a beautiful collection of her thoughts and wisdom on all the things she holds dear which are dear to me as well: Faith, Family, and Freedom.

I especially loved her chapters dedicated to our military, American Exceptionalism, entitlement versus hard work, and the one she wrote on her perspective as a mother. I'd like to share some of her writings on the latter:

"...far from holding me back, my family is my main motivation. It's the source of my energy as well as my optimism about America. ...I don't balance anything. We do it together."

"Having a family gives you a gift that you may not recognize at first. It teaches you that the sun doesn't rise and set around you. It's not about you. (Regarding other family member's interests and pursuits:) If it's important to one of us it's important to all of us. And if it challenges one of us, it gets support from all of us."

"...it turns out that it's the quantity of time we spend ---not the quality--- that is best for our kids. Busy parents like to comfort themselves that they can make up for not being there by occasional bursts of special activities. But you can't just plan on being a good parent; you have to earn it."

"At home my happiness springs from very different objects; the gradual unfolding of my children's reason, the study of their dawning tempers..." ~J. Hector St. John de Crevecoeur

"...elevate the minds of our children and exalt their courage; accelerate and animate their industry and activity; excite in the an habitual contempt of meanness, abhorrence of injustice and inhumanity, and an ambition to excel in every capacity, faculty, and virtue. If we suffer their minds to grovel and creep in infancy, they will grovel all their lives." ~John Adams to his wife, Abigail

"Families matter."

"The left wants us to believe that any grouping we choose to call a family is worthy of the name, that it doesn't matter if children are raised by two loving parents or are shipped off to virtual full-time day care, and that divorce has no effect on children's quality of life. When it comes to raising good citizens, all 'lifestyle choices' are not equal."

As our beloved Ronald Reagan said (I know I am repeating myself), "All great change in America begins at the dinner table." So mommies, daddies, kids: let's change America! Let's change the world! Engage your family in discussion about truth, righteousness, God, freedom. It isn't just important, it's invigorating!!

9

2011-07-14T15:46:00.000-07:00

I have known my Jamie for 19 years. He is the kindest and most giving man I've ever met. It's totally bonus to be able to live with him and be around him every day. How he tolerates his crazy wife on a daily basis is beyond me.

Us in Death Valley in March.

Jame,
Hey sweetie,
Happy Anniversary. 9 years.

The best thing that has ever happened to me is knowing you. You have helped me heal from the greatest tragedies in my life. You have supported me in my wild passions - and helped me think reasonably (something I desperately struggle with). You have become the greatest husband and dad I've ever seen or known. Thank you for that.

Nine years ago on a sunny and warm July day, we were surrounded by friends and loved ones. What a time we had! I cherish the stability and security and trust I have in you. Now, we are surrounded by our own little tribe and what a treasure they are...even Lily!
These 9 years have been such a blessing. You have been so generous. Here's to dozens more!

Happy Day, Happy Life!
I love you,

...Happy Birthday dear Silas...

2011-07-11T13:48:00.000-07:00

My Silas is 6...and tall...and sweet...and wonderful.

One day, about 6 1/2 years ago, I sat depressed in my living room with 5-month-old Brandon, exhausted and overwhelmed with my responsibilities as a new mommy. I called my only-child sister-in-law to ask her her thoughts about being an only child. Just when I decided that Brandon would be an only child, the next day I found out I was pregnant. Silas arrived months later.

How glad I am that God doesn't do what I think is best or what I think I can handle.
Si is drastically different than Brandon. While Brandon is quiet and can sit and play alone for hours, Silas is a Tasmanian Devil of sorts who can't stand being alone. Loud, hilarious, and energetic beyond belief.

Silas is me.
I know the curse of many grandparents is that their own child will have a child like themselves. How glad I am! (Sorry, to have this plan backfire on you, Mom!)
Silas has trouble with self-control. So do I. When Si has trouble being a good boy, he has a mommy who can totally relate to the challenge of saying and doing the wrong thing, of being overly passionate and energetic, speaking before thinking, etc. Silas wants to go a million miles a minute. So do I. Silas is my precious companion. My bike riding/ walking/ hiking/ adventuring buddy.

I'm so blessed with my Si. He is a loving, tender, thoughtful, sometimes bull-in-a-China-shop type of boy...and I love him dearly for everything he is.

Happy Birthday, sweet Si. YOU ROCK!

being Lady Wisdom

2011-07-10T22:32:00.000-07:00

Proverbs 8~

I read the first few verses and I can relate to the person named "wisdom":

Lifting up my voice,

taking a high stand,

where the paths of various worldviews meet,

crying out -(vs. 1-5)

"O you simple ones, understand prudence, and you fools, be of an understanding heart!"

I feel like this every day. Maybe just because I am a loud mouth, and I really desire righteousness in a world where it is terribly lacking.

But I wonder, am I truly wise?

Certainly, attempting to immerse myself often in the Word of God can only help the cause of speaking with wisdom, but verse 8 says: "All the words of my mouth are with righteousness; Nothing crooked or perverse is in them." I can't say that without choking it out, because it isn't totally true of me. All my words are not righteous…maybe self-righteous - which is not only unwise but prideful. "Nothing crooked or perverse…" I wish that were true of my conversation. But, just ask my husband --- plenty of crooked and perverse things escape my mouth all the time. And if it comes out of the mouth then it must, therefore, be in the heart.

"Out of the abundance of the heart does the mouth speak." (Mt. 12:34)

If I speak negatively or crookedly, then the same is in my heart. I want all of my words to be righteous; but to also remain humble. And there, I believe, the struggle for balance will be lifelong. "Take heed where you stand lest you fall." (1 Cor. 10:12) Just when I think I'm doing ok not being judgmental or critical, I let my guard down thinking that I finally get it, only to have it rear it's ugly head again when I'm not looking. Then, there I am being ugly and I don't see it for weeks, or even months. Bleh!!! I hate me sometimes….and usually right after the time I've been loving me so much. Ha! Pride goes before a fall. (Pr. 16:18)

And so my prayer is that I might strive and ultimately become this woman of Proverbs 8 who embodies wisdom…that wisdom would take me over and there would no longer be a shred of Kori, but only the wisdom of a great and glorious God channeled through a unique personality: mine.

To balance information/knowledge and the passion therein with a genuine and desperate love for all mankind. Sometimes I see it in me, but my passion and lack of self-control therein, possibly hurt more than help. I don't know for sure. But I'd like to err on the perspective side of my not cutting-the-mustard rather than being-all-that-and-a-bag-o'-chips.

I really could use a little more help in showing that I "rejoice in His inhabited world, and my delight is with the sons of men." (v. 31) Truly, though, I wouldn't bother "shouting from the rooftops" if I didn't want the eternal salvation for all the sons of men. And you must know that there is no greater thing that can be desired for all mankind.

v. 12 "I, wisdom, …find out knowledge and discretion."

Discretion: the quality of behaving or speaking in such a way as to avoid causing offense or revealing private information; carefulness; caution; tact; guardedness; diplomacy; sensitivity

Well, let's face it, "offense" may be unavoidable as it relates to the message of the cross. (1 Ptr. 2:7-8) A non-Christian will be offended by Christ no matter how I say it, but I do want to be careful to be sensitive, and not cold and unfeeling - as I so often can be: wanting to just say it and sometimes not being so careful as to how I'm saying it. It's no good.
But, what I really love about this particular section of the passage is that wisdom finds knowledge and discretion. She seeks it out, searches for it, doesn't give up until it is in her possession. So should we be in our pursuit of knowledge and discretion. Not just succeeding but thriving in truly speaking the truth in love. (Eph. 4:15)

Above all - I deeply desire to speak excellent things, right things, truth (vs. 6-7).

"Listen, for I will speak of excellent things, and from the opening of my lips will come right things; for my mouth will speak truth…"

"Part of the process is recognizing and confessing judgmental, impure, or critical thoughts before they can make their way to our mouths and actions." (Beth Moore)

In writing this and also in my recent private devotion times, this idea of being pharisaical is recurring which can only lead me to believe that I am in reality being critical and self-righteous.

"O Lord, I want to be wise about what is good, yet innocent about what is evil (Rom. 16:19). I want to wash myself clean from every impurity of the flesh and spirit... Yet my life has proven again and again that desire is not enough. Help me, Lord, for I need You desperately." (Beth Moore)

What can we practically do to be people that embody wisdom?

Take captive every thought, intent, and motive to the obedience of Christ. (2 Cor. 10:5)
Refuse to speak of things or participate in conversation not pleasing to the Lord.
Fill my mind with Scripture (memorizing it) and edifying truth.
Meditate/dwell on those things that are true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous, and praiseworthy. (Php. 4:8)

O God! Yes, I need You desperately!! Make every thought, emotion, and breath to be immersed in wisdom. I'm a complete failure! But God! (How I love those words: "Lord, everything is a disaster, but You..." For with God nothing is impossible.) He can work this miracle in me. Please do it, Lord! And help me to actively pursue it. Take criticism, legalism, and any pharisaical attitude from me. I sense it in me now and am so thankful to Your Holy Spirit for bringing it to my attention. You are so good, God. Thank You. Change me!

Change my heart, O God.

Make it ever true.

Change my heart, O God.

May I be like You.

Ignorance is bliss?

2011-07-08T18:20:00.000-07:00

I refuse to be willingly ignorant of the truth...even if it's not politically correct.

Just felt like I had to say that, so there it is. Random, I know. But there is a method to my madness -
Here, I'll give it a shot...I know I'm being vague, but to protect the offender, I must be.

Some people will ignore the truth about a situation because it is not p.c.; or it's unpleasant; or, for goodness sake, we might offend someone. Reality is still reality regardless of our perspective of it.

"The message of the cross is foolishness to those that are perishing. But we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews, and folly to the Gentiles..." ~1 Cor. 1:18, 23

"'The stone the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone;' ...'a stone of stumbling, a rock of offense.' They stumble because they disobey the Word, as they were destined to do." ~1 Peter 2:7-8

We can deny something until we're blue in the face, but our denial does not mean that the reality doesn't exist.

Unbroken...The Story of Olympian and P.O.W. Louie Zamperini

2011-07-07T10:47:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading the most unbelievable story and you ought to read it, also. I blasted through it in just a few days and was totally captivated. Everyone should read this story. If you are wondering if it would be appropriate to share with your children, I would save it for older high schoolers as there is some (very little language and other inappropriate things mentioned) disturbing stuff. But, I have told my children the whole story and even showed them the videos below. There is a shot of the P.O.W.'s in pretty emaciated conditions - basically breathing skeletons. It didn't bother my boys, but I want to let you know about that.

Here are some videos about the life of a true America Hero, Louie Zamperini. The book covers all of this and so much more. You would think there couldn't possibly be more to this life, but when you read the book you will be absolutely awestruck by what this man has endured and has become gloriously victorious over. AMAZING.

At the tail end of the 2nd and 3rd video is a lot of loud static. FYI.

http://www.louiezamperini.com/ is his website. If you can believe it, he's still alive.

I was so overcome when I finished his story that I immediately looked up his website and wrote him the following letter. Please get this book. I borrowed it from the library. It is excellent and totally inspiring. Bless you.

Dear Louie,

I just finished reading "Unbroken" not five minutes ago. I really don't know what to say; but desperately wanted to make contact.

I am 37 years old and pretty ignorant of WW2 history, but as I am now a home schooling mom to two precious boys, I have discovered a new hunger for learning and this book about your story has been absolutely heart-wrenching. How glad I am for your survival and salvation, and therefore your testimony of the deep healing of Jesus. I, too, am a Christian...healed by a marvelous God of my own devastation. Praise the Lord!

I just want you to know that I will never forget your story. I will share it with my children as they grow and learn and you will forever be a hero to this family.

All God's very best to you, sir. You are absolutely wonderful, brave, resilient, a beacon of hope and courage. Thank you for bearing your soul for this book so that many may read it and be deeply inspired.

I hope to raise brave and resilient heroes like you. Thank you for the example you have set.

Much love and appreciation and so much gratitude for your service to this most beautiful country. It is because of men like you that I and my family are still living a free life in the beautiful U.S.A.

God bless you,

Kori Peterson

bahahahaha...

2011-07-02T12:37:00.000-07:00

Jame found these. Enjoy.

The New Calamity - by John Piper

2011-07-02T10:49:00.000-07:00

A post by John Piper on his blog, June 30th. Sobering and sad.
Recently New York legalized same-sex marriage. These are his thoughts.

_________________________

"My Eyes Shed Streams of Tears - Thoughts on the New Calamity"

Jesus died so that heterosexual and homosexual sinners might be saved. Jesus created sexuality, and has a clear will for how it is to be experienced in holiness and joy.

His will is that a man might leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife, and that the two become one flesh (Mark 10:6-9). In this union, sexuality finds its God-appointed meaning, whether in personal-physical unification, symbolic representation, sensual jubilation, or fruitful procreation.

For those who have forsaken God’s path of sexual fulfillment, and walked into homosexual intercourse or heterosexual extramarital fornication or adultery, Jesus offers astonishing mercy.

Such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God (1 Corinthians 6:11).

But last weekend this salvation from sinful sexual acts was not embraced. Instead there was massive celebration of sin.

One estimate said that 400,000 people celebrated gay pride in Minneapolis. That’s more than the population of the city. The number is probably inflated, but for the first time in history, it did include the governor of the state, Mark Dayton.

The Bible is not silent about such parades. Alongside its clearest explanation of the sin of homosexual intercourse (Romans 1:24-27) stands the indictment of the celebration of it. Though people know intuitively that homosexual acts (along with gossip, slander, insolence, haughtiness, boasting, faithlessness, heartlessness, ruthlessness) are sin, “they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them” (Romans 1:29-32). “I tell you even with tears, that many glory in their shame” (Philippians 3:18–19).

This is what our governor was doing on Sunday along with millions of others across the country—knowing these deeds are wrong, “yet approving those who practice them.”

Not only that, we are moving from celebration to institutionalization. On June 24 the New York legislature approved a Marriage Equality Act. This makes New York the sixth state where so-called homosexual marriages will be institutionalized: Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, (and the District of Columbia).

My sense is that we do not realize what a calamity is happening around us. The new thing—new for America, and new for history—is not homosexuality. That brokenness has been here since we were all broken in the fall of man. (And there is a great distinction between the orientation and the act—just like there is a great difference between my orientation to pride and the act of boasting.)

What’s new is not even the celebration of homosexual sin. Homosexual behavior has been exploited, and reveled in, and celebrated in art, for millennia. What’s new is normalization and institutionalization. This is the new calamity.

My main reason for writing is not to mount a political counter-assault. I don’t think that is the calling of the church as such. My reason for writing is to help the church feel the sorrow of these days. And the magnitude of the assault on God and his image in man.

Christians, more clearly than others can see the tidal wave of pain that is on the way. Sin carries in it its own misery: “Men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error” (Romans 1:27).

And on top of sin’s self-destructive power comes, eventually, the wrath of God: “sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming” (Colossians 3:5–6).

Christians know what is coming, not only because we see it in the Bible, but because we have tasted the sorrowful fruit of our own sins. We do not escape the truth that we reap what we sow. Our marriages, our children, our churches, our institutions—they are all troubled because of our sins.

The difference is: We weep over our sins. We don’t celebrate them. We turn to Jesus for forgiveness and help. We cry to Jesus, “who delivers us from the wrath to come” (1 Thessalonians 1:10).

And in our best moments, we weep for the world. In the days of Ezekiel God put a mark of hope “on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in Jerusalem” (Ezekiel 9:4).

This is what I am writing for. Not political action, but love for the name of God and compassion for the city of destruction.

“My eyes shed streams of tears, because people do not keep your law.” (Psalm 119:136)

Benjamin Franklin's creed

2011-06-29T18:26:00.000-07:00

"Here is my creed. I believe in one God, the Creator of the universe. That he governs it by his Providence. That he ought to be worshipped. That the most acceptable service we render to him is in doing good to his other children. That the soul of man is immortal, and will be treated with justice in another life respecting its conduct in this. These I take to be the fundamental points in all sound religion..." ~Benjamin Franklin (Letter to Ezra Stiles, President of Yale University)

How's that for a non-religious Founding Father?

The Five Thousand Year Leap, Principles 27-28

2011-06-28T09:24:00.000-07:00

YAHOO! I finally finished it! It took me an embarrassing 13 months, but here I am entering my last post on The Five Thousand Year Leap. One thing I did notice is that it was less necessary for me to use the dictionary in these last few chapters. Ha! Maybe my vocabulary understanding is expanding?
I definitely recommend this book...even if it takes months to read. It isn't for lack of interest but simply because I wanted to take the time to fully comprehend its message and because I have a full life of books, children, and responsibilities. None of which I regret. This book can be purchased here. Thanks for going through it with me.

To read this series from the beginning, go here.

Principle 27: Avoiding the Burden of Debt

Well, the title of this chapter alone is enough to send us spiraling into depression...the emotional kind, not the monetary kind; though that sorta goes with the territory, I guess.

"...when you run into debt; you give to another the power over your liberty." ~Ben Franklin

Hence, the squeeze we are starting to feel from China.

Debt causes bondage.
To whom or what are we enslaved?

to the one we are indebted to;
to the fear of the risk of any change in location or profession;
of our own spirit - conscience and therefore against our own happiness.

The Founders saw debt as a "temporary handicap...alleviated at the earliest possible moment." I think I'll start crying now. IMPOSSIBLE. So, it seems. Though my knowledge of God proves to me that nothing is impossible with Him, but we must depend on Him. (Mt. 19:26) Ok, I think I'll start crying again. When will we get our heads out of our butts and start looking to God for answers?! His presence is ridiculously obvious, yet we rationalize and deny His existence and refuse His guidance. And aren't we so much better off because our own brilliant (note the sarcasm) ideas? NO.

The Founders "felt that the wars, economic problems, and debts of one generation should be paid for by the generation which incurred them." ...so that the subsequent generations would be free. But now we force our posterity into economic bondage from the moment they are born.

"When we trace the history of the national debt, we find that the policy laid down by the Founders has been followed by every generation until the present one." (p.209)

And why is that? Because during the Great Depression government got too big for its britches and overstepped its authority and now we are paying dearly for it...or not paying. The shackles of debt are locked on us.

Click it and weep: U.S. National Debt Clock : Real Time.

Principle 28: Manifest Destiny

"The United States has a manifest destiny to be an example and a blessing to the entire human race."

We are special. We are unique. We are God-blessed. And I won't ever apologize for it. God has set us apart. May He continue to rest His hand of grace and peace upon us, though we now find ourselves in a place where we absolutely do not deserve it. "When we are faithless, He remains faithful." (2 Tim. 2:13) That being said, I do sense that one day enough will be enough and justice will reign in our land. We don 't want justice. We want grace. But it will only come if we surrender ourselves to the perfect will of God.

I hear the phrase "manifest destiny" often and have never known really what it meant, so I did an internet definition search and this is what came up: the doctrine or belief prevalent in the 19th century that the U.S. had the God-given right to expand and possess the whole of the North American continent. This sounded a little off to me...the idea that we are to selfishly conquer ---honestly, it sounds like a lie to me.

"It is extremely important to distinguish between a sense of mission, and the spirit of perverted chauvinism associated with the idea of 'racial superiority.' The former is a call to exemplary leadership and service. The latter is the arrogant presumption of a self-appointed role to conquer and rule." (p.216)

or as John Adams put it:

"I always consider the settlement of America with reverence and wonder, as the opening of a grand scene and design in Providence for the illumination of the ignorant, and the emancipation of the slavish part of mankind all over the earth." (emphasis added.)

Pardon me, but the Founders' intent regarding manifest destiny is a wee bit different from the propaganda of revisionists and liars that is so prevalent in our American culture today. How important it is that we know the truth! And how inspiring it is! Until this present generation, America has been looked at as a nation to imitate and admire. It has been a coveted dream by a world starved of freedom. But now we are saturated with a generation entitlement-minded lemmings; we have a president who bows and apologizes to tyrants all over the world; a media embarrassed by American success and exceptionalism.

In conclusion:
"The Founders knew they were sailing into uncharted waters, and the knew their ship of state was entirely different from anything else on the face of the earth. True, they had examined every kind of political operation known to man, and they had abstracted from history every lesson and precaution they could learn, but their own product was unique, bold, and filled with the promise of a better day." (p.218)

"Happily for America, happily we trust for the whole human race, they pursued a new and more noble course. They accomplished a revolution which has no parallel in the annals of human society." ~James Madison (emphasis added.)

So, let us never take for granted the miracle of America. Let us not let our guard down. Let us not sleep on the watchtower but be alert. There are plenty who hate our freedom and there is a darker enemy behind it all who seeks to kill, steal, and destroy. Be on you guard. Be in prayer. Be thankful for the rarity of freedom on the earth and that we are participants thereof.

Pastor Steve

2011-06-27T20:49:00.000-07:00

I want to take a minute to give my pastor props.

He is a man who stands strongly on his convictions and is not afraid to speak what is right even though it may not be popular or politically correct. One of my favorite mentor ladies, Sally Clarkson, often says that if you take a stand you become a target. Thus has been the case with my beloved pastor. Because of his unwavering commitment to God's ways according to the Bible, he has come under intense scrutiny of the community. Surprisingly he has even become a target of people once involved in our own fellowship. Yet, in it all he handles it with grace and logic and confidence. As does his precious wife.

I admire Steve because he not only is deeply passionate for God's Word but is also passionate for the condition and history of our country.

He is a devoted teacher of the Word and a loving shepherd of the flock God has put before him. His teaching is quite possibly the best scriptural teaching I have ever been under. He obviously loves the Word and immerses himself in it - exhaustively researching and studying so that he may share it with us. And how we love it! We are well-fed, encouraged, and motivated to not only hear the Word but to be doers of it as well. He is intimately involved in the workings of his church and encourages accountability, service, and right relationships. I personally have been encouragingly confronted by him on several occasions and his exhortation has been gentle and right. I love that he is a peacemaker and not a peacekeeper. He confronts when something must be confronted and doesn't allow for an unhealthy status quo.

I know his job is not an easy one, but it is a blessed one. And he is absolutely the right person for it. I know he is encountered with opposition, criticism, and hostility. As unpleasant as this may be, he remains patient, kind, honest, and uncompromising.

Steve, you are a treasure to your "flock." We adore you and are so thankful for you. This post has not even touched the surface of your character and integrity nor has it sufficiently expressed our deep appreciation for you and Marian, but I do hope it is an encouragement.

Many blessings and much prayer for you and your family,

photo booth

2011-06-23T12:51:00.000-07:00

There's an icon on the toolbar at the bottom of my screen on my Mac. It says "photo booth" and it scares me because I don't know what it is and have never taken the time to figure it out.

Enter Silas.
"Mom, I want to do something on your computer."
I now know what photo booth is. Thanks to Si.

Mystery solved.

wise children are a delight.

2011-06-23T12:16:00.000-07:00

"The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice,

and he who begets a wise child will delight in him."

~Proverbs 23:24

Father,

Thank You so much for my precious boys.

As I see the awful strife a foolish child can bring. I just want to thank you for two boys whose hearts are Yours; who want to please us and You...even at this young age. Help us to guide them well in all truth. How much we need You.

Please cause my children to have hearts fully devoted to You and unwavering. Standing up against a perverse and foolish culture. Not caring if they are the only ones. Help me to impart that two these two precious souls. Help me to be the same so I can lead by example. No compromise. No turning back. No giving up. Doing what's hard for the eternal glory of Your pleasure and presence.

Amen.

Cast out the scoffer.

2011-06-22T06:57:00.000-07:00

I know I'm being repetitive, but a constant theme continues to appear in my reading of Scripture and for the sake of my own family and those close to us who are struggling with a wayward, disrespectful, offensive "child" living in their home; I hope that God's Word will give them direction regarding how to deal with such a one. And maybe You need a clear Word from Scripture as well. If not, just bear with me while we move through this trial. (To read my previous post on this subject, click here.)

"Cast out the scoffer, and contention will leave; Yes, stife and reproach will cease." (Proverbs 22:10)

Ironically (or not) I read yesterday Scriptures definition of a "scoffer."

"A proud and haughty man---'scoffer' is his name; He acts with arrogant pride." (Pr. 21:24)

Webster's Dictionary definitions:

"scoffer" = one that mocks, derides, or reproaches in a language of contempt
"scorn" = to hold in extreme contempt; to think unworthy; to disdain; to slight; to disregard; to neglect
"haughty" = proud and disdainful; having a high opinion of one's self, with some contempt for others; lofty and arrogant
"proud" = daring; presumptuous; possessing a high or unreasonable conceit of one's own excellence, either of body or mind

As I write, I wonder how to apply this to my own life: rebellious teenagers aside. Who are the scoffers in my life? Will I also be obedient and cast them out? Who causes contention? --- From another angle, in what areas am I proud and haughty? O Lord, deliver me from those. We all know that pride goes before a fall.

the result of greatly delighting in Scripture

2011-06-21T23:14:00.000-07:00

"Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in His commandments. His descendants will be mighty on earth; The generation of the upright will be blessed." ~Psalm 112

When I read this today, my heart leapt! Didn't I just say that I love, love, love God's Word!?! ;)

And since I do, it is promised that my children will be mighty! Hallelujah! And so will yours if you delight in the Word of God! We are raising a generation of world changers who will be mighty on this earth. Start out by immersing yourself in the very Word of God! "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added to you." (Mt. 6:33) First things first.

"His delight is in the law of the Lord and on His law he meditates both day and night. He will be like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, whose leaf does not wither. In all he does, he prospers." ~Ps. 1:2-3

To think that America's Founders and Constitution Framers were raised with an emphasis on God's Word. And look at the result! A free nation. A generation of patriots who accomplished something no one ever had before. Heroism, courage, integrity. Generations that catapulted the world into innovation, creativity, and technological advances incomprehensible.
How we need a generation like this now. Let's do it ladies. Saturate ourselves and our children in truth, love, faith, and hope through deep Biblical understanding.

Be blessed,

Psalm 1

2011-06-21T02:45:00.000-07:00

If you know me at all, you know that I love, love, love God's word.

I have many favorite verses:
Psalm 30:5,11-12
Romans 8:28
Proverbs 10:19
2 Corinthians 1:3-5
James 1:5

And another one of my very favorites is Psalm 1.

"Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the Lord and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does he shall prosper."

The picture of the man who studies diligently the Word of God and does not let culture or contrary opinion sway him. Resulting in a firm and solid foundation; strength; confidence in knowing what the truth is.

I have no idea where I heard this, but I refer to it often:

People who are trained to recognize counterfeit money never study counterfeit money. They only study the real thing so that if anything other than the real thing passes through their hands, it is immediately recognized as a fraud.

And so we ought to be with the truth.
Truth is not relative.

Truth is Jesus.

Jesus is God.

God is truth.

And Jesus is the Word of God.

God's Word is truth.

We need not go anywhere else.

Are you struggling with an emotional problem? You don't need a secular psychologist. All you need God's Word and people who know God's Word who can counsel you.

Do you want to have a godly perspective of what is going on in our world?
Many Christians have made it their reasonable service to make known the things that concern and affect us in this world. (Links to various resources with a Christian worldview can be found in the side bar of this blog. Just go to the section: "Stay informed on the issues...") The government-run media isn't giving you the truth. The anti-God media isn't giving you the truth. Don't waste your time. Don't waste your mind.

Everything we need is in the pages of scripture. Everything we need is within the Body of Christ.

"His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness." (2 Peter 1:3)

"And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them all, as anyone might have need." (Acts 2:44-45)

"All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

"And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, sand some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the Body of Christ." (Ephesians 4:11-12)

I often share articles of interest (written by Christians) with people; and unbelievers who are privy often send me secular articles with ungodly perspectives. Granted, we ought to be willing to see both sides of a situation. But, if you know something is wrong because God says it's wrong, then, really, do you need to research the opposing perspective? No, you don't. Cling to the truth. Don't jumble your mind with "every wind of doctrine." Knowledge abounds. (Dan. 12:4) Useless knowledge abounds, too.

"...we should no longer be children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting." (Ephesians 4:14)

Trickery of men. Cunning craftiness. Deceitful plotting.

Wow, methinks Paul is tellin' us what he really thinks.

"Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly..." Let's just obey God on this. It is one of the very first lessons I ever learned as a Christian and so vital. I hope this encourages you. It is so easily applicable. Just don't seek out counsel, advice, or information from an ungodly source. God has provided everything we need.

Be blessed,

"Don't bite the hand that feeds you"

2011-06-19T20:04:00.000-07:00

...and for goodness sake, if you're on the other end, stop accommodating the biting creature!!

We know some people who are struggling with a child who has become increasingly deceptive, and wickedly defiant. It is apparent that peers and culture are heavily influencing this one. Since we are indirectly involved, it has caused me to ponder the best course of action. My natural leaning is to let the rebellious child go as a prodigal and not allow the demonic presence that is following this one into the home. But, is this right? Some feel that grace should be offered and offered and offered even to the sacrifice of their own personal health and life; and even if it takes decades to occur. I can certainly see the love in this scenario, but it doesn't seem right to me.

"A man of great wrath will suffer punishment; for if you rescue him, you will have to do it again." (Proverbs 19:19) The NLT puts it this way: "Hot-tempered people must pay the penalty. If you rescue them once, you will have to do it again." (emphasis mine.)

I don't think this verse is advising whether or not to rescue such a person, but is telling us that if we do, we will have to do it again and again and again. We must choose if we want to be a slave to a fool or to let them go on their own. It is clear that appeasing/rescuing them will not result in turning them away from their bad behavior.

To what extent do we associate with fools?
What if they are Christians?
What if they are family?

It does seem to infer that constant contact/living with/intimate friendship is to be avoided.

"Make no friendship with an angry man, and with a furious man do not go, lest you learn his ways and set a snare for your soul." (Proverbs 22:24-25)
"An angry man stirs up strife, and a furious man abounds in transgression." (Proverbs 29:22)

Proverbs 13:20 tells us to walk (alluding to a long-term relationship) with the wise and that if we associate with fools, we will suffer harm.

"Bad company corrupts good morals." (1 Corinthians 15:33) Do I really want the goodness in my home corrupted? This is a no-brainer. NO!!!

It is clear that we are not to keep company on an on-going basis with those who are being foolish and with those who will negatively influence us. The danger is that we may also join them in their sin; and that we will suffer harm.

Scripture is even clearer concerning those who are not Christians.

"Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness: And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: 'I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people.' Therefore, 'Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.'" (1 Cor. 6:14-17)

To reach their hearts for the Lord, efforts must be made. Short visits. Letters. Invitations. Love.

Balancing love with discernment, wisdom, and just plain old common sense.

I think it is ok to welcome them into our home as long as it is for a brief period of time and assuming they are not bringing with them darkness, defiance, or any form of a bad attitude that challenges the peace in the home.

No refusing-to-be-saved, sinful, or wicked person will live under my roof; only those who bring with them the Spirit of God.

Scripture is clear. (Duh!) Here, we have been debating it --- using a few scriptures and a lot of useless psychobabble (why do we even go there?) and have only argued and upset one another. But, the answer is always in God's Word. How come I take so long to get to it? Ugh!
Thank You, Jesus, that You bring such clarity!

p.s. To read more on this subject, click here.

"Nick of Time" by Ted Bell

2011-06-19T17:54:00.000-07:00

We just finished reading The Nick of Time by Ted Bell. Awesome!

Nazi submarine.
Spies.
Evil pirates.
Secret treasure.
Time travel.
Sea battles.

Meet Lord Nelson and Winston Churchill.

Inspire heroism in your kids. Like Snow Treasure (true story of Norwegian children during Nazi occupation), it encourages us all to courage and sacrifice for the greater good.

It was a teeny bit above Si's head (he's almost 6). But Brandon (age 7) LOVED it! It's aim is for kids around age 10+.

Enjoy!