seeing the promise afar off

These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. (Heb. 11:13)

Reading through the "Hall of Faith" this morning and taken captive by this verse as I often have tried to express this thought myself, but of course scripture says it most concisely.  It speaks of Abraham and Moses and so many who longed for the Promised Land and never saw it for themselves but trusted the promise of God that it would come to their posterity.

And so it was for the Pilgrims who called themselves "stepping stones," yearning and pursuing freedom to worship God in a free country...most never seeing it for themselves, but knwoing that it wasn't for themselves that they were pursuing it, but for their children and their children's children.  And America's founding heroes: Nathan Hale, the 7 minutemen who perished at the Lexington Battle Green, and multiple others who sacrificed and died that a nation might be free.  They never saw it for themselves, but their children, grandchildren, and great-great-great-great grandchildren embrace the freedom (albeit not with enough appreciation) their ancestors pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor for.  Thank you to those who can't hear the words from me.  They are long gone from this earth but so many reside in the eternal city where I will one day join them and offer my inadequate thanks and appreciation.

Not mentioned are the brave slaves who risked their lives and families for freedom as they fled through the underground railroad, or Martin Luther King who sought equal rights for all, yet never saw it for himself.  Freedom came.  Freedom lives.  And we must continue to hold onto it tightly and never give up the fight.

And so, we who fight for the lives of the unborn may never see it in our day, but we keep on so that our children's children's children may have life and not be snuffed out of earthly existence.

And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. (Galatians 6:9)  

We may be the stepping stones for the millions of unborn that will live to see the light of day.  To God be the glory.  It is God who gives freedom, who gives life.

This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses.  Now, choose life so that you and your children may live.  (Dt. 30:19)  

The mission of every woman

(continuing on the feminism theme...)

This is my 3rd time reading through The Mission of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson.  It is an innovative work...though it really shouldn’t be.  Sally aims at restoring the true role of motherhood.  

A few little blurbs from chapter 2:

“Some parents...have children essentially for the same reason they marry--to make themselves feel good.  ...passing on a legacy of emotional neediness rather than godliness. 

Another consequence of straying from God’s plan for children is that they come to be regarded as a burden, the often-inconvenient by-products of sex.  ...they easily come to be seen as a time drain, a monetary expense, a career impediment, and a curtailer of personal freedom.

Such devaluing of children can have devastating effects on both personal and societal levels.  It leads naturally to a preoccupation with birth control, a high abortion rate, and to child abuse and neglect.

Even when lip service is paid to the value of the family, there is still the underlying assumption that only ‘real’ work -financial performance, career achievement, or some other contribution outside of the home---counts in terms of value and success.  Often, as a result, women feel confused and torn between cultural messages they hear about what is important for them to do and the eternal message God has written on their hearts.”

Obviously a delusional woman suffering through the bondage of her children.  She must be liberated by the modern feminist ideas and get with the times.   ...or not.

My introduction to Sally and my first reading of this book truly liberated me from the cultural feminist oppression that has seeped into every corner of the fabric of society.  Freed from a once-trapped mind & life convinced that having babies and caring for them myself wasn’t nearly as important as leaving them in the hands of someone else (who I barely know and doesn’t love them nearly as much as I) and going to work at a “real job.”  God’s plan is real liberation.  No woman-made (feminist) fabrication of a plan that undervalues the lives of children and moms can even begin to compare with the unique and perfect design of the ferocious, all-knowing, enormous, wise Creator of heaven, earth and every life.

a liberated woman

“An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who brings him shame is like rottenness in his bones.” (Pr. 12:4)

“It is better to live in a corner of the housetop than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife.” (Pr. 27:15)

“A continual dripping on a rainy day and a quarrelsome wife are alike.” (Pr. 27:15)

I read the “Men R Fools” chapter of Dr. James Dobson’s Bringing Up Boys recently and was sickened (again) by the influence of the oppressive feminist mindset in our culture.

Age old, centuries old, generations old foundations that have been lost in recent years as a result of the subversive feminist movement which has had the opposite effect it claims to pursue: liberate women.  The only problem is women are “liberated” from being the easiest and most natural thing for them to be, and thus denying women of their very nature.  This isn’t liberation, it is bondage.  Roles are confused and result only in tension and frustration in marriage.  Women do not yield to their husbands and instead struggle for control.  As if women don’t have enough to worry about: the well-being of our uniquely designed bodies, care of our homes, husbands, children, educating our children, outside-the-home pursuits.  A woman’s life is full enough without adding onto it the pressures of decisions and provision that God has ordained our husbands to take on...with our support and wisdom.

My friend recently said, “I want to be led by my man and he to be led by God.”  Peace, contentment, and joy will follow.

I’m a firm believer in “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”  The far-from-noble feminists of society have relentlessly “fixed” that which was not broken, and now it is a shattered mess of debris unrecognizable for it’s original purpose.

How glad I am, though, to find freedom in being a wife and mom.  I am surrounded by a multitude of other women that understand and embrace their roles, as well.  Each is deeply influential and that influence is far-reaching beyond their imagination.  

To not have to be squeezed into the feminist mold is exhilarating.

“He who finds a wife is a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.” (Pr. 18:22)

Of course, as I write all of this I am very aware that I am so far from the noble & virtuous woman of Proverbs 31.  My poor husband puts up with a whole lot from me.  I am opinionated, loud, and sassy.  My husband is far more of a blessing to me than I am to him.  “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me His own.” (Php. 3:12)  

“And I am sure of this, the He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” (Php. 1:16)

dos eggies

Back in the day, I worked as a hostess/fountain girl/waitress at Ruby’s Diner  in Corona Del Mar.  Ok, so I was a worthless waitress.  Talk about not being able to multi-task...yeah, that’s me.  Anyhoo...  I was working at the fountain one day.  (Everybody loves the fountain girl!  I mean, really, you have to be in a good mood when someone is handing you ice cream, right?!)  A waitress asked me if I would grab her “dos eggies” out of the pantry room.  “Sure!” I said.  I thought it was strange that eggs would be kept in a pantry and not in some sort of refrigerated apparatus, but there I was searching high and low for 2 eggs.  ...to no avail.  I knew it was taking me an eternity, so I finally came back and told the waitress, “I’m so sorry but I can’t find a single egg back there.”  She had a puzzled expression and said, “I asked for Dos Equis...the beer?”  

“Ohh....I thought you wanted dos egg-ies.”  Needless to say, we had a good laugh and my hubby often reminds me of that story.

I’ve never been a drinker, so hopefully my naivete is understandable. ;)
Yes.  This is a true story.

Viva Las Vegas

The family spent last week in Vegas.
Here's the photo gallery.

On our way...

weird shoe tree in Amboy, CA

Joshua Tree Forest

_______________

Death Valley

View of the badlands from Zabriskie Point

My super-cute hubby!

Poser.

Chuckwalla checkin' us out.

_______________

Vegas

pre-Circus Circus meal

 As we left Circus Circus, Brandon excitedly says, "Wow! I never knew I could have so much fun in one day!"  He scored prizes and tickets and made out like a bandit.

The reason for our visit, our sweet friend, Jon!

BFF's

In the Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Gardens

our sweet Brandon

Si's staring contest with a fish.

_______________

Hoover Dam & Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge

So, it would seem that

what happens in Vegas gets posted to the blog.

Home schooling coincidences...I love those!

We are spending the week in Las Vegas.  As a homeschooling mom, of course I hunted all over the web for educational opportunities here in such a unique place.  (No, there's no vacation for home schoolers!)  We have narrowed it down to the Hoover Dam, Titanic (an exhibit at the Luxor hotel), and the state of Nevada.

Yesterday morning, we all sat down to breakfast and Jamie read from The Child's Story Bible about the Tower of Babel.   As he read, I was reminded that Jonathan Park has an episode where they discuss the Tower of Babel and the origins of languages.  I transferred the mp3 from my computer to my Blackberry so the boys could listen to it on our way to Death Valley yesterday.  We also spent a big chunk of our morning learning about the Titanic and I have told the boys numerous times that it was the pride of man that preceded the great tragedy that the Titanic's maiden voyage resulted in.   My two little sweeties always respond with "Pride goes before a fall." (Pr. 16:18)

Did you know that the 4th smoke stack on the Titanic is fake?
It was added to improve the appearance of the ship.

Anyway, we listened to Jonathan Park in the car and wouldn't you know that as they discussed the pride of man in the building of the Tower of Babel, they start addressing the pride of men in light of Titanic.  LOL!  God is soooo cool!  I totally had no idea that was in there!

Home schooling is the absolute best.   Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and everything else will be added to you! (Mt. 6:33 - click here for my recent post on this subject.)

Been there, done that!

Sorry I haven't written much.  I have a lot on my mind just no time to sit and write it.  Maybe during next week's vacation. :)
But here are some fun photos of our recent outings.  Enjoy!  And thanks for checking in!

Brandon on Palm Canyon Trail.
One of many hikes we have recently taken around our beautiful desert.
Our lovely friends, the Kottman's, were visiting from England
and Matt shot this pic of B.

________________

The boys at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Museum in Balboa Park.

________________

Sweet mom, Anne, and precious grandma, Debie at the Conference.

Mommies: Tina & Tiffany.
I've known Tina since I was 13 years old. 

We had a wonderful time when Sally Clarkson came to Irvine for the latest Mom Heart Conference.  She asked me to share a little bit about my time at the Intensive in Colorado for the moms that may be considering going to a future Intensive.  I was soooo nervous, but it all went well.  Praise the Lord.

_________________

On our way to Orange County for President's Day, we made a stop at Pirate's Cove in Corona Del Mar. I told the boys not to get wet.  Yeah, that was funny!  Good thing I had a change of clothes in the car!

Nukka, a Malamute having a great time at the beach.

______________

For President's Day, we attended a fun event at the Nixon Presidential Library.  George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Teddy Roosevelt were there to meet us!  My precious friend, Jeannie, let us crash at her house the night before.

Jeannie & I and a portion of the Berlin Wall.

_______________

Si's little sleepy friend.
We had lunch at The Red Ocotillo with my bother-in-law
and the boys found this little guy who fell asleep in Si's hand.
Altogether now:  "Aaaaaaawwww!" 

_______________

We finally made it to the snow.  Cuyamaca Mountain.

Life is a vapor!  Enjoy it!