Category: Potpourri

more changes before the day’s over…

… than I thought.   I don’t think there are enough hours in the minutes of this morning to do the work necessary to make this a recognizable blogsite…….. but maybe after this gray morning clears… and the sun comes out (really!) I’ll be enthused to work on this mess. For now, I think I’ll take the wise advice and go in the kitchen and fix mochas for whoever wants to sympathize with me. I know I won’t be drinking them alone. ~smile~

Thanks to all who’re sympathizing with Glenys and her former website fiasco. If there are anymore links to verse for loving hearts that you happen to see on AChristianHome website, please let me know. I think we’ve gotten them all eliminated. (For those who are new to this, Glenys closed down the poetry and verse website and it was snatched up by a vulgar group who are using it as a pornsite now.)

after a major malfunction… maybe I am up and running again?
With a simple click… that’s all it took: click.
I sort fo felt like Ann(e) of Green Gables… I looked at the brooch and it… slippppped from my fingers and sank beneath the rippling waves.

I effectively erased the other blog completely. Ooops.

The sun’ll come out tomorrow
bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow
there’ll be sun
Just thinking about tomorrow
clears away the cobwebs and the sorrow… ’till there’s none

When I’m stuck with a day that’s gray and lonely
I just stick out my chin and grin and say: oh…

The sun’ll come out tomorrow
so you got to hang until tomorrow
come what may
tomorrow, tomorrow I love ya tomorrow
you’re always a day away
tomorrow, tomorrow I love ya tomorrow
You’re always just a daaaaaaaaay awaaaaaay

That’s awaaaay.  Not waaaaaaaahhhh.

Another Saturday Morning	February 11, 2006

It’s early… one of the kinds of mornings I treasure so much… spending time with one child—the little early-birdie who brings the sunshine in!   Standing at the counter, and he sitting on the stool with the cutting board pulled out to form a table for him next to the toaster, we enjoyed tea and toast together. I’m purposefully etching the moment into my memory… for the days are fleeting.

I’ve browsed the paper (yes, the paper-paper—-I remembered where I’d last set my glasses and thankfully, didn’t have to ask for the billionth time to no one in particular: “has anyone seen my glasses?”) and then I came into the sunroom to see the mails and messages on the computer.    Two letters, in particular, stood out to me this morning… one encouraging me to get back on track writing to and about homemakers/homemaking and the other, an encouragement to keep on doing the work I’m doing.

So, I mulled over the letters, the other mail and more news stories.  I studied more about (what I’ve not talked about at all here) an upcoming surgery I will have next week.  And, like the gift of a mother’s laryngitis to her children ~wink~ I’ll be a bit too pre-op-upied to blog and too post-op-upied to tell about it.  Anyway, I’m creating a page… a journal of sorts that details the journey a bit and gives a bit of information on options and surgery, etc.  I’ll share later about this thrilling adventure—sparing the not-so-entertaining details of course.  I am smiling as I suppose were I to blog this time next week… the writing might be very amusing—that, or they’d lock me away for certain and toss away the key when the entry looks like:

But that’s a blog for another day.  Okay, so, I know I’ve been inordinately preoccupied with the social trends and will likely continue to be so—to a degree… it’s just a reflection of who I am—-but I’m also preoccupied with marriage and family.  These all seem to, with the influence of societal assaults, intersect and sometimes, collide.

I don’t know if I think it’s my duty or obligation or just what, but I do feel constrained to share from time to time (and I’ll concede it’s really been overboard lately) the societal trends and trends in the church.  I do this for many reasons, not the least of which is stand against the gradual inclination for Christians to blend with society or to have society blend into them.  I share different things or different angles of things because I feel I cannot idly sit at the intersection and not sound the horn when fully loaded semi carrying toxic waste is careening toward the van that’s carrying innocent children and is sitting in harm’s way.  This probably sounds overly dramatic… but really, when you think about it… it’s not.

So, I guess all that to say: O, we must be more purposeful in the training up of our children, more decisive in choosing what is best, more diligent in teaching and demonstrating faith in the LORD, more determined to live in obedience to God’s Word and unwavering in our resolve to be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks the reason of the hope that is within us.  We must be more resolute to give respect to our husbands, and to be sweet and loving in our homes.  Our homes must stand as beacons of light and truth—-love and joy in the LORD.  This necessarily means being aware of the dogs… being aware of the wolves that lurk about—the enemy: that  roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.  These are all very real—all very necessary to see and understand.

Please pardon me for what seems to have been a bit of over attention to societal reflections and reactions — I would adjure everyone—husbands, fathers, wives, mothers, young people… be aware of what’s going on around us.  This is not to say to be familiar with evil, but to be aware.  Pay attention to the signs of the times. Unmask the ploys of the enemy.  Very simple lies have become truths to Christians—the slow and calculated indoctrination of lies have weakened and drawn away many.   Be aware of what’s going on in society.  Be aware of what’s on your computer—really—check the history, be aware of where the clicks have taken the computer users in your home.  Get the kids *off* “My-Space” and guard their time and conversations, friends and activities.  Be aware of the subtle influence of “sensitivity training,”  “diversity,” “sexual-orientation,” and a myriad of other phrases, concepts and liberal-speak.  I do not say this meanly, spitefully, or in anger.  I am saying all of this in an attempt to bring awareness of the tidal wave that is carrying away the church… and the church is getting carried away in its attempt to be all things to all people in all places.

I’ll get to talking about other stuff…  and there really are lots of other things going on.  Lots of other things.  I know, I know… I’m really overboard sometimes—passionate to a fault!

So a bit of family musing this morning… as I was kissed and hugged awake by a little sunshine earlier this morning.

Our family sort of seems to have come in “sets” of children.  First, we had our “trainer set” and then a foursome and then a trio and then a pair in the last of the “sets.”   So, the Trainer Set grew up, moved on and now have homes of their own.  The foursome—still asleep as I type this, are lively, busy, interesting and are each on the brink of the vast expanse of “the first day of the rest of their lives” as they, each one, prepare for what the LORD has for them.  The third set, the ‘trio,’ is also still sleeping yet this morning—having stayed up late to watch videos last night.  (Friday nights are the only nights we watch videos or movies, here)

This brings me to the sunshine and flowers… that’s what Andrew and Amelia are to me.  Though they are two years apart, they’re essentially the same age in terms of skill, interest and verbal ability.  Though their specific activities are not always similar, they always play together—or at least in proximity if their actual choice of activity/toy/game/etc. is different.  They’re in no hurry to not be little… thoroughly delighting in the softer things of life… fuzzy blankets, teddy bears, sippy cups, Blue’s Clues, stringing beads, shaping play-doh, making cards for everyone and colouring pictures for the fridge… they love bubble baths, quilts and story books.   They are the sunshine and flowers of my life… and I suppose, if this is so, the others are the fragrance and music and my husband is my inspiration.

 

July July 23, 2004 Growing up in California made me a Californian—but, seriously it’s hard for me to think that now living in Washington makes me a Washingtonian—this is just home to me. But I don’t feel like a Washingtonian.   Now, yesterdays’ blog may have been confusing—as it sounded as if we were in California.  Since California’s not in the real world anyway, how can one be very sure about anything when discussing the country of California.  It’s sort of like the whole place is a cinema or something.  Well, maybe a sinema.   What with all the make-believe and the guhlie-men and the Terminator plays the governor—or would that be better stated reversed.   Oh, the remarkable and the hard to believe—it’s infinite and surreal.   I remember a few years back when my son glanced over at a driver in a red Dodge Viper convertible… at the Saddleback church in Lake Forrest.  I’ve always wondered if the man heard Michael’s exclamation: “Ahhhh… suffering for Jesus!” I do need to make a stop in Sacramento or San Francisco or something, as it seems that when we got married , I neglected to go to the Social Security Admin.’s office to have my name changed.  Now, one would think that since we seem to have every piece of paper we have ever received/written, we would be able to find the necessary document for this name change—but no, of all the papers we could be missing, wouldn’t you know that it is our marriage license we’re missing.  So—this sudden discovery:  this wouldn’t be so ridiculous if we hadn’t filed taxes every year or if I hadn’t been employed in the early years, or that we were audited one year or at the very least, if we hadn’t sent in 11 forms for birth certificates and social security numbers for our children in addition to numerous other government documents over the years.  Anyway, it came up this year that that little task hadn’t been completed by the naive bride 26½ years ago—I had more important things on my mind—I was setting up an apartment in So. San Francisco… and it *was* in California, dontchaknow—besides, I had gone to the DMV—what more need I do, I must’ve thought.    Poor Wes, if it’s not one thing, it’s ten others.  The sunshine and the prospect of lots of it makes it worth it all, I s’pose… July 22,2004 One of the things I love best about being in California is *great* mexican food!  My sister in law’s cooking and the sunny days—waking up in the morning, looking out and *not* wondering: uh, is it raining today?  No! wake up, look out, ah it’s… sunny!  But—it sure isn’t home anymore—it’s the most familiar place in the world to me—and I used to think I’d be happy to live there again—but it’s not anymore. AI bizarre metamorphosis takes place when people go to california—and I’m not sure, but it seems that the heat makes money evaporate and it is so easy to assume a worldly mindset and brokenness over sin seems to nonexistent!  The trap of bigger-better-more.  All that said, I so love the refreshing sunshine, the wind and the water, and freeways(!) that drivers use for driving, beaches for sand castles, iced tea and laughter with the family, (and this is scriptural, now)  “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content [especially if the state is california].” Phi 4:11 (KJV-ps translation).  Then the deep down comfort that it’s not home to me anymore and soon we’ll return to the beautiful Northwest: home-sweet-home! Oh… and my sister in law’s cooking!  Dreaming of Carne Asada… and other things… Salsa and Dip Recipes: Salsa Fresca Ohmy, the matter of Sandy Berger’s lapse in judgment is incredible!  Doesn’t it sort of just boggle the mind that a former national security advisor would “inadvertently” remove legal documents—and then admit that some documents were “inadvertently discarded.”  Hey, now don’t you feel safe with this level of competence in the upper echelon of government—past or present??   Makes you wonder what Clinton wrote in his recent biography, My Life.   What seems alarmingly sad is that Former president Clinton called the controversy a “non-story,” and then is quoted,  “I wish I knew who leaked it. It’s interesting timing,” he said.  No matter the seriousness of the incident, no matter that vital information was mishandled—and worse, why?!?  Pathetic that getting caught or concerns over another “conspiracy” is foremost in the mind of one of the most influential men in America.  But then, evasion seems to be his broadening preoccupation in life. July 21, 2004 Go ahead… Skip today’s blog if you love cats. If there is one thing I hate (okay—hate is rather strong and so I will attempt to refrain from using this word to describe personal intolerance in the future) on this earth, I think for certain, it is cats.  I cannot count the ways in which they annoy me.  Additionally, and sadly (for me) my family loves these rodents—the more the merrier, in fact!  To further compound this pitiful situation: we have more kittens—lots more. I’m pretty sure that Kittens/Cats/rodents are the gardener’s number one irritation—certainly, above weeds and thistles, even!  I will even concede that I prefer moles to cats and moles are absolutely disgusting to me.  So… cats.  I wouldn’t mind if outdoorsy types distributed this weeks copies of Food Chain Today newsletter to all our neighbors and let them know that dinner’s on the porch!  Okay—that’s a graphic as I ought to get here… this is a family page, after all.  (Levity… levity—and, to give you an idea of the irriatation, that annoying paw print pattern above—well, it’s almost as annoying as cats themselves!  Almost.) My midwife is coming for a lunch/tea party today.  Our daughter-in-law will also be here, (as both friend and current “client”)  bringing tasty salads for our luncheon.  Now, this is going to be the first time we’ll be getting together for simply visiting.  Since I am still in a mid-wife crisis (as it seems I’ll never be preparing for the next series of monthly, then weekly visits to see her), this will be an odd new occurrence.  It would be a shock to me now were I to be in need of midwifery care again—though for nearly 26 years, this has pretty much been my biennial expectation and condition!  So… the mid-wife crisis continues.  Last night all the remaining baby blankets were put away, along with some other items that will no longer have a prominent place in our room.  One benefit about having children spanning this many years, though—I’ll never fret over what to do with an empty nest. July 20, 2004 A few days ago I wrote about that article by  Annie Jacobsen of the Women’s WallStreet.   I knew that incident warranted a bit more attention than the story was receiving—I mean, surely since I posted it on my blog (O, that was just for hype since I wrote about blogging yesterday and it not being for personal gain or spotlight or aggrandizement)!  So, the story’s made its way to the talk shows and national TV.   Now, Annie’s written some more about this past week, her experience and what’s transpired in the meantime. Pictures remind us of why this is an important story.  Airplanes-turned-bombs(!!) were flown into huge office buildings—think of the absolute precision, the spot-on accuracy and perfect self-control required to pull off such a feat.   Think of the dastardly evil intentions and masterminding that took place months—years prior to that day.  Some pictures are worth a million words—and not a dime or a billion dollars could be assigned to their value.  This one, “Falling Man” by Richard Drew, is one such photograph.   Why are the lessons from that day so difficult to grasp? While watching a “Gaither Homecoming Video” the other night, one of the children called out, “There’s Guy Penrod!” and little Ami quickly come back with: “Na-awww, that is Jesus!”  So, when our family recovered, they continued watching and singing along with the video. I had the nicest note from Roger Bennett of Legacy-5. O, what an incredible journey-to-health he is traveling.  I had written to encourage him and to thank him for journaling this passage in his life.  His faith and gracious, grace-filled outlook is so refreshing. July 19, 2004 Why blog?  Community… sharing ideas, encouraging others—it’s sure not a “for personal gain” type deal!  I was reading some dialogue between a few who were debating the issue of blogging and why people blog.  Apparently Doug Wilson had negatively commented on blogging—about bloggers in general.  His comments triggered others to react with their own pretentious pontification—then, they just like one they’re criticizing. Some mock the “faux intimacy” of the net —[and I am *strictly* talking of straightforward-honest-aboveboard-moral communications here] — and yet we have seen legitimate friendships form “over the net” and become legit face to face friendships.  One such friendship formed several years ago over the net with one in Iowa (then to Colorado) with a few face-to-face visits has led to these same friends literally moving here this week to fellowship with us here in Washington.  That’s where I see the huge benefit of the net, of blogging, and the ease of communication.   Friendship—genuine friendship.  I know of a couple of sweet marriages that had their beginnings on the net.  Amazing.  ‘Course… you know, I *still* have this *HUGE* caution against ANY illicit communication and boy, is there a FINE LINE!  A very fine line! Oh, what trouble is brought on by the tongue!  If Cheney’s comment to a senator on the Senate floor wasn’t bad enough (and it was—but is a comment made by millions every day, I suppose), Now Arnold Schwarzenneger’s gotten himself into a tangle by a comment he made about legislators who were acting like girlie-men.  It’s sure amazing how petty everyone’s gotten and yet wouldn’t/don’t scrutinize their own words with the same analysis or without bias.  We were reading in our family Bible time—a continuation of the passage the children read yesterday in Proverbs.  The tongue, no man can tame.  The mouth of a righteous man is a well of life: but violence covereth the mouth of the wicked.” And righteousness: “In the lips of him that hath understanding wisdom is found…”  (these form Proverbs 10) We listen to Washington Mutual commercials on the radio… and smile… wamoola.  Our son works for WaMu in Seattle and alerts us to new Wamu commercials/films. Our favourites are “Debra” and “Jenn”  (films are sometimes slow loading). These have added material for the many conversations around our home… as they often contain old “movie” lines; so, now, we’re often quoting Jenn… and gesturing:  “…. no.” July 18, 2004 This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalms 118.24 We praise the LORD for His faithful watchcare and provision and protection over our daughter, our friend, Sean and Jim & Kelli and their family caravanning home to Washington over the last three days—arriving home Saturday night!  Today will be filled with many activities, adjustments, unloading and settling in.  We’re thankful for all the ways in which the LORD demonstrated His mercy and graciousness to them and His “going before” to meet all their needs.  I was amazed at their good timing—especially knowing the very slow  speed they’d have to have over the different ranges and mountain passes.  I’m still marveling…  and smiling.  Kathryn became very proficient using (I believe this is the particular one they used) the mapping software —which, I am discovering, is pretty incredible! I’ve been wondering about that flight… and some other things about air transportation.  Apparently, all passengers must remove their shoes—except those wearing orthopedic shoes, in which case, the passenger’s shoes need not be removed during screening.   So… you think terrorists know this?  :-s   So… those 14 Syrians had been hired as musicians to play at a casino in the desert.  It’d be pretty easy to find out if they really did play there—I mean if they discovered that the men originally flew on one-way tickets, and returned on one-way tickets, that’d be pretty easy to discover—and what exactly was in the McDonalds bag.  The writer gave a plausible explanation—bomb building materials—or practice materials or whatever could be used to turn a plane into a bomb that could kill a whole lotta people.  But then, how about this: perhaps too much of what’s in McDonald’s bags kill people—but it’s a relatively slow death.  I wonder if they said yes to: do you want that super-sized? July 17, 2004 This article might make you think twice about your next airline flight!  I listened to part of an interview between Annie Jacobsen and John Carlson and was impressed by her candor and congenial manner.  While she could’ve exhibited, in a tirade, anger or fear about her flight, she calmly describe the circumstances she witnessed and shared her thoughts on the whole situation.  After reading her article, I knew she had good reason to to be alarmed, good reason to report her experience to the authorities and she has very good reason to be suspicious in the future.  It’s a chilling article about just what goes on in the skies and the potential for terror on that or any other day.  There are several such stories—hard to know what to believe anymore—what’s true, what’s conspiracy, what’s political, what’s a lie.  Now, I imagine that there are many who would be tempted to think that Annie’s story is just one more in the plethora of stories or individuals advancing the fear and hysteria or fueling the racial strains or promoting racial profiling.  But I’m just wondering… given what we know, post 9/11, given what she described: what would I have thought?  How would I have reacted to the circumstances?  How would you have reacted? I guess we’ll just have to see how all this plays out.  One thing I do know, and on this I place all my hope, all my trust and all my faith: The Lord is on the Throne, the King of the Universe is my LORD and Saviour: nothing escapes His gaze and nothing happens without His permission—everything sifts through His fingers.  I believe God would not have us to live in a spirit of fear—if we love Him, we will obey Him and as it says in 1John 4.18 “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.“ Well, it seems that Boeing‘s going to add a whole bunch of jobs… my fatalist side says: great, more jobs=double the future lay-offs; double the strike potential.  My optimistic side says: great, more jobs equals more spending in this region, more services, more resulting jobs, more apartments———–Uh-Oh——wait: more t-r-a-f-f-i-c.  Lots more TRAFFIC! And while we’re perusing the news… Tim Berners-Lee has been knighted by Queen Elizabeth II.  He was knighted in recognition for the far reaching phenomena and benefit of the Internet through his invention World Wide Web.  I wonder what life would be like today without the internet—surely communication, knowledge and productivity would be nothing compared to what it is today—However, one industry, to be sure, would not have flourished as it has and that’s the pornography mill—the dark side of the internet with its intricate pipeline and instant ability to pump sewage into every home equipped with on-line computers with just a simple click of a button—and in many cases, no click is needed as multiple screens cascade before the viewer’s eyes.  Weakening resolve, desensitizing the conscience and plunging to immorality to new depths as never before.  Internet pornography is daily destroying men’s lives, their families, their wives, women’s lives and homes, children’s futures—Pornography is no respecter of persons—it matters not:  gain or loss, poverty, wealth, appearance, talent, knowledge, ability—none of these things matter in internet pornography.  It’s a ravenous monster leaving an enormous swath of destruction all over the world and only death in its wake.  Kin to this dark side is the ability to communicate “incognito” and carry on illicit relationships shrouded in seeming secrecy.  The damage done from both pornography and internet relationships is inestimable and the consequences are fathomless.  The proliferation has made the p-rnography industry an enormous multi-billion dollar business.   The big lie: children are resilient and they get along fine when families are destroyed as a sure consequence of internet pornography and cyber affairs. But determination and resolve to yield to God —only— can allow for the good of the internet, the benefit of information, the value of communication and the blessing of friendship.  Today, in fact, we will welcome home our friends—our friends who are moving here to start a new life, a new life in a fellowship of believers, a new chapter—in part, because my friend Kelli subscribed years ago to a daily Bible study I used to send over the internet.  It’s amazing what God will use to draw us to Himself and to draw believers together as family.  There is “great gain” to be found on the Internet, to be sure. Run filters.  Use “pop-up” smashers.  Guard and guide your children’s internet use!   PLEASE, Do not give in to the temptations present every day on the net because like a net you’ll be scooped up and entangled (snap!) just like that! July 16, 2004 I was trying to locate a good map of Idaho—found a good source here at: worldatlas.com.   We had a great chance to talk to our daughter last night; she called from Wyoming where they’d decided to stop for the night.  The little caravan is doing well—nearly washed away in buckets of rain, but made good time the rest of the way to Buffalo—the town—we’re praying they don’t have any encounters with buffalo or deer or any other problems.  [I just had a reader send a note regarding the advertising on or generated at this site–worldatlas.com—I run such tight filters that I didn’t notice ANY advertising —so, this is FYI—beware of advertising if you do not have tight “security” filters and/or pop-up ad  smashers /filters on your computer.] Well, it looks like Martha Stewart faces 5 months in federal prison and 5 months of house-arrest and a few large bills for conspiracy, making false statements and obstruction of agency proceedings; this, from the “suspicious” sale of stock in ImClone, a biotech company.  she reportedly said to the judge, before her sentencing, “I ask that when you judge me, you remember all the good I’ve done.”   Pending an appeal, it might be a year before she has to actually “do the time” for this “crime.” I couldn’t help but make comparisons to That Day… in That Day, many will be saying “…when you judge me… remember all the good I’ve done.” Titus 3.5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Well, it sure seems to be a boggled mess on the US presidential campaign trail.  It’s becoming more and more like a gigantic web.  Actually, it’s probably more like another gigantic web of innuendos, double-speak, half truths, out-n-out lies and a whole lotta gibberish alongside all the other enormous webs of political deceit and destruction.  I marvel at the comments made on *both* sides of the political river.  One candidate argues that there needs be *change* in Washington—mygoodness, that’s where he’s *lived* for a gazillion years! (I get these extreme exaggeration techniques from them!)  Then another one said at one time he’d *never* accept the offer to be the running mate and boy, is he running now!  Running on a platform that’s a shifty as a deck out on the Pacific.  Then we’ve got those who *seem* to have it together… well, it sure seems interesting. Speaking of webs… Consider this as a possible definition of faith: The spider spins a web and yet begins with no thread. More in the:  Hhmmmmm… category:  Obesity may now be considered a “disease.”  According to this article, “The question isn’t whether obesity is a disease or a risk factor,” said Medicare administrator Mark McClellan. “What matters is whether there’s scientific evidence that an obesity-related medical treatment improves health,” he said.   Treatment… *successful treatment* will improve health, but whether treatments are successful depends on people’s determination, not government programs or insurance’s increased coverage of so-called- treatments.  I’ll tell ya this: I know of one very very successful treatment: elimination of white food!  O, but the mind!  The will to abstain from all those things… and then doing it! July 15, 2004 The Northwest trek begins today.  Only this time, we’re not going to be tracking Kathryn’s flight on the computer screen.  We’ll be “prayin’  ’em home” as they drive. A van pulling a trailer, the blazer pulling a trailer and a small truck—forming a relatively slow-speed caravan to their new home—a new life—a new adventure—here in the Northwest.  Bittersweet; I’m sure, for them today as they say good-bye to family and friends.  The friends here are so looking forward to their arrival and to what the LORD is doing and will do in and through them.  Lately I’ve been thinking that Jim’s doing something other men only dream of doing: gathering his family, pulling up stakes and settling in a brand new area with lots of prospects, lots of potential with nothing “concrete” but a safe-solid place to land and a bunch of “brothers” cheering him on.  We say, praise the Lord. I’d rather see a sermon than hear one any day; I’d rather one should walk with me than merely tell the way.  Edgar Guest This Day’s Thought   –   To subscribe, visit www.thisdaysthought.org This is a local weather cam… interesting!  This is for you, Kathryn! Well… looks like the debate is going to linger on.  With nearly a 50/50 split, the Senate blocked the passage of the Marriage Amendment. In a roll call vote, the measure was defeated 50-48. Interesting that the two who missed the vote were Kerry & Edwards.  Either they’re cowards or they demonstrated their disregard for the family and marriage.  This way, in their bid for election, they’ve got nothing to answer to—except their absence on an important measure.  It seems that Santorum “got it” when attempting to defend the measure: “It’s not about hate, it’s not about gay bashing,” Santorum continued. “It’s simply about what’s doing the right thing for the basic glue that holds society together.” This measure is about the preservation of marriage *not* “gay” bashing or whatever other group seeking to redefine marriage.  Pretty soon… as my friend wrote some time back, people will want to marry their pet or many pets or whatever.  The explosion of immoral behaviour will likely be stunning.  In the same article, I was amazed at the comment by Nancy Pelosi: “…regardless of how members feel on the issue, Congress is “wasting the public’s time when we have important business to deal with.” More important business to deal with?  When judges are making a mockery of the judicial process and are sidestepping rulings and when the moral fabric of our nation is decaying… more important business to deal with?  Ah, right.  This, I say tongue in cheek: Ms. Pelosi did say that the vote “is a procedural vote one where the vote of Senator Edwards will not make a difference.” Wonder if she’ll regret saying that? I received in reply to my letter, as I expected, a form letter from the office of Maria Cantwell, one of our Senators here in Washington State.  Her reply, in part: “… I oppose a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage because I believe it is wrong to amend our Constitution to limit the rights of any Americans. Further, I believe that marriage laws should continue to be decided at the state level.”  The irony of this is that no matter what’s decided at the state level,  judicial tyranny and the proliferation of rogue judges, make laws effectual and escalates the decline of morality under which our society is already collapsing. I knew, as there is no true Republican or conservative representation in this state, that our voice wouldn’t be heard or represented.  Still, I wrote her a letter explaining the far reaching effects of the demise of the family—-I don’t that federal laws and God’s divine institutions are mutually exclusive; there are, I believe, dire consequences to laws that are counter to His design and the effects of poor legislation will be devastating to our culture. July 14, 2004 The day draws nigh for the vote on the Federal Marriage Amendment by the Senate. It’s interesting how many angles are being played on this one.  I think it’s important for our Constitution to reflect this addition because of the times in the history of our country where there was room for debate over what constitutes marriage.  The implications of so called “gay” marriage are astronomical!  But this isn’t about “gay marriage,” it’s about marriage. The Bible gives a very clear, a very concise and a very precise definition of marriage and therefore anything deviation is not marriage.  Civil Unions are not marriages—yet the ramifications to such legal “unions” would/will have devastating and eternal consequences.   It seems that support for the Amendment is not as strong as required for its passage—Senators are giving absurd rationale for their opposition.  The issue’s generated all sorts of articles, commentaries and news links.   And… the consequences are already coming to pass in so called “gay-marriage” as a couple, married in May, have filed for divorce.   How careless, selfish, egocentric and shortsighted are all who would defy God’s design.  O, God save our pitiful souls. My mom sends me catalogues and online links to garden supply & seeds/plant companies—one such is Gardener’s Supply Company.   I love looking at the ideas—it’s always encouraging to me to see what *can* be done in the yard—but sometimes discouraging to me is the revelation of what’s *not* being done or how things really don’t look all that healthy here in the yard—or that our quasi landscaping job is sorely lacking!  We have different friends whose yards are like lush parks and one has roses that could take first prize year after year.   But, for me, tending the garden the LORD’s given me is my first priority… the little plants are growing and that’s what’s most important right now.  I try to give them all the tender-loving-care they need.  I try to read to them, talk to them, listen, prune back any waywardness, keep them clean and well watered and of course, well fed!  Speaking of which—it’s mealtime and the little plants are starving! Missing Kathryn… July 13, 2004 Steve Sconce got off all right yesterday from Sea-Tac… but not without first spending some last hours here packing, dumping, resorting and repacking with the Rogne’s (missionaries who will join the Sconce’s in PNG next month!) and saying farewell for now to friends and then, to his sweet surprise, his parents, who drove from Eastern Washington to say good-bye to their son who will return to PNG via London, HongKong and Australia!  It will be another week before he actually sees his own family there. With many “one last thing’s” added to his carry-on, a violin and a backpack and two large and heavy Rubbermaid Bins duct-taped shut, he made his way though “Check-in” and down the concourse at Sea-Tac.  These “good-byes-for-now” are always hard.  My surprise couldn’t have been greater when I picked up the phone here at home to greet the caller… to hear Crystal’s voice (in PNG)!  Then, O, the blessing of technology: to call Wes (had already left the airport) who called Steve’s brother’s cell-phone and to have them call Crystal back in PNG!!  O! Technology!   Wes had the number in his call log… remembered having received the call the other day and associated it with Steve’s brother Matt.  How grateful we are for the good things the LORD has allowed us to have—the good that can be done with His provisions!    Even in all this, there is a measure of sadness.  One Day, there will be no more tears, no more sorrow and the LORD will wipe all the sadness from our eyes… In the Day… What a Day… what a Glorious Day that will be. A lot of comings and going’s!  We’re so missing our Kathryn, but we’re so grateful for her opportunity to go help friends pack their home in preparation to move here to the Northwest.  They’ll be driving this way starting Thursday.  Another friend is flying down to drive with the family, one of the vehicles/trailer back here.   It’ll likely take three days!  Upon their arrival, there will be many to help unload and get them settled in. The Federal Marriage Amendment comes up for a vote tomorrow or the next day.  It is, in reality, just a exercise in futility.  For with the inclusion of doublespeak, the Amendment is weak and written in such a manner as to be interpreted any number of ways—especially with the presentation of two versions of the Amendment being presented.   That oughtta send up some red flags!  Arrogance of [for] power eliminated genuine purpose.  I suppose not all politicians are disingenuous, nor are all intending to speak in such a misleading manner to gain position or notoriety in Congress.  It’s a mockery and to be sure, a complete disconnect with morality to say one thing (fully intending allowing for another) and to appear genuinely concerned for the state of marriage and the future of our society and to yet propose alternatives to such an important piece of legislation reveals the double standard.  This doublespeak is really indicative of the true position of each who endorse both marriage *and* civil unions which has gained some popularity in the wake of Kerry’s national campaign.  Senator Sam Brownback seems to have an inkling of the importance of marriage–of family. But it is God who sets up Kings and brings down nations and it is God who designed and instituted marriage between one man and one woman.   He does not recognize or sanctify man’s deviation from His design.  So, in reality, no matter what is accomplished in the Senate, no matter what is done to counter the action, no matter what is said or implied, no matter how many words are exchanged in debate over this “issue,”  nothing will change what God has said and/or originally instituted.  Nothing will stand against the preparation of the LORD. This land is my land… This land is your land…  If regulations and building permits and installation permits and licenses and permits and insurance and permits and taxes and permits and fees and permits don’t kill home”owners”,  then bewilderment just might!  And their exasperation—if it doesn’t lead to total apathy—just might lead sane men to commit insane acts!  In King county (Seattle & vicinity) there is talk, of a new law, known as the “65-10 Rule” being proposed by the county to call “…for landowners to set aside 65 percent of their property and keep it in its natural, vegetative state. According to the rule, nothing can be built on this land, and if a tree is cut down, for example, it must be replanted. Building anything is out of the question…” So, then… if one is to buy a piece of land and then of that piece of land to have use of only a portion, perhaps the magnanimous thing to do is to pay property tax on the inhabited portion and allow the other portion of the exploited home”owners” land to just freely exist. It’s a thrill to participate in the lives of believers who allow a “coming alongside” and an openness for fellowship.  So much of life is artificial—pretense and show.  But just because that’s normal doesn’t mean we need to live or be like that.  It takes courage to risk transparency and it takes boldness to challenge it in others—but more, it takes a willingness to expend the required energy and loyalty is not without cost.  In our indifferent culture, that sort of behavior is intimidating and puts people off.  Now, I’ve never been skydiving though I watch skydivers every day.  And sometimes I think that loving people is like jumping out of a plane and risking the consequences of that jump: it’ll either be graceful with a smooth landing or treacherous with a crash landing.  The outcomes depend on who’s packed the parachute and who’s guided the flight, the jump and the timing of the opening of the chute. July 12, 2004 Our daughter flew to Colorado to help friends pack and move here to the Northwest.  Our home fellowship has been so encouraged by their desire to be obedient to the LORD, for their huge step of faith to move here—and to trust the LORD completely for His provision of home, employment, etc., etc.   What’s been interesting is Jim’s comments that they’ve moved (in the past) for job relocations and for family but never for genuine fellowship—to live near believers with whom they want to share their lives.  There have been so many ways in which the LORD has obviously worked and provided.  I suppose this is one of the reasons we wanted to send Kathryn down to help them.  Additionally, another friend is flying down to drive one of their vehicles/trailers up here.  This has been another great blessing to us all as we’ve watched this gracious act of mercy and kindness—as a response to our friend’s step leap of faith! July 10, 2004 We sure had a wonderful time with the friends and family gathered here last night for the 8th annual “KlaHaYa Days party” here in our yard.  Every year is a delight to us as we see people talking and laughing together—many who only see one another a few times a year!  This annual gathering always seems to have a new thread running alongside the old and familiar.  The Lord’s be very very gracious to us and we’re extremely aware of His merciful kindness to and on us.  O—without the LORD… where would we be today?  I shudder to think!  We did miss friends who weren’t able to be with us—and of course, many asked about the ones not here or how were things with this or that family.  It’s a sweet time of both looking forward and reminiscing.   We had a bit of a damper on the party—literally!  It sprinkled for a bit and we earnestly prayed for a clearing and the LORD saw fit, I suppose, to grant that request—because it was a very very pleasant evening after that! Our special guest was not with us as he’d made plans and there was a conflict with the timing.  So—I am sorry that the friends and family didn’t get the opportunity to hear from Steve about the work in Papua New Guinea.  We *did* have some more things brought for the gathering of gifts to give him to take back to PNG.  I believe we’ve now gathered every single thing on the list.  I’m so grateful to the LORD and to each one for their generosity.  I do know that the family will be so thrilled and so thankful for the blessings of all these things.  Laura sewed 4 dresses and other friends added things that were needed and some gave money which I used to buy the items on the list and the *used* champion juicer is just great!  We will be giving him all the items and he’ll carry them in 2 Rubbermaid bins — the bins themselves will be useful to them there in PNG! For her graduation celebration, Kathryn received the original Magnetic Poetry from her Grandmother and Poppy Daniel celebrates his 25th birthday commemorating Kathryn’s graduation has been quite significant to us and we’ve sure been grateful to those who’ve joined us in celebrating this event.  My mother is exceedingly proud of Kathryn and, I suppose, rightfully so; she’s been surely her most devoted fan since Kathryn’s infancy.  Since Kathryn loves to read, loves words—poetry, writing, etc., etc. my mom bought her magnetic poetry for graduation and she added other word sets in order that Kathryn might more fully enjoy it. Much more to write… little time to write it! There’s much that could be written about these days in our family—in our country—in the world… but wisdom tells me that when one is emotional *and* tired, the better part is the choosing to reflect rather than account for any or all of these or to emotionally pontificate on things that are relatively unimportant in the larger scheme of things.   I just continue to reflect on the multitude of thoughts that come from this verse:   (Acts 20.24)  But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God. July 9, 2004 The KlaHaYa Days are here in our little town!  We’ve been getting ready and are so looking forward to having a gathering here.  We’re looking forward to the guests and the fellowship… honouring Kathryn for her graduation and really, just being able to spend time with family and with old and new friends—plus, taking lots of pics! 😉   We’ll sure miss the special friends who cannot be with us this year.  I’m sorry for the others who won’t be able to see them, too and for Kathryn who looked forward to sharing the time with them.  Ah.. how our years are sprinkled with disappointments!  O, how they cause us to grow and to consider the times we *do* have.  I sure know that when disappointments come we really feel stretched and tend to question everything.  But God.  But God, who is rich in mercy…  So we really attempt to value the time—redeem the time, because not only are the days evil as the Word says, they’re short, too! On the horizon… the vote on the Federal Marriage Amendment is set for July 12.   Some argue that the government has no business dealing in the matters of marriage and family choice or it’s not a matter that ought to be up for debate or public opinion.  Interesting all the trouble brewing over the same-sex marriages and yet we know this is nothing new.  At the inception of the Republican Party in America in 1856 one of the planks in the platform read: “Resolved: That the Constitution confers upon Congress sovereign powers over the Territories of the United States for their government; and that in the exercise of this power, it is both the right and the imperative duty of Congress to prohibit in the Territories those twin relics of barbarism–Polygamy, and Slavery.”   I wonder what today’s twin relics would be? I’m thinking we’ve got parallel situations today—our country sure has veered off course and what is being demanded (in ss marriage/family/rights/etc), is in my opinion, is as bad or worse.  In all of this I continue to remember something I shared a few months back—First: God is sovereign and second: Marriage is ordained by God and no matter what people believe about what they’re doing, it’s either right in God’s eyes or it is *not* right in God’s eyes.   His Word is clear and His establishment from the beginning is unmistakably obvious. YAKIMA — Jude Doty has spent the past 15 years whittling his life philosophy down to a motto: home birth, home school and home business. To live by those words, he says, is his right. To fight for them is fundamental….  It’s an incredible story—especially in light of the fact that many homeschooling families home educate so that there will be the freedom to apprentice or train their children in the way they should go… and the way often includes: work.  Real work.  I’m not thinking that some of the ways this dad’s going about the work are necessarily right and were I to be in his position, I think I’d sure pull in on some of the safety issues—but, nonetheless, I’d still fight for the right to train up the boys how I see the Lord leading and I’d sure be very firm in the conviction to do so. July 7, 2004 Every now and then there’s a work or a ministry or a person we’re led to support or recommend.  We do this as the LORD leads and share as the LORD prompts us to.  A woman I’ve come to respect and admire is Nancy Campbell and the ministry of Above Rubies.  It’s interesting that I  came to read about her a number of years after the fall of a most favourite magazine, Gentle Spirit.  I wondered if there’d ever be another “gentle spirit” mag or something near enough to it!  I think between the Above Rubies magazine and the Crowned with Silver magazine, there’s a real close similarity to the old GS.  O, Crowned with Silver is sure a good publication (and site) and what a blessing it is for women just starting out on the road of motherhood.  With all the contradictions being thrown at mothers today—all the attempts to destroy the calling and the home, these magazines are such a gift to wives and mothers!  I so encourage the support of these magazines and the ministry of Nancy Campbell.  I don’t think anyone can deliver a message to women quite like Nancy!  Sweet words!  O, that sisters would get a hold of the truths of the Word. It’s a risky thing to hold an opposing view to a popular trend or practice, but riskier is to voice the view.  It’s nothing, really, to hold strong opinions or beliefs—unless they become or begin with conviction; then, there is nothing one can do to hide or suppress deep convictions.  Deep convictions dictate behaviour and behaviour is noticeable—especially if the convictions have passion behind them—and more, when the LORD has done a work!! In the body of Christ there are so many factions and divisions.  So many forms and traditions.  Sometimes it seems what’s happening is not remotely close to the patterns given in the Bible for believers to follow—to emulate.  Lately, I’ve mulled over and over what it is to be a Christ follower; what is it to walk with God?  Is it or can it be defined by an organization or denomination or a hobby or a club or even a culture?  No—it cannot be, it mustn’t be!   Walking with God is a daily decision to yield to Him, to deny self, to listen to His Voice and to obey Him.  He is not a man that He could lie—and because He is Truth, He is fully trustworthy and utterly faithful—He absolutely cannot fail.  But He is so often missed in the ordering of the day, the schedule or the program—Christ, our Head, is often the last thought to the planning or the decisions.  It seems that to stop and consult Him might perhaps throw off the course (perish the thought!) and sadly, it seems that were one to mention Jesus, then perhaps the stifling effect would ruin the production or the program—thus, to truly be a disciple of Christ, one has to decide: go with the flow?  go with the status quo? go with the crowd, the trend, the program?  Or, walk with Jesus.  Period.  Wherever He leads, whatever He says, whenever He calls, however He does it: just walk with Him.  It’s just Jesus.  All the weights of the bag are His. But what about a purpose?  Well, what about a purpose?  Is it possible to walk with Christ everyday without walls, without structures, without programs, without institutions, without a guidebook—with only the Bible as the guide? I think so. Must one be ‘purpose driven’ in order to walk with Christ?  Or does being ‘purpose driven’ take you somewhere else?   It’s awkward to hold a view that’s contrary to trends and traditions—but it sure is refreshing!  And contrary to what the enemy attempts to convince, there are many believers who’ve come to the very same conclusion and that is that the Church has sure departed from the original intent for the life of the body of Christ.  When a man or a woman walks with Jesus—that must be all that matters.  All the contentions, all the divisions are surely not of the LORD—but they are of the enemy—the same enemy who attempts to keep Christians busy, busy, busy—divided, divided, divided—isolated, narrow and exclusive.  This is not how the body of Christ ought to be— not at all.  I understand why there is division—I used to promote it myself!  I understand why there’s suspicion and skepticism—I used to be suspicious or skeptical of anyone who held positions that differed from mine.  I didn’t start out that way, I grew into that pattern of thinking.  I was not so much rooted and grounded in the Word as I was rooted and grounded in the church—read: institution.   So rooted and grounded that original thought or personalized revelation of/from the Word didn’t exist. Now, lest you think I am now ragging on the institution—I am not—truly I am not—I am simply attempting to shed light on the fallacy that the institution *is* the church.  The *body* is the church.  The building is not the church and what goes on there isn’t church.  The building is a nice place for a bunch of people to congregate, yes, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that the congregation will function or is functioning as a body there—they will *be* there, yes and that may be all.  The body, to be a body, must function and mere association does not mean *living* as a body anymore than going to a dinner table means eating a dinner meal.  There is so much the “church” is settling for… by default.  By default, traditions have replaced the original plan and intent—and by default, traditions are keeping generations of believers from truly experiencing the exchanged life—the joy of living daily in the light of the Word, with Christ as the Head and in genuine fellowship with believers. I am coming to realize many things about walking with Christ…  You know, walking with Christ has nothing to do with “form” and who or what we know.  Take for example the first question asked when you discover a person is a “Christian.”  Oh? Where do you go to church? And if/when they give a favorable answer: First ________ whatever or First Street Community Church or whatever, that’s an acceptable answer and often is *enough* of an answer for us to just be satisfied and end our line of questioning and often the entire conversation!   But… what about asking a person what the LORD’s doing in their life or How’s He been working in/through them lately or where are they reading in the Word and what’s God saying to them in it?  Now… that might be too personal—but is it?  Really?   It ought not be for people who love the LORD and are part of the *same* body of Christ.  We are all His children if He is our LORD.  Why the offence at the questions, then?  If we know Him—we want to talk about Him and *all the more* if it’s with a brother or sister!!  But the walls preclude that and the walls divide and separate the body.  Oh—this ought not be so! There are so many deceptions, so many diversions and misconceptions in the church.  Sad… nearly nineteen hundred years of sliding away from the original pattern to patterns that are now exactly opposite of the original design. What is accepted and expected is so opposite of the original design and the marvelous blessing the LORD had (has) planned for His children! July 6, 2004 The fireworks are still lighting up the skies around our home, the thick smoke creating a hazy skyline. It was a blessing to hear the different tributes to soldiers continuing to risk and lay down their lives for freedom—for the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness.  As I was searching for “Independence Day” traditions, I came across this site: American Family Traditions (fyi: this is *not* a Christian site* —new age—) and read some interesting information regarding some of our countries’ historic documents.  Well, on that site there are numerous descriptions of aspects of American life—not through a believer’s lens, but a picture, nonetheless.  An ever present theme is freedom! The Freedom Tower is set to begin construction in New York.   The planned tower (the first of possibly five towers) is brimming with symbolism and commemorative effects in its design. The cornerstone, made of “garnet-flecked” granite from the Adirondack Mountains, is inscribed: “To honor and remember those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001 and as a tribute to the enduring spirit of freedom. July Fourth, 2004.” Freedom… it is for Freedom that Christ died for us—John 8.32: And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.   Galatians 5.1: Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” Judicial Forum has a section called “Morality Check,” and what a *reality* check it is!  This, from them on some current happenings in California and the continued erosion of the well established—since time immemorial—from the foundation of the world.  The non birth mother could claim co-parent status if the parent was presumed or viewed to be the father.  Okay—but, this woman is surely not the father.  Worse, there is a battle over the custody of the child because the two women are no longer partners.  All this twisted logic is made possible by the Uniform Parentage Act of California.  But in a cursory reading of the “Act,” it sure looked clear to me that references to “fathers were all *male* definitions.  Oh, the LORD gave us the uniform parentage act from the beginning of creation.  Men created to be men, women created to be women—that they should leave their father and mother and be joined together.  A very simple plan—a very very good plan—that the enemy through man[kind] has determined to confuse and destroy. more later… July 5, 2004 The Federal Marriage amendment… it’ll probably not be surprising to you who’ll vote in opposition to the amendment, but you may be surprised to see who’s undecided.  Here’s a list.  There are many under the “big tent” endorsing the amendment—this, to me, isn’t a “religious” appeal, it’s failure would truly have a cultural consequence or redefinition of our society—and with the destruction of marriage and family, this society and nation *will* fall. July 4, 2004 Happy 4th of July!   It’s Independence Day in America! I have been receiving this by email and wanted to share it with you in case you haven’t seen it!    The 2004 Floral Flag is 740 feet long and 390 feet wide and maintains  the proper Flag dimensions as described in Executive Order #10834.  This Flag is 6.65 acres and is the first Floral Flag to be planted with 5 pointed  Stars comprised of White Larkspur. Each Star is 24 feet in diameter;  Each Stripe is 30 feet wide. This Flag is estimated to contain more than 400,000 Larkspur plants with 4-5 flower stems each for a total of more than 2 million flowers. You can drive by this flag on V Street south of Ocean Avenue in Lompoc, California, approximately 2.5 hours north of Los Angeles.  The field where the flag is planted is part of a 9+ mile stretch of flower fields that go all the way to the ocean. The flowers are grown by seed companies. It’s a beautiful place close to Vandenberg Air Force Base. Well, I didn’t receive any calls from the above seed companies or growers.  I guess my wild flowers were not quite up to par since one of the little guys thought they all looked like weeds!   And you know the rest of the story!  Guess *this* garden won’t soon be photographed from the planes that continually fly over our yard.  So, you’ll not be receiving emails from around the world boasting pics of the most spectacular garden of 2004 (or any other year, for that matter!).  We do try—and the weeds do try us, too!  So far, the raspberries are the only things producing a volume worth mentioning.  We continue working in the garden, digging around and attempting to stay on top of things.  We did find a buried shovel.  Guess hope springs eternal!  If we can’t grow vegetables, maybe we can grow tools!   Heaven knows we need some more tools!  I mean if we’re going to be digging stuff up… especially whole rows of wild flowers, then, let’s get a tool in every boy’s hand—odds are they’ll eventually get even the real weeds! ami and her nephew  😉 America… the home of the free because of the brave. July 3, 2004 We have been trying to get the garden in order, get the weeds under control and work a bit further on more “permanent” raised beds.  So, I had the boys use cedar posts to fix an herb bed to contain the weeds… the uh… herban sprawl.  So, now the 4′ x 16′ “box” is in and I need to transfer the weeds—or rather, the herbs, to it.  One of my little boys helped me, too!  He pulled all the weeds out of the long row where the wild flowers (not yet in bloom) are were planted.  Now the row is all clean.  Really… all clean!   My son Timothy sent this to me: He was looking forward to this moment all day long, after 6 days of labor and it finally arrived—Visiting Day!! The man with the keys arrived to swing open the large, heavy doors. The cold gray hall springs to life in the warm glow of light. He could hardly control his emotions. The families began to arrive. He peers from the corner of the room longing for the 1st glimpse of his loved one. He lives for the weekends. He lives for these visits. As the cars arrive, he watches intently. Then, finally, she arrives–his bride, for whom he would do anything. They embrace, eat a light lunch and reminisce how things used to be. At one point, they break into singing, with interruptions of laughter and applause. But all to soon it is over. A tear comes to his eyes as his bride departs. Then the man with the keys closes the heavy doors. He hears the key turn in the lock marking the end of a special day. There he stands, alone again. He knows that most of his visitors will not contact him again till next week. As the last car pulls away from the parking lot, the Creator of the universe retreats into loneliness as He waits until next Sunday–Visiting Day. So much to read… so much to write.  O, for time… sweet time. July 2, 2004 I received a note from Vision Forum about the upcoming National Center for Family Integrated Churches Conference: Uniting Church and Family.  I got to thinking… Church and Family—these are not mutually exclusive—the church *is* a family!  We’re coming to see the reality of this more and more as we live with, or “walk with” other believers in Jesus.  A family is related by a common father.  The family of God has God as its Father—in a Christian home, a little church, the head of the family is the father—Christ is his head—the head of the church is Christ!  And… Christ is the head of every believer.  What an awesome reality and what a joy to anticipate what God will do when believers yield to His authority and Headship! July 1, 2004 Today’s our son Daniel’s 25th birthday!  Mygoodness, a quarter century! How time has passed so quickly!  Wes and I were riding back on the ferry from  Edmonds to Kingston and we saw the little strip of beach where we used to take Daniel and Michael to play with their Tonka-trucks… twenty years ago, or so.  We thought the beach looked smaller than we had remembered it.   Everything was bigger in those days and the days were longer and the years passed by so slowly.  In those days… Now that little boy is a man and those Tonka-trucks and little-boy toys have been replaced by better things a home and family: a wife and little children of his own. We sang a rousing round of “Happy Birthday” to Daniel—on a recorded message 🙁 He’s gone camping for his birthday, so we’ll celebrate it next week.  I hope to be able to make his favourite cake: German Chocolate and Ice Cream from Costco. Vanilla is his favourite! Speaking of VANILLA(!) yikes!  The recent huge jump in price is sure a shock!  We’re looking into buying beans and making our own by buying vanilla beans online.  There are so many companies selling beans and vanilla and we’ve looked into buying them on eBay, too! More later!  So much to do around our home! We sure enjoyed attending the Northwest House Church Conference and hearing a special guest, Beresford Job (and his family), from England.  He has a site: House-Church.org which sheds a great deal of light on the original New Testament churches and what have become “traditions of men” today.  More extensive links to various aspects of beliefs and the life of the body of Christ in the present day can be found at The New Testament Restoration Foundation website.   So many topics … so many articles … so little time!  There’s so much available for the encouraging and equipping of the saints:  In-Depth Studies (“Equipping the Believer with a Theological Foundation”) website.

Go get your cup and read on.

Blogging’s therapeutic for me, and I pray encouraging for you. Each days’ blog is a bit of journaling of slices of life here in our home and ways the LORD’s working.

Someday my children will read “mom’s blog” and catch a glimpse of some of what was “important” each day, some of the “snap-shots” of the day, what was going on in the world and what really stirred up my thoughts.

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May 27, 2004  I read with great interest articles pertaining to homeschooling—specifically, lately, articles featuring homes-chool graduates.  Since we have another home-school graduate (this week!!), it’s particularly good to read a positive article and to see others who’re doing well in the business of training up children in the Way they should go.   Here’s a great rebuttal(!) to the  imprudent Quinn Cotton article on the horrors of home-school(ers).  This, by a PhD, no less, is a very interesting look at some angles of homeschooling that rarely surface.  Home-schoolers are quite delightful—and I could write volumes on the reasons we do home-school and don’t send our children out to the government schools.  This is the real world—I mean, you can just *tell* it is from the pics below!

Such a blessing to follow Roger Bennett‘s progress in treatment/transplant process.  You know… one thing about life, every twist and every turn reveals another marvelous angle of the LORD.  His ways are past finding out—they are higher than our ways, He doesn’t think as a man thinks.

Deuteronomy 31.8:  “And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.”

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May 26—extra. Now… I couldn’t resist putting up a few more pics.. another slice of a day in the “life” of our family. 

May 26, 2004  Ever green and ever wet… Another rainy day in Washington!  Just in time for Memorial Day weekend—overcast and rain.  Now, one thing rain does is keep us cozy! AND makes me thankful to have a dryer.  Now, if our dryer was working, that would be great.  So, Wes is on the phone… who has great dyers on sale —today— ?  Now, this wouldn’t matter all that much if we weren’t planning on going to a conference this weekend and didn’t want to bring clean clothes to wear.   But… this makes me smile… what a gold mine of goodies: socks, clips, combs and toys we found under and behind the washer/dryer and amazing stuff *in* the “lint trap” housing—drill bits, screws, barrettes, nails, sand, chains, bolts.  Thrilling.  We figure we do 5 loads a day and so we’re now behind just a tad.  A new machine sounds great… but in the background I’m hearing the price… great—woooo, very great.  So, maybe they’ll find parts and rebuild the motor…

Today was the last piano lesson for the year—the lesson book is now filled with summer goals for pieces to learn by September.

We had our neighbors in for dinner last night.  What a blessing it was to be able to spend time with them, to learn more about them and to hear about their work.  Another sweet blessing was to learn that she minored in communicative disorders/ASL in college.  She commented that I sign to Naomi and then said she’d love to “practice” again and will work with us to understand  the “deaf culture.”  She shared many things with us that we’ve already made use of this morning.   You know, it’s marvelous to me how the LORD works, how He orchestrates our days and constructs the elements of our lives.

Friend, Barbara, sent me an interesting article this morning—it’s sort along the lines of the wild anti-homeschooler/conservative (whatever that means) families article I linked a couple of weeks ago.  Well, this one is particularly interesting to me and the logic is just a ridiculous. Why Large Families Don’t Deserve Tax Breaks.  It seems to me, these two individuals have quite an axe to grind.  Large families, as portrayed in this article, are not worthy of tax breaks because the have stupid children?  I wish this person knew the LORD—perhaps then he’d see that tax credits or incentives have absolutely nothing to do with parents who decide to allow the LORD to give them the number of children*He* desires them to have—by birth, adoption or any other means—how narrow also is his research.  What a limited view this person has… sad, too, because he would have had a wonderful time at the table last night—eating the best meal (made for the most part, by our third-born! and cleaned up, for the most part by our fourth and sixth born) and enjoying the best conversations, humorous stories of the fifth and eighth-born, hearing the goals & dreams of the fourth-born, all around the table there were fun conversations; O, the sweetness of the ninth-born and then the endearing giggles and ways of the tenth and eleventh-born children.  At many points our neighbors were just in stitches over the children and as they related many stories of their own, we enjoyed them so much—both very competent and both from families of four children, by the way. O, it’s sad how much that author is missing.

It doesn’t matter how many tax breaks we might get… we still buy lots of milk, lots of groceries, lots of books, lots of music lessons, machines and materials, spend lots of money for goods and services from doctors and INSURANCE companies (!), in addition to tires and dry-cleaners, repaimen, WASHER/DRYER retailers—all this buying and paying keeps the economy buzzing—and, boy, is it buzzing around here today!  A lot of families pay for and don’t receive tax credits or exemptions for home-education books, materials and conferences and yet, still pay (a BUNCH!) for government $chools.

May 24, 2004  If ever I feel discouraged, all I need to do is to look around at the smiling faces of all our children, or to look out at the beauty of God’s creation or to recount or rehearse any of the ten thousand blessings the LORD’s bestowed on us or think of where I’d be today if I didn’t know Jesus as my personal Saviour and Lord… and then… if I need think further, then I begin to think of where I’m not!  I’m not in ill health, I’m not alone, I’m not afraid of the future, I’m not where I was… Then, need I look further, I think on Roger Bennett’s life, his journey through Leukemia and I marvel at the grace of God.  Take time to read through his “midnight meditations” and you’ll have a glimpse of our wonderfully gracious God and LORD.

Just as we don’t seem to understand the nature of the enemy in Iraq, so also, we seem (as a nation) out of touch with the terrorism that’s going on all over the world.  We just received a note that New Tribes is offering a CD of the Burnham Story.  The Burnham’s, New Tribes missionaries to the Philippines, nearly three years ago were held hostage by Abu Sayyaf terrorists for 375 days.  At the end of their captivity two years ago, Martin was killed in a battle between Philippine military and the Abu Sayyaf terrorists and then Gracia, though wounded in the crossfire, returned home to the United States where she was reunited with her children and her family. About a year ago, she completed her work on the book detailing her story, Martin’s bravery and determination and God’s protection and provision: In the Presence of My Enemies.

In the presence of my enemies is how I feel at the gas cha-ching, cha-ching station, now—OR—when I go to buy milk!!  Wow!!  Our 15-passenger van now sounds like a cash register…  just turning the key: cha-ching, cha-ching.  Put it in Reverse: cha-ching, cha-ching!  Put it in Drive: cha-ching, cha-ching!  Go to the library for the fifth time in a week: cha-ching, cha-ching!  So… now that it takes cha-ching, cha-ching $75.00 to fill the van… every trip’s a cha-ching, cha-ching precious time of cha-ching, cha-ching, traveling together—and every trip is worth it, by the way!  What do you think:  Will the rise in production = savings at the pump?

Speaking of travel… it was such a blessing to us to be able to go to the Gaither Homecoming Concert in Tacoma on Saturday night!  Thank you, Mom.  What a thrill it is to see and hear believers filling that dome with praise!  To see the thousands of little twinkling lights all over the dome (tiny flashlights in the hands of those in attendance). We love to hear the songs of the faith, to laugh and to praise the LORD for His goodness.  It was also very moving to sing I’m Proud to be an American… to see the lights and to thank the LORD for His provision and for all who are daily fighting and laying down their lives for our freedom—for our freedom to gather, freedom to sing, freedom to worship God.   Let freedom ring—for it was for Freedom that Jesus died, paying the price for sin that separates man from God… that He rose again, that He lives today and that His gift of salvation is free to all who would believe.  Acts 16.31

I think my favourite was Lynda Randle who sang a couple of songs, one of which was a tribute to Mahalia Jackson (1911-1972)—and if you’ve never heard her ring out Amazing Grace, or Sweet Little Jesus Boy… well… you’ve just gotta hear her!  We didn’t buy it, but Lynda’s got a new CD Tribute… it looks great!  

We did buy Anthony Berger’s piano CD—what a gift he has!  I like his music style, but for certain to me, no one anywhere plays like Legacy 5‘s  Roger Bennett!  We also talked to an area promoter who has blessed our family by asking the children to usher at concerts and who extended an invitation to do so again at the Legacy 5 concert in November —but it’s in Portland!  We told him we’d be there if at all possible—what blessing it would be to be able to go!  Like this man said, what you see is what you get—and that’s not always true of people in the limelight.  It’s sort of like show-biz is a poison to people—all of us would succumb to it, I suppose.  The feeding of the pride of life or whatever.  It sure doesn’t seem that way with them, though.

As is always the case, when we attend a function like the Gaither’s, where there are many believers gathered, we see people we haven’t seen in years, or run into old friends and try to have a quick conversation—always amazing them with how the children have grown and that, yes, there is another one or three!  I love to bring the children to see “old-timers” and to give them a glimpse of what’s gone on before them.  So many young people today think that everything’s about *them* and I hope to impart to the children that life’s not all about them—they are *part* of the big picture, but they aren’t *the* big picture.

If you’ve got a webpage, *and* are infanticipating or expecting a baby, then you can post a daily updated custom graphic by Lilypie that will allow your viewers to follow the days remaining in your pregnancy.

If you had a baby due on December 31, 2004, the graphic would look like this today:

*No, Mama, and No, Mom, I am not pregnant—remember, I am in my mid-wife crisis.
No new babies… but another great-grandbaby *is* due in early November!

May 23, 2004 

 This is the day which the LORD hath made;
we will rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalms118.24

Update: Corrections to May 22 links.

May 22, 2004  A powerful, powerful article by William (Book of Virtues) J. Bennett: Remembering Why We Fight,  is such an important commentary on our time.  However, you’re not likely to see this in any mainstream paper.  Bennett:  “This was not a matter of poor military training any more than it was a matter of poor military judgment. This was a matter of poor human training and poor human judgment. We don’t need to read the Geneva Conventions or the Code of Military Justice to know this.”  Later in the article which was adapted from a speech he’d made, he went on to say, “Our enemy is horrid, wicked, inhuman. Those are the adjectives for 9/11, and for 5/11. Not “inhumane,” as some of our soldiers acted at Abu Ghraib.  Inhuman.  The moral equivalence, and the adjectival equivalence, needs to end now.”  A very concise, very accurate assessment of recent events.

Post the Ten Commandments: lose your job.  Wear a “Ten Commandments” lapel pin: lose your job.  In America, no less.  I’m sitting here thinking… could Christopher Word (yes, that’s his last name) have been also fired had he worn a name badge with his last name on it?   In the article, we read he referred to himself as “an average Joe.”  Well, he’s an average Joe with, by the way, a cool last name: Word.  But he was wearing a pin—motivated by faith; obviously wearing a Ten Commandments-pin in Alabama is a political statement—and for that, he was fired.

I was reading in Genesis 18 & 19; grieved by the story of Lot, of Sodom and the reality that there were not ten faithful there, that the LORD rained down on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from heaven.  More social engineering in the media: a new show will premier [in this country—it’s already a BBC show]: Wife Swap or The Swap.   A sickening-sad week of degradation of marriage and God’s design in the redefining of “marriage” in our country.  Now, further plummeting into the abyss, this ‘reality TV’ show.   You can make calls, you can sign a petition to make your “voice” heard, you can throw out your TV set, I guess.  The more things are seen, the more they become “normal” and what is normal becomes alright and what is alright becomes: right.  But it’s not right, it’s adultery, it’s immoral, it’s: sin.   This doesn’t just “miss the mark,” it attempts to wipe it out.  Another assault on God’s design—another attempt to defile His creation.  Here’s what’s sick: ABC said, “Never before has a reality series taken such an honest inside look at the American family.”  An honest look.  I grieve for the end of those who mock God.  Even so, Come, LORD Jesus.   (At the AFA site you can sign a petition voicing your opinions.)

May 21, 2004  I cannot believe my eyes when I read of each days’ account of what’s going on in the “War on Terror” or in Iraq.  Now, this: US frees hundreds in Iraq.  Who has the tiger by the tail?  Can the reports of Iraqi prisoners be believed?  I wonder what would have been the outcome of Vietnam or WWII or any other war, for that matter, had they been this propagandized or media influenced wars.

A couple of months ago I shared of a Snohomish man’s journey from the penitentiary to the garden that grief built.  Now, after all these years, Ralph Lowery, in addition to “giving back” to the community, has been reunited “with a warden who changed his life nearly 40 years ago.  Ah, the turns of life.

Wow! Mariners won?  Wow.
No child left behind [no matter what?!]: to what lengths will “teachers” go to ensure this? 

Last night, our friend was sharing an amazing story about a father and daughter who were “found” living in the hillside of Portland’s Forest Park.  Surprisingly, they’d lived there undetected for four years!  What I find the most interesting is that they, the proverbial “they” are not disrupting this family or aren’t determining to split them up because of their living conditions—which, were, by description, “unacceptable,” according to police Sgt. Michael Barkley.   Interestingly, he sought what was best for the family and didn’t succumb to the knee-jerk reaction of calling in child protective services to “handle” this situation.  Instead, a very workable solution was sought and found!  It’s become somewhat of a community effort  (of funding) now to see that this family has what it needs.

We hear very little in America about the persecuted Church.  Mainstream media either ignores or disregards the persecution of Christians around the world.  We receive a publication from Voice of the Martyrs which has shed light on areas around the world where Christians are suffering in defense of faith in Jesus Christ.  At the site you can discover ways to support VOM, receive their newsletter, purchase books and videos and/or see ways in which you might offer help with support efforts to those in bonds.  Another site, Worthy News will help you see a bit more of reality of persecution against the church in the US.

May 20, 2004  Okay—so systematic buzz phrases are popping up all over!  Maybe some could be utilized in our homes. For example, Synchronized Organizational Flexibility (SOF) is what I’m looking for in our home, working together—with this many people in our family, we very much need flexibility, order and action: at the same time! with every member doing exactly what they’re supposed to be doing.

Kelli told me of a site for Herbs at great prices: Trilight Herbs.  There’s a huge selection—thus I need my herbalist to discern which I need.  I was sharing with her some of the “things” I’m dealing with in the mid-wife-crisis phase of life.  BTW—this phase is the phase of not having babies any more and looking at all the *young!* women with *no* gray hair, having babies, pushing swings at the park, their young smiles, beautiful dark hair, and unetched faces filled with hopes and dreams of many tomorrows.  I’ve had no midwife visit for nearly three years, hence: the mid-wife crisis (and the subsequent denial of a “mid-life” crisis).

So, Kathryn’s making Oatmeal-Raisin cookies today.  I’ve just started back on the NO BSF foods so I’ll need to forgo the delightful experience of having a cookie or ten with a cup of coffee (or three) with whipped cream and honey.  So, I’m boosting my spirits with a cup of coffee and cream.

It’s incredible *to me* the seeming contradictions in sports—that because steroids and other blood-boosting drugs were taken by Kelli White, she’ll be suspended for two years (and Olympic competition), yet this summer will be the first Olympic Games in which transgender individuals will be eligible to compete–provided they’ve met the “criteria” set by the IOC.  Ridiculous, given the fact that Kelli White will be “used” to uncover abuses by athletes and now, this!  If a male (to “female”) body isn’t performance enhanced, I don’t know what is!  Considering our amoral and/or immoral society, to what lengths would athletes or countries go to “bring home the gold” anyway?!  What a sick quagmire, this.

As if he doesn’t, or they don’t, have enough trouble, this headline won’t win friends: “Kerry and McCain Shield Communist Vietnam’s Slaughter of Christians“ Just as the “war on terror“ is a war against an enemy we (seemingly) don’t know or understand, here is another case of not understanding what’s really going on—who the actual enemy is!   

May 19, 2004  So, I was reading an email and couldn’t for the life of me figure out what in the world was being conveyed: YMMV Your-Mileage-May-Vary?!?!  Whaa…?  Okay… so YMMV applies to many things, I guess.  I was being too literal.  So I found the site that is loaded with acronym’s, hence the name: Acronym Finder [duh!] .com!  You can also find IM and email lingo [warning! there are some acronyms you will NOT want to use, nor will some of them be in*your* daily vocabulary.  This is just a FYI warning!]  They have a quote: “A comprehensive A-Z of every kind of Internet gibberish you are ever likely to encounter.” -Reader’s Digest.    I also discovered something that helped me understand the source of acronyms used in business.  My son continually tells me of the projects he’s on (using acronyms and buzz phrases, of course) and so now I see where these originate! They utilize the Systematic Buzz Phrase projector—and voila! they have a new buzz word for their project!  Try it!  This, then, actually explains to me all the oxymoron’s popping up all over, eg.: artificial intelligence and others.

It seems everyone is losing sanity in regard to the war on terror[ists], what-did-they-know and when-did-they-know-it 9/11 attacks, whose responsible for what and when… yada yada yada.  The blame-game of politics.  So now… Giuliani says he wasn’t warned about the attack  (Newsmax) but then, here’s this: “If that information had been given to us, or more warnings had been given in the summer of 2001, I can’t honestly tell you we’d do anything differently,” Giuliani testified.  Ah politics. Is a bio-chemical strike next?

More trouble in Massachusetts.   Now… which licenses will they recognize?  If the marriages are already unrecognized or illegal in other states, and out of stater’s are not recognized there?  Isn’t it time for the Federal Marriage amendment?  Write your Reps and Senators today.

24 years ago, yesterday, Mount St. Helen’s erupted, sending lava and destruction for miles.  Obviously, we didn’t have internet in those day or the caliber of the instant media reporting that’s available today, so, news didn’t travel as quickly.  We had one child at the time and attempted to watch any news of the even on a little 12″ Black and White TV set.  I think linking hands holding hangers and tin-foil enabled a fuzzy picture on the screen.  It was clearly one of the most spectacular things we’ve ever seen.  Even today, the resulting damage, the resulting landscape with destruction and regeneration being seen at once is really spectacular!  It’s really incredible to see the consequences of that eruption over time!

Yesterday’s local election had one measure on the ballot: a school levy.  My small vote… didn’t hold much sway as the levy appears to have passed and now, for 20 years, the additional tax will be added to an already high property tax.  We’re doing all we can in our home to eliminate over-crowding in the schools.

May 18, 2004  Here we go… it’s going to be a tough road for senators and reps to bring the Federal Marriage Amendment to a vote—and harder to pass it—especially as Election Day draws near.  Here’s how the House is lining up, and the Senate, on the matter of the Federal Marriage Amendment.  It’s hard to believe that the world in which we live has come to so hate the Creator and His creation—but we know that the enemy is a defeated foe, no matter how things look today, God is the LORD.

O, that there would be more friendships like these!  Friends who’ve helped one another for years with whatever’s been needed at their homes, have built strong community in friendship together.  It doesn’t have a name, but it has a purpose: helping one another.

Maybe Bush will be vindicated now that WMD’s have been found in Iraq.  This will mean even tougher conditions for our soldiers—the enemy’s proven to be meaner, and perhaps more elusive, now.  But with this vindication… what happens?   Enough rope to hang himself!

May 17, 2004  I’m home, and ever grateful to my family for the opportunities they allow me, the love and support they give me and always the very warm “welcome home” I receive after being away.  What a blessing to have the opportunity to go to retreats, to share with women and to hear their stories.  I did present the Married For Keeps ~ Someday an Heirloom Marriage workshops.  How I wish I could have had more time to more fully develop & present the material and supporting Scriptures—and, O, how I would like to have had more time to share with the women.  I always appreciate the way this particular retreat is handled—plenty of time for reflection, good spacing for workshops and teaching sessions—but like any retreat or gathering of women: never enough time for those inevitable questions to be answered.  Women everywhere are carrying so much, are seeking the LORD, His will and His way for them—and as always, women everywhere are carrying aches and past hurts that are disabling them in ways they don’t understand and yet seek freedom from the bonds that cause the repeated cycles of what they think are failures, that prevent them from soaring the heights as they know they ought and more: that they know they long to soar!  So… back home again, my sweet family reminds me of what’s more important in life, what’s best and good and ultimately, how much God has blessed and provided. 

We have a little later start to the day.  But Monday’s are like this.  We start the day later, and because Wes has Men’s Bible study on Monday evenings, we, here at home, end the day a bit later as schoolwork and other activities spill over into the evening.  This is fine—because it works!  That’s the wonderful benefit of flexibility—doing what works best *when* it works best and having patience to work through things till the balance is found!

So glad to have been away from the news for a few days—though that statement is an indictment against me.  The soldiers do not take a break and get away for refreshment from fighting for my freedom—my freedom to be a keeper at home, to love my husband and my children, to read my Bible, drink my coffee, smelling the aroma of a beautiful peach candle, some of our children playing on the porch, some of the children schooling at home, learning Truth and being able to pray and study the Word in safety.  At the same time, the soldiers are preserving this freedom I hold dear, I know they’re fighting for the rights of those who would disagree with them, those who hate the things I hold dear, those who are swayed by the propaganda machine of liberal media—those who distort the truth of history—current and past.  They fight for the right to assemble, to protest, to argue and to agree.  They fight because they are loyal and they’re faithful to uphold the The U.S. Military Code of Conduct. Our friend, Sean, gave a very encouraging word in Bible study sharing the obvious parallels to this Military CoC and the calling of a believer.  One of the Scriptural support passages Sean cited is: [Philippians 3.8-11].  It’s an interesting study and makes for profound understanding of the ‘battle’ faced by believers, the enemy, loyalty to God and to other believers who are fighting the same battle—but Christ is our head and ultimately, the battle belongs to the LORD.  We are to resist the devil—we don’t do battle with him—Christ has that victory; ours is to be strong in the faith, to yield to Christ and resist the devil. [James 4.7] There is much more that could be posted for you—but then you’ll have missed his commentary and the subsequent conversations.  What a blessing it is follow Christ.

Watch the downfall of America.  The implosion… it’s not from without that this country, this once “great nation” will fall.  It will be from within.  The Word says: Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD.

Today history will show is another day in what will be the destruction of this nation.  We watch… God who cannot lie, will not be mocked.  Whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap.  I believe we’ve seen nothing yet compared to the unfathomable destruction that will come upon this land and we have surely seen sickeningly, shockingly, astonishingly ugly evil and vile things—but what’s ahead will not compare.  This, from Newsmax: “CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Two by two they emerged from City Hall, the nation’s first gay couples set to legally marry Monday, breaking a barrier many never believed would fall and putting the United States among four countries where gays can marry.”

Psalms 33.10-22:  The LORD bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect.  The counsel of the LORD standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.  Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.  The LORD looketh from heaven; he beholdeth all the sons of men.  From the place of his habitation he looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth.  He fashioneth their hearts alike; he considereth all their works.  There is no king saved by the multitude of an host: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength.  An horse is a vain thing for safety: neither shall he deliver any by his great strength. Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy; To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine. Our soul waiteth for the LORD: he is our help and our shield.  For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name.   Let thy mercy, O LORD, be upon us, according as we hope in thee.

Interesting article “Gimme that Showtime Religion” by John MacArthur.  We’re sure at a crossroads regarding what’s being taught, what’s expected from “churches” today and what the Word really says (and that’ll clearly depend on what paraphrase, rephrase, misphrase, translation, or version is used).  It’s a bit tense for the conservatives in the New Hampshire  Episcopal Church.
 

May 14-15  Going to a retreat at Camp Gilead where I have the privilege of presenting a couple of workshops using some material I’ve gathered and call: *Someday an Heirloom Marriage!*   So… too bizzy for blogging — praying readers are having sweet fellowship with the LORD… covered under the shelter of His wings!

May 12, 2004                              A Tribute to the Soldiers

It seems that finally some balance is coming to the Iraqi prison scandal.   Sen. James Inhofe served up a dose of reality with his comments regarding the outrage over the treatment of those prisoners.   Rightly pointing out that those prisoners were not taken in on traffic violations, Inhofe exclaimed outrage over the outrage!

In these days of judicial tyranny and misconduct, it’s interesting to read about a judge whose sentences or resourcefulness just might be worth emulation.  So it is with Rockdale County Chief Superior Court Judge, Sidney Nation, and some unusually creative ways he’s sought to administer justice (or at least hope for it!) and to change lives.

I just got the Mother’s Day pics downloaded… and once again, there weren’t very many taken that day.  Maybe you’re like this, too: you mean to take great pics of the family when everyone’s together at the same time and then in the busyness of the day, the moments that were great photo ops were being enjoyed too much to stop and shoot!  

Early in the morning each Mother’s Day, for years, I have given letters or cards and gifts to our children.  It’s been a joy to me each year to look for special “Mother’s” gifts to give them.  The “mother’s” gifts are those things that “mother” thinks each one needs—for example, this year, all the little boys and one big boy received matching polo shirts and khaki shorts (Samuel enjoyed the gift and the little ones felt special, too; Samuel realized that this was his last year in that department at Wal*Mart—next year it’ll be small men’s).  Timothy received some needed items for an upcoming mission’s trip to Mexico; Naomi, shoes and sandals, and our little dolly received a new pink dress.  Kathryn & Hannah received things for sunny days.  And… Daddy received many needed items—the toffee peanuts were probably the favourite!  I received beautiful roses and some kitchen things, and other gifts from the children.  It really was a wonderful day—it’s been such a wonderful life.  I marvel at the merciful kindness of the LORD.

Kathryn made a delicious lunch for my special day!  Above, is a pic of the dessert she prepared!  In addition to marinated steaks, she made beautiful potato rolls, and spinach salad and raspberry &  lemonade with sliced  lemons and other fruit in the big decanter.  Tara brought fruit salad for us, too.  It really was a very precious day to me.  Our son Michael came home, too!  I gave Him a CD of some music he so loved when he lived at home—but in those days I could not see any value in the music and wouldn’t allow it.  I cried the other day as I heard the song I’d heard many years before on the radio and realized that my boy’s heart was touched by that music and I (because of strong aversion to “worldly music” or what I thought was such) missed an opportunity to hear what he thought and rejected that music.  He got right up and hugged me, he was so amazed and so appreciative that I had found and bought that CD for him all these years later.  The CD (Third Day) contains the song called “Love Song.”  I still don’t really go for the music—but I sure go for that boy, so I pray the LORD will use the words in this song to touch his heart and minister to His grace him.  For many years he’s played the guitar and so loved that and many other songs.  I pray it’s used to God’s glory.

May 11, 2004  What a day in the news!  As always, circumstances or events come about to make a previous atrocity not look quite so bad! Is al-Qaida attempting revenge for the “abuse” of Iraqi prisoners in the beheading of an American contract worker? (AP story)  It’s amazing to me that shaming is the worst offense and another apparent beheading is acceptable retaliation .  Are the liberals outraged at this one?  Is there a reaction in Washington?  Do those who oppose the effort seem to get it?  It sure doesn’t seem so, so far!  Is it time to stop apologizing?  This *is* war, after all!

One of my greatest disagreements to the “Passion” movie was what I *knew* would come from it… the post release peddling of the trinkets and trash “Jesus” wear, books about the movie—(no, not the Bible)—the passion, clothing and other “stuff” related to whatever was in that film.  So now, it’s fashionable to wear “Jesus stuff” and I find it so grievous—so cheap; cheap grace.  The greatest Gift the world has ever been given, the greatest story ever told,  the most significant and important event in all of history, the Person on which every other event past, present and future, hinges: the birth, life, crucifixion, death, resurrection and ascension of the LORD Jesus Christ, the penalty paid once for all.  To trivialize it or to attempt to capture it on film is grievous—and then to sport the “Jesus stuff” is distressing.  I find this pretty ironic, however, because in the courts there are battles over the constitutionality of the displaying of religious (read: Christian) symbols and the lack of understanding the Foundation of this country.   So, all the stuff… the hype is there, the Name is there, but It’s sad and paradoxical that Truth is not seen in any of this… it’s just a fad—just cool “Jesus stuff.”  Ahhh… only in America.

I received a letter from the owner of the site: seriousmoms.com, she was interested in linking to articles we have here and, as always, I give general permission to owners of sites who hold to the same basic biblical standards we hold.  It’s a blessing to share because in sharing, we reach more families with the truth of the gospel and with encouragement they need daily in their homes and lives.

I’m made clam chowder for dinner tonight, and of one thing I am quite certain:  I would *never* prepare this again (in this way) unless a change of heart washes over me!  Having only used *canned* clams and *canned clam juice in the past, I had no idea what they *actually* look like, or, worse, what it feels like to chop them up!  So… a tasty soup has been prepared—but those clams are sure gross!  My son and daughter-in-law went ‘clamming’  this past weekend and steamed the clams when they returned home.  My first clue should’ve been that Tara couldn’t stand to be in the same room as the steamed clams!  This—from one who’s an excellent cook, by the way!  So… clams, I hope this is a one meal pot of soup.

May 10, 2004  Next time you see a taxicab driving down the highway, maybe you’ll wonder the length of time the passengers will have been in that cab before reaching their destination!  A local driver will likely never forget the cross country trip to deliver his passengers to Milwaukee… not Milwaukee, Oregon (which was his first stop!) but to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to drive a couple of men to their waiting friends and family!  Cha-ching, cha-ching!

In a week, voters here will vote on a proposal to build another high school to accommodate the volume and needs of students/schools resulting from staggering growth in this area.  I’ve always thought this to be a conundrum that could totally be avoided as we’ve homeschooled for so many years and as we’ve seen the “answer” to crowding schools is: avoid them—stay home!  But then,  inevitably, there will be a negative reaction to this.   Many will react because of a preconceived bias against anything outside “norms,” or against homeschooling in general, or some might have views like the woman who wrote a particularly stinging article condemning homeschoolers/homeschooling.   My friend Julie, who’s graduating with a Master’s in education, plans to teach in a public school next fall, and her response to this article was: ahfahgeddaboudit!     So, as I mull over what the author was saying and what she thinks of homeschoolers and their families, I wonder how many others are misinformed or have a false impression about “us” all.  I know this: the HS’er’s I know are so worth knowing and are so enjoyable to be around!  Conversely, in reality, I wouldn’t much enjoy being around those who espouse opinions represented in that article.

Happy Mother’s Day
I love you Mama, I love you Mom!

May 8, 2004  I’m missing my mom today… thinking I won’t be seeing her tomorrow…  She’s away on a long driving vacation to some wonderful spots around the country!   So… Happy Mother’s Day… Mama!  Happy Mother’s Day, Mom, in Indiana!

I received a very nice letter from Crystal at Covenant Wedding Source.  It’s really inspiring to see the ambition of young couples!  For parents who are “new” to the whole idea of “courtship” or covenant relationships for their children, this site features their “courtship story” and it’s really dear.  I’m particularly glad she features Rebekah’s Hope Chest Legacy book on the Covenant Wedding’s Hope Chest page.

The more time goes on, the more I’m convinced that this country is run, in part, by people who pretend to be other people: actors and democrats.  I was just glancing over this article about a planned movie and its financier.  Guess Mel Gibson thought it best to avoid the hassles, and others thought better of it because of the political ramifications.  Well it’s all politics, really—most things are.

In the news… This mess with the Dems and Rumsfeld has gone beyond ridiculous!  No, no, wait: *this* H Res 629 is beyond ridiculous: impeachment for high crimes and misdemeanors? Now, this has gotten silly—juvenile, really. Now I *know* they do not understand the enemy.  Now I know they’ve long since lost touch with reality!  “…Articles of impeachment exhibited by the House of Representatives of the United States of America in the name of itself and all the people of the United States of America, against Donald Rumsfeld…” [emphasis mine!]  You know who’s next, don’t you?  Will this maniacal behaviour drive them to charging the Commander in Chief?  Well, it won’t be surprising—an exhibition of foolishness and a further flaunting of ignorance, but really, not surprising.   Keep your eye on this one… it’s bound to heat up!

May 7, 2004  What a blessing it is to spend time with a person who’s walked with the LORD a long time and has a lifetime of wisdom.  So it was with Dick York, last evening.  Knowing him has really been a tremendous blessing to our family.  We had the privilege of gathering with friends for dinner and fellowship around the Word.  This way of walking with the LORD is really what we’ve for so long desired!

I’ve been mulling over the training and engraining of form in and of institutionalized “religion.”  This may seem a radical statement unless one really seeks to understand what we do when we “go” to “church” and why we think that “going to church” is the *right* thing to do.  I received a letter from an organization giving a book recommendation and requesting a site link and so I took a look at the site (which I thoroughly enjoyed) and just read a great article—it’s really incredible how the LORD is confirming His way for us — but to also be providing cautions as well.  I clicked the “Answers for Your Fellowship” on the left-side bar and then clicked the article:  Home Churching or HIM Churching? On the http://www.ntmu.net/  site.   It’s good food for thought.  More on this ‘engraining’ and form another time.

Well, this morning’s perusal of the paper was much nicer than most any other day, for on the front page of the Local section, there was a picture of a (local boy)  soldier: “hey, we *know* him!” we all exclaimed.  We’ve known him and his family for many years.  Well, what also caught my attention was Ryan’s beverage preference: Dr. Pepper!  The occasion for the article and news photo?  O… he just won $25,000 in the Dr. Pepper sweepstakes.  He’s really a remarkable person, very level headed and knows where he’s going—literally!   If you must drink: drink Dr. Pepper!

Well… whaddya think of all the news regarding the ‘abuse’ of the prisoners in Iraq?  O—this whole thing make my head swim!  I continually want to shout: do you understand the enemy?  Do you understand what they’re doing?  They can murder, they can destroy, they can kill, they can seemingly handle all that—but the greatest offence is shame, their pride was crushed in that effort by the soldiers.  There is no condoning what they did—but what if… what if that was a strategy to hit them where the most damage would be done—what if that humiliation was exactly the intent and what if the soldiers were actually acting on orders?  From who?  I don’t know.  I know this thought’s a “way out there” idea.  The immense damage to pride—then the bizarre response of Americans!  Aiya! This is war—war is ugly—war has no pleasantries and no easy roads.  I think we’ve so failed to understand the enemy—their whole lives are dedicated to annihilating infidels.  Their religion demands of them this loyalty.  Until we understand this, and then understand the ways of God (Our Creator, God of the Universe, the God of the Bible) we will never prevail.  This war’s about so much more than our government/military *seems* to understand.  Again… sapping our strength, sapping our defenses, winning allegiance to them, sapping our resources, swaying opinions, eroding loyalties, driving up costs of goods… all these things are the ongoing aims of our enemy: our total destruction and their control.  The fact is that no matter how many people are sympathetic to their cause, we are still infidels to them.  Infidels are to be destroyed—and they intend to destroy, it’s sure.  All the sympathy they (Iraqi’s) are garnering just furthers their cause and their victory—being played right into their hand.

Is God still on the Throne?  Is He still in control?  Does He have a plan? A very good plan?  Yes, yes, yes, yes—He *is* Sovereign.  Praise His Name!  Pray.  Pray we, as a nation, turns to God.

I just did a search—attempting to find a concise article to bolster this thought or at least validate my thinking—and came across not one, but many such thoughts… so, if you’ve got all day, here you go: Daniel Pipes and lots of thots:  Biography of Daniel Pipes and more.

Yikes!  A does John Kerry seem to have a handle on any of this?  Maybe he did before he didn’t.  I really just shake my head on this one… there’re something like 180 days till Election Day (yes, one of my son’s has a birthday on that day and is counting the days!).  Around the world in 180 days—I’m thinking John Kerry is going to be 180° off where he is today and where he wasn’t yesterday.  Unbelievable.

May 6, 2004
No time for blogging… too much time spent emailing and faxing back and forth for our website stuff.  It’s all fine, but very time consuming and there are many other wonderful responsibilities to attend to at the same time.

If you’ve sent email, I might not have received it as I am at that ‘in-between’ stage with my host & server, et al and so mail is being redirected—but much is falling through the cracks.  It’ll all be squared away quickly, I’m assured! 

  I guess, as you can see for now, all the domains (achristianhome.org & .com and thewelcomehome.com, org & net) end up at the same site: this one! —this was to avoid confusion in the transfer.  We’ll soon have some fun new features along with page updates!  First the technical stuff, then gardening, homeschooling, and Kathryn’s graduation, ministry… and other dailies (not necessarily in that order!).   O, it’s the dailies that mustn’t be neglected—otherwise, an avalanche of chaos will cover us.  We are praying for God’s direction and provision as we seek to serve Him in ministry to others.  We desire to be wise and careful in the choices and paths before us, and we pray for all who might be helped in these endeavors.  Thank you for your encouragement as we, together, follow Christ.

Sola Scriptura ~ Soli Deo Gloria ~ Solo Christo! ~ Sola Gratia ~ Sola Fide

May 5, 2004  Happy Cinco de Mayo!
We have a new Name!  As you can see!  Yes, this was abrupt—well, or so it seems!  I’ve known that my expiration was coming—and I knew I needed to begin changing the files over to the .org from the .com site.  I have a new host *and* a new name!  We still hold AChristianHome.com but the .org seems to fit what we have here better than the “.com” does.  We also have different plans for this site and our other site: TheWelcomeHome.com, too.  It has always been an interest to seek useful things/books/materials/etc. for families in the Christian home, but I’ve never wanted to *sell* things on the “AChristianHome” site as that’s not its purpose.   We would, in the future, like to make available things for the home,  but that will be on TheWelcomeHome.com site.  It’ll be better to keep the two separate.

There will invariably be broken links on our site until I get all the “kinks” worked out!  Plus, lots of inconveniences to others who link to our site—and for this I am sorry.  I will attempt to contact the ones I’m sure of.   I’ll just trust, as I always have, that the LORD will direct to this site anyone He desires to and that He’ll prompt others to share with others about our site.  I won’t fret over it as He is LORD of my life and over all that I do—thus, in all, I seek to honour Him and give Him glory!

One more link regarding the SBC (of which we are *not* members, btw) and Homeschooling: http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=38322

May 4, 2004  I sent out a Welcome Home letter yesterday with encouragement to mothers for Mother’s Day, which is coming up this Sunday.   I pray now that it’ll be a real blessing to all mama’s.  Mother’s Day is sort of a weird day—I’ve always thought it was a weird day.  Sort of like birthday’s when one becomes a mommy.  Birthdays become these strange days where things are supposed to be done, but mommy is usually the one who does things in the home and so then the family tries to find ways to surprise mommy and yet they need her help to find supplies to make the surprise—it always seems to be very peculiar when the children are young.  When they’re older, it’s a whole different story—they become very clever!  Until then, the day’s sort of odd. Well, that’s how Mother’s Day seems, sometimes, too.  A day set aside for Mother—but mother must needs be in the preparations in some way.  So… that’s why I’ve sort of changed the order of the day in our home and I so look forward to finding ways to bless my family—it’s all because of them that I can & do celebrate!

Let Freedom Ring! the 53rd annual National Day of Prayer is this Thursday, May 6th.  You can read this year’s proclamation.  It’s a privilege we have to pray—O, how I pray that God will be gracious to us as a nation, that He will draw men to Himself and that this tidal wave of perversion will be stemmed and that we would, indeed, be a nation whose God is the LORD.

 The Parents’ Empowerment Act “allows parents or legal guardians of a minor to sue, in a district court, any person who knowingly sells or distributes a product that contains material that is harmful to minors.”  [congressman Duncan Hunter] Now, do you s’pose that parents will begin suing some government schools for the harmful materials they’re presenting to students?

I figured I didn’t much like Seattle’s news lately, so I thought: how ’bout South Dakota. I’m not from there, none of my family’s from there—but, there is a guy who writes a pretty interesting political blog there.  Jason Van Beek’s a pretty funny guy in his writing of the  southdakotapolitics No, it’s not a slow news day… it’s just that the news is so disgusting that I really don’t even want to write about it.  O, boy, it’s sure going to be a long haul till election day… with all the propaganda: the diversion from what’s really gone on or is really happening today.

But, here’s another great tribute, a very powerful message:  We must never forget.  we mustn’t forget 2.5 years ago, we mustn’t forget 35 years ago and so on.  The price that’s paid by those who’ve fought and died for our freedom is being cheapened by those who’re so ignorant of the truth—have they forgotten?  Perhaps they never even knew.  All the hype, misinformation and sensationalizing in recent days—war is ugly, it’s not like the movies, nobody there gets to just get up and go home at the end of the day.  It’ll just get uglier—there is no such thing as peace between us.  O, God, save our nation; the most virulent enemy is within, not from without.  Our country is imploding and it’s not wars and rioting, it’s not bombs or planes into buildings that’re destroying our country, the enemy is within.  The Word tells us what the enemy looks like… but the simple pass on…

May 3, 2004   A second reading or proofing of what I’d written below showed me the need for grace—My thoughts were/are stirred over the event in Seattle this past Saturday and I desire to convey not so much the emotion as the message of what transpired. It’s needful to comment that my emotion is not one of anger but of grief over the condition and the trend of our society—it is grievous to me that our nation has turned its back on God and my grief is for my children and their children who will undoubtedly suffer great persecution for the faith.

Free speech?  Not for Christians!  Another media twist and smear job, Saturday’s May Day for Marriage rally in Seattle was slammed and maligned and obviously misreported.  Did I think it wouldn’t be?  No.  No, I didn’t think there would be fair and accurate reporting but, truthfully, I am surprised at the lengths they and the protesters have gone to be nasty.  They didn’t listen, they didn’t get it, they won’t listen, they won’t get it—at least not until they have a change of heart.  The eyes of their understanding are darkened and they cannot see—will not see: the truth.  The rally was *for* marriage and was hosted as an encouragement to those who stand for marriage and family but those who are demanding other ‘relationships’ be equal to or treated as “marriages” surely were determined to crush the speaker’s messages and drown out the singing.   

As the family goes, so goes the nation.  It’s hard to believe the reporting, the misinformation and their ignorance of the Scriptures—but that’s not new.  The local paper was not as caustic as the Seattle PI was in the reporting of Saturday’s event.  The attendance numbers were as inconsistent in the two papers as the reported stories were to the actual event.  But—this is just the beginning.  The abortion “battle” will seem light compared to what’s going to heat up here in the battle for marriage & family—and that will likely pale in comparison to the persecution of the church and Christianity.  I believe the future persecution of Christians will be unlike any discrimination this country’s ever known—and I am taking past race relations into account.  The Seattle Times had a piece that demonstrates the disparity of interpretation of Scriptures or manipulation of Scripture to say whatever one wants it to say—but it stands, nonetheless, the Word of God stands.  God will not be mocked.

We watched a very good video last night—brought such depth of meaning and significance to the LORD’s supper and to the rich meaning of the Passover.  It’s “Christ in the Passover” from Jews for Jesus.  The zeal of the man who shared each element of the Seder and the symbolism was so inspiring and encouraging.  O, what has been carried through the ages, the traditions and Old Testament types of Christ—it’s so incredible what God has done for us: what He’s done for us in Christ.

Have you taken the test on our first page?  I have taken a few of them—o, my, I have forgotten many facts!  I like to keep these things sharp!  They’re great conversation starters with the children.  When you review your answers, there are lists of other tests you can take.  It’s a neat way to brush up on details in the Bible.

May 1, 2004   Happy May Day to you!  We’re seeming to be just clipping through this year!  So many wonderful things coming up… and May is such a lovely month!  It was a wonderful surprise to have a letter from our daughter-in-law this morning (written at 3am) that her friend had had her baby at 1:23a.  O, my, Tara went to help her in labour two days ago!  I guess it’s hard work to hit 123 May Day! 🙂  Another friend has a birthday on this day—very sweet.  So… Tara must be home getting some much needed sleep ~ she’s deserving!  She’s 3 months along with this baby, so very tired, I’m sure.  Sweet dear.

But with all the beauty of Spring, one of the things that Spring brings is: skin.  Lots of skin.  [I’m adding a disclaimer to this previously written message:  this is directed to the fashion in general—not a specific person or persons.]  Now, I’ve had an article for sometime called: The Dangers of Dating and it’s not so much the ‘dating’ that caught my attention this time as the comments about modesty.  The author makes an interesting point: “We should avoid anything doubtful.”   I grieve for immodestly dressed sisters who continue to walk unaware of the snare they lay for all who view them.  This specific issue is gaining some notoriety—and from an unlikely source with a surprising solution!  Now, with the low pants, It’s not only the skin that’s showing, or the peeking tease of the top that just touches the top edge of the pants or skirt—there’s also the undergarments that are purposely allowed to peek over the top of low pants or an  undergarment style that’s highlighted by low and/or snug pants.   These undergarments provide much for the imagination and nothing else.  It seems the trend is present everywhere we go.  It’s expected in the world but should surely be absent in the church.   It’s grievous to me that this should even be an issue—I wonder if I’m more sensitive because my husband’s been gracious enough to share the ways men think.  I wonder, too, if having a number of teen sons makes me very very aware of the plight of men and their predicaments with determining to be and remain pure in the face of, or when confronted with immodestly dressed women. O, that dad’s and mother’s would help daughters avoid the trap they’re in and the trap they lay for others.   There’s much more that could be or ought to be said.  Modesty is a responsibility—and surely, the world’s not going to take it.

Personal Freedom Outreach is a great resource exposing the heretical teachings of religious cults and warnings regarding false or unbiblical teachings in the church.  There are hundreds of articles, resources, etc. for your study for understanding.

You might be looking for good articles on issues or “news” from a “Christian perspective” and you’ll find that there really are many great sources; a few of my favourites are World Magazine, Judicial Forum, Credenda Agenda and Chalcedon.

The crisis of education in government schools is causing no small stir in many groups, most notably, the SBC.  This summer the Southern Baptist Convention will propose that Christian parents remove their children from public or government schools and provide home-based instruction or private Christian School for them. Citing the primary educators of children are their parents, the resolution must first need to pass out of committee before the vote by the Convention.

God is the LORD, there is no other.
~February~

 2003 Our Year in Pictures    2nd half 2003 Pictures

Our January Snow and Ice Pictures        VALENTINES DAY                   The Welcome Home Blog

February 29, 2004 Leap day!

Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great
in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.
Luke 6.23

February 28, 2004  What a week it’s been—whew!  An amazing week!  Tuesday, the memorial of Justin’s life and amidst the grief of loss, there was celebration on his home-going—the full blessed assurance of the reality of faith in Jesus Christ and redemption through His blood—the earnest of our inheritance.  Then to Wednesday and the release of the movie: The Passion of the Christ and all the commentaries and reviews that it’s stirred up.  Then yesterday to receive the joyful news of answered prayer and the birth of the Sconce’s baby.  Missionaries in PNG with Co-Mission Int., they’ve sacrificed a great deal to live in obedience to the LORD and to serve Him there.  Do they think it’s a sacrifice?  No—they believe it is their reasonable service—this is the incredible peace that passes understanding in hearts yielded to God. Death, Atonement for death, birth.  The essences of this week—-of life.

All this in the midst of continued anarchy—incredible, isn’t it?!?!  Jesus died to save sinners—an attempt was made to depict that sacrifice on the screen and we see evidence before our eyes of man turning his back on God everywhere.  Homose-ual “marriage” is but one angle of the depravity of man.  “What we’re witnessing in America today is the flowering of the largest civil rights movement the country’s had in a generation,” said New Paltz’ Green Party mayor, Jason West.  O, God save our nation!  The anarchy we’re seeing is just another symptom of the depravity of man—the pride of life in opposition and ignorance of the Holiness of God.  But in the midst of all of this… we see the Hand of God—and will see the Justice of God who has power to set up kings and destroy nations; and everywhere, we see the consequences of violating the laws of a Holy God.  Whenever I hear the startling stats of teen “immorality” I grieve—I grieve for the young men and women, I grieve for the families, I grieve for the future generations and loss of innocence and occurrence of disease—but these are but a few of the consequences of violating the laws of a Holy God.

“Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts” 2 Peter 3.3

In the last days…

February 26, 2004   A beautiful day in the neighborhood!

Our neighbors have just installed an invisible fence for their dogs.  Incredible!  Incredible, because of the *size* of the “yard” they’re fencing!  Our property is surrounded by theirs and I don’t know how many of the 65+ acres will be included, but from the looks of the flags around the perimeter, I think it’s *most* of the acreage!  My Joey loves the dogs and they love him—but mama does *not* like dogs, or cats(!) and so mama is happy!  The huge yard will still allow for lots of stick throwing and retrieving—so, Joey’s happy!  Mama’s happy because all this fun will happen out of our yard!   The dogs have gone back home… and the boys have come back in… like always, they’ve come in smelling like wet-puppies—and I smile.  Pretty soon these days will pass and new little boys will throw sticks to the dogs and then it’ll be their turn to come in… smelling like wet-puppies and I’ll probably still be smiling… with tears in my eyes.

More help and encouragement in  congress for legislation protecting life!  The Unborn Victims of Violence Act is expected to pass the House Today.   There’s soooo much going on in these days of Judicial tyranny and *anarchy*!  Take a look at Judicial Forum’s blog for today—and previous days!

February 25, 2004  Today’s my sister-in-law’s 50th birthday… and what a terrific sister she is!  We’re extremely thankful for and proud of her!  Happy, Happy Birthday, Connie!

Well… the long awaited day finally arrived and the highly acclaimed film debuted.  It’s a drop-dead amazing movie, I understand—literally!  I can’t imagine watching the film, I cannot imagine the intensity of the scenes attempting to bring to life what it must’ve been like at the crucifixion of our LORD and Saviour, Jesus.  We’ve been asked numerous times whether or not we’ll go to see the movie, The Passion of The Christ—and our answer remains, we don’t know.  I’m tending to think not, because, though, having never seen, I have faith; having never heard His voice audibly, I hear Him every day; I believe because The Word of God is living and so to go see a film depicting my LORD would put a face to my LORD and I couldn’t forget the imagery were I to view such agony and I fear I’d pray to the face whose eyes I’d seen.

I also have this underlying thought in many decisions I make, and it is this: caution.  When my oldest sons still lived at home, they had a phrase: “Aw, Ma, c’mon *every*body’s doing it!”  and I’d say to them, “Well, if everybody’s doing it, then there must be something wrong with it.”  Well, you know that just because everyone’s doing it doesn’t make it wrong—but it really ought to get us thinking—AND—questioning!  SO… amidst all the positive accolades and  (O, except for that death) glowing reports there are many who have a different view… one, in particular,  Andrew J. Webb offers some valid points for your consideration.  

A hesitant Yay for Matt Daniels and Robert Bork and the proposed constitutional amendment that, if passed, would block recognition of same-sex marriage. The proposed amendment would read:  “Marriage in the United States shall consist only of the union between a man and a woman. Neither this Constitution or the constitution of any state, nor state or federal law, shall be construed to require that marital status or the legal incidents thereof be conferred upon unmarried couples or groups.”  Now you can readily see all the gaps for loopholes and plenty of room for misinterpretation.  For example, I once talked with a man who told me that he was a woman born in a man’s body.  And sick as that was, many people believe to this day that this man is, in fact, a woman.  So… yay for the attempt to salvage marriage in this nation, and that, from an Ivy league grad—but it’s still a flimsy attempt.   I know, I know…  what do I know.  That word “require” eludes me and seems an inappropriate choice—how ’bout “allow” or “permit” in it’s place—no expert in legal-ese.

I finally got the pics downloaded from last Sunday afternoon; we had a great time visiting with old and new friends!  What a blessing it is to be a part of the family of God, brothers and sisters all over the world!   Here are a few pics of the ‘reception’ for the Bruzas’

 
that’s me and Hildi                   some of the girls                       The boys loved the cool chairs!

… long time friends and some new ones, too!
Some little ones were too tired! And these are the grandbabies! [our Daniel & Tara, too ;-)]

February 24, 2004  I can’t remember why I started blogging in the first place, but over the months it’s become a regular habit of recording slices of the day and highlighting things we discovered or places we’ve visited on the net.  Danger is, that I, being a person who’s passionate about whatever I’m doing and fervent in my beliefs, tend to go overboard with the transparency deal and frequently get myself in a heap of trouble with those who can’t take sincerity at face value—as if there’s some hidden meaning or ulterior motive to candid speech.  I think I ought to ask my mom if I was always like this but deception is abhorrent to me and double-speak just drives me bats.  Language is a powerful tool—it can manipulate or hide a shocking truth, it can deceive people or families or nations.  Language in writing, though, at best, conveys truths of the heart in a way perhaps unlike any other method of communication.   Problem is, if the message is sifted through a wrong filter, it will be misconstrued.  I like to write.  I like to read.  I long to share with others—it’s a lonely world sometimes and I love that I have an opportunity to touch lives with not only day to day slices of life, but also with the Truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Everything pales in comparison with the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ as Saviour and LORD.  I hope one day to learn to write in such a way as to communicate with such clarity that misunderstanding is eliminated.  Until then,  I pray the LORD uses this cracked and chipped vessel to pour out messages.

Okay… so where was I going?  Language.  Language is powerful and persuasive speech is compelling.  I’ve been thinking on this a lot today as we sat and listened to words, and music and saw pictures imposed on a large screen… I don’t know what impressed me more—that *was* said or what was *not* said.  The service was thought provoking and God honouring.  References were made continually to not look on the outward, but to look on the heart—to “judge by the fruit and not by the suit” was one of Justin’s quotes inscribed on the back of the program.  So, here was a young man, whose life was being honoured and remembered by the hundreds of people gathered, and the recurring message was to not judge the outward, to clean up the inside and not get hung up on the outside.  SO… as I have been really mulling over language—and I’ve been referring to *written* language, now I’m processing what it is to speak without words.  To give a message without words.   Surely as we are misunderstood because of the *words* we might choose to convey a thought, how much more then by our appearance or behaviour.   Needless to say, I came away today with more questions than answers—more puzzles than solutions.  But this I know, I’m clinging to an unseen Hand.

All men should strive to learn before they die, what they are running from, and to, and why. – James Thurber

February 22-23, 2004  I’m typing this Sunday night blog at 1:30 Monday morning… Starbucks, dontchaknow.   A mocha latté, totally not part of my diet but I had one today—late in the day—worse, it was a double.  You know, one thing about staying up late, apart from the regret I’ll have when I wake up (if I ever go to sleep!) is that there’s much quiet time for reflection.  Interesting that the LORD placed me in or with a large family—I love solitude.  Interesting that He gave me boys—I love calm.  Interesting He made life unpredictable—I love predictability.   So as I type here, and read other things I trust the LORD to make things a bit less ambiguous to me as the day hits rewind and I take another look.

What a blessed day—The LORD’s day.  What a blessing to recall some of the conversations, the testimonies, and the prayers of the day.  How amazing all the details the LORD so carefully and precisely weaves and works in our lives.  One of the interesting things about fully yielding and walking with the LORD is that no matter what we do, how we plan our steps or propose to arrange our schedules, His plans prevail and His purposes are accomplished.  As we walk the roads the LORD’s called us to walk over the years, there’ve been many times when we’ve been misunderstood, misrepresented and our motives or our decisions have been misconstrued.  It’s that way for lots of people sometimes, I suppose, and everyone at some point will fall under scrutiny for their beliefs of decisions.  Problem is, most always because we look at other people’s views through our filter instead of theirs, and both are never clear. 

How thankful I am today to have just laid the day at the Feet of the LORD and He directed the path.  No matter what it may have seemed, we’d never have known just how it would go had we second-guessed the ways of the LORD.  And so as we made an unplanned visit to a friend in the hospital, we saw a glimpse of the ways of the LORD, then later, as we proceeded with plans to attend a reception, we saw a friend we hadn’t seen for many years—-we never imagined that we’d see this friend or that he had hoped to see us there and hoped we’d be able to visit awhile (which we did!).  Oh, how marvelous it is to take hold of the unseen Hand and to walk with the LORD.

We just attempted to call our friends in Papua New Guinea… they’re expecting a baby any day and we had so hoped to talk just for a bit—but when we were connected, it sounded as if one of the children had answered the phone and was carrying it around… sadly the time ran out so we’ll need to get another card to call them — perhaps next week.  But I’m not sure how many late nights I can muster—calling at 1 or 2 in the morning is best as there are few lines into the country and ‘after-hours’ it’s easier to get through.  Disappointed—but not discouraged!

February 21, 2004 Well, enough politics, etc. this morning.  Not that there’s nothing to share about that… quite the contrary, but for now, there are many other things to consider!   Plus… after staying up till 3am with my girls, I’m way too tired to wrestle with too much ‘worldly’ stuff today… too many more important things are on our minds these days and my perspective’s been challenged, anyway!

O, something neat: Kelli’s planning on getting a Hammer Dulcimer—something we’d love to buy, too—someday!!  The beauty of the instrument is surpassed only by the beautiful sound when skillfully played.    We were talking about heirlooms yesterday (which this would become in their family) and I was sharing with Kelli that what would make the instrument an heirloom to her children would be the beautiful music they’d remember and that only if it had become a regular part of family life, then any instrument passed on would be the family’s heritage of beautiful music.  That got me thinking about things we all do in our families—are the times we spend together of lasting value?  Are our activities encouraging and ‘nourishing’ then children?  Is the tone or ‘feel’ of our home one to remember—or one to emulate?

On the HOMESCHOOL front:  a neat site loaded with curriculum—books-books-books!  It’s a “message board” site for Used Homeschool Curriculum, it’s the place to post your “For Sale” and “Want to Buy” messages for used homeschool curriculum, books, and resources.  Sort of a ‘homeschooler’s eBay” site!  I’ve not done much curriculum shopping on eBay but we’ve sure been pleased with –every– eBay purchase we’ve made.  From china, to books, to CD’s, to clothing—our eBay purchases have been great!  Every seller was great to work with and every product arrived just as was listed and described.  Now… you know I’d comment if the opposite were true, but I’m pleased to say we’ve had no “sour” transactions!  So—-eBay! Here’s my warning… be careful: you’ll be up all night searching if there are specific things you’ve been looking for!  You might not find the item you’re looking for under a specific name, but sometimes typing in a bit of a different description or name will bring up the item you wnat.  It’s amazing… I’ve learned that if my boy Daniel likes a method (like eBay) and has good results, then I’m very comfortable using that avenue, too!  Now, I haven’t even come close to shopping eBay like he has! 😉

Yesterday we went to visit our boy, Michael, and were so pleased to be able to see his apartment and his delight in his beautiful home!  You know… it’s been over five years since this son left home and so much has transpired—but one thing I’ve learned is to be patient and to not get ahead of the LORD… the LORD *is* faithful and will complete the work He’s begun!  We do praise the LORD for His faithfulness!  Well… knowing I was/am trying to be in top shape , Michael gave me his treadmill.  Now this may be my last blog—bcz that machine might just do me in!  Okay, so my first (planned) hour-long aerobic walk was cut short by 56 minutes.  I needed to get the hang of slowing the thing down or risk being thrown across the kitchen!  Today’s aerobic session will be, uh,  six minutes… well, maybe.  Slower, I can do the hour… but speed that machine up too fast and I’ll likely pass out!  That’s granny’s fitness update!

I was searching for some contact information and came across this neat tool on the Citizen Link Site.  You can locate and contact national and local media.  I think you’ll discover that this site is an invaluable resource if you  don’t already use it!

What an encouragement it is to read Roger Bennett’s writings as he prepares for bone marrow transplant!  What’s incredible to me is that he’s continued to play the piano for the group and has continued to meet the obligations he’s had.

As our friends grieve the loss of their son, there is an outpouring of love and support for them and recognition of this young man’s life.  So many lives were touched by this young man—we never know the influence we have.  So many times I consider this thought: our sphere of influence is far greater than our sphere of acquaintance.   I wrote a letter on this some time back… that was for women, but I realize more and more that no matter the age, the influence one has can be tremendous.   A baby… a young child… a mother… a young man… a father… whatever the age, whatever the circumstance: there will be an influence.  I’ve been mulling over this: what will my influence be?  What will I leave behind?  What will matter?

Most of us never know the stories behind the lives of people in our community.  As we’ve followed this multi-part story, The Garden that Grief Built, this week in the Everett Herald, it’s been totally gripping to read—in this week of again coming to terms with the pain in people’s lives—pain apart from salvation in Jesus, what they’ve been through to bring them to who they are today.  Neighbors… seemingly living worlds apart from our own and yet, some are a real picture of where we might be without hope in Christ and His redemption of our lives.  This series, as well as things the LORD is doing, has been used to renew my resolve to reach our neighbors for Christ—to show them His love and to offer them the gift we’ve received in Christ Jesus. 

With all the amazing things in the news, we’re just seeing the staggering numbers of stories that indicate total chaos and “lost-ness” in our world—though many of these things are not new, the occurrence or frequency and “commonness” is astonishing.  Sin is ugly and the ugliness is becoming so “normal” in society.  I’ve been considering the ‘demands’ made by those who seek their own way—demands of tolerance—yet, so intolerant of rejection and surely of God’s Word, so intolerant of constraints to their “freedom.”  Such a double standard: those who would demand laws demand to break them.  Sin knows no bounds.

February 20, 2004  Well, if Judicial tyranny isn’t bad enough, what’s going on now is out and out anarchy!  The judicial system is becoming a farce!  Though people scream, their voice is not heard.  What is that phrase?  O, yes: You ain’t seen nuthin yet!  What’s going on in San Francisco, Chicago and New Mexico is astounding!   What an affront to God and the God ordained institution of marriage, this denigration of His Word concerning the sanctity of marriage.  It sickens me to have to ‘stand by’ and watch this revolt and the degradation of marriage.  But sin is like that—an in-your-face attack on our holy God. 

A news brief I just received from the Alliance Defense Fund

I cannot believe I used to live and go to school in what is now Sodom.  I used to dream of spending some more time in my city high-on-a-hill… where-little-cable-cars-climb-halfway-to-the-stars…my-city-by-the-bay—but no longer.  My heart’s here… I certainly didn’t leave my heart in SanFrancisco.  We were married in  SanFrancisco—and our marriage license was issued from there… when marriage licenses were only issued legally.   And now, the Mayor’s a hero.  And check out that Habakkuk 1.3-4 passage!  Incredible.  What do you think!?!?   Even so—Come LORD Jesus!

Okay… comic relief time.  I don’t necessarily endorse the saying of every one of these ‘funnies‘ but…  a little levity, dears, a little levity.

February 19, 2004  What a whirlwind of emotion this week as friends and family come to grips with the death of the young man, Justin.  The more we hear of his life, the family’s life and recall what’s transpired in recent weeks, the more we see the Hand of God in all of these things—though in tears, it’s not difficult to say: praise the LORD for His marvelous works!  His sister is a testimony of strength and trust in the LORD.  His family is a picture of faith in the work and ways of the LORD.   As the young people gathered for Bible study last night, much was shared and many tears shed as this young man was remembered.  There’ll be a special service for him next week.

Tamera (Justin’s mother) had just tearfully shared two weeks ago in the morning service that on Christmas day, one of their little daughters had awoken at her grandparents house, and then not finding anyone awake yet had wandered out into the cold from her grandparents house— (next door  but not close in proximity bcz of living in the country), early morning in her diapers and a small shirt.  She was found by a neighbor and brought to Marty and Tamera’s home.   Later that day (Christmas) Tamera said she was fearful to allow her 18yo daughter to drive to Oregon in case something were to happen to her.  She loves her family so much and is careful to be attentive to them.   Tamera shared that day in church that she then felt challenged by God, asking if she would continue loving Him even if He took one of her children away.  Wes and I feel as though it was a prophetic time—that the LORD was preparing her for what He would have for her down the road.   This is a testimony of the mercy of God!  Something we may not understand at the time, but accept in faith.   Anyway, this all has certainly been heartrending, but has strengthened our faith and resolve to love and serve our precious LORD.  Many people are affected—besides the family, Justin’s fiancée, Addy and many other relatives and friends.  We’re also praying for the crane operator who obviously didn’t know Justin was there.  We imagine that his grief and sense of guilt must be overwhelming.  The LORD has blessed Tamera many many ways over the years and one of the most profound is His continued provision and confirmation of love in guiding her path.

She’s now a member of a special group of women who’s grief is a kind shared and known only by the other members… women who’ve buried a child. 

2-18-2004 – 6pm   I have an apology and a correction to make to my comments regarding “seeker churches” in America and around the world. I am sorry for the miscommunication regarding my thoughts  on the “institutional” church.  I wished to simply say that I am dead set opposed to churches that are offering a counterfeit “gospel” and are soft-selling a brand of easy-believism, avoiding the discomfort of “old-fashioned” evangelism or gospel teaching, it’s compromised Christianity that focuses on perceived success, caters to felt needs rather than focusing on the Cross, the depravity of man, eternal separation from God for those who will not know Him as LORD and Saviour. 

1Peter 4.17  “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?”

I stand against what’s become a paradigm for a large number of “churches” in America:  seeker sensitive, purpose driven, paradigm shift churches.   And, though I’ve referenced “Open church” & “Home-church” & “House church” sites and agree whole heartedly with much but not all that’s shared on those sites, our family still attends a local Baptist church in addition to a home-fellowship.  I want to share that we are not standing in judgment of all ‘churches’ nor are we seeking to promote some ‘brand’ of Christianity, nor use this as a venue for promotion of a personal agenda or particular plan—save, the Word of God.  We do pray for those who hold the position of pastor of local assemblies and  pray for a spiritual awakening—the wake-up call has surely been given!  We seek the LORD and His Righteousness. 

I appreciated receiving mail concerning this and other issues related to the institutional church.  This blog’s a reflection of life in our home and would be pretty boring if nothing but a weather report was written each day.  Imagine, day after day: In the Pacific Northwest: rain today, rain tomorrow, rain for the rest of the week giving way to occasional showers and rare sunbreaks.

No strong opinions here.  😉

February 18, 2004  From time to time I read info on a site that leaves me thinking: well, that’s the craziest thing I ever read.  Here’s a site that offers hundreds of uses for well known products from Alberto VO5 Conditioner to Ziploc bags.   One particular use for Flexible Straws:  “Prevent tangles in fine chain jewelry.  Run the chain through a length of Glad Flexible Straw and fasten the catch.”

Another “help save marriage” site and petition.  This, “No Gay Marriage” site has articles updates and petitions.  You know, some of us probably seem as obnoxious as the flagrant abusers of the law—and those who are obtaining bogus marriage “licenses.”  The American Family Association has a very thorough coverage of these and other issues that are tearing apart the family, posing such an arrogant attack on God and will ultimately destroy America. (As my husband often says of me: “No strong opinions here!”)  It is utterly amazing to me that our political system has degraded to this rebellious judicial tyranny. 

I say, O, God, where is the church?  I don’t mean all the religious institutions or tens of thousands of “church” buildings across our land, I mean: the church, the body of Christ.  Wake up, believers!  Wake up to the stench of this sinful nation.  Pray.  Walk with God—stop masquerading with a foot in the world and a foot on the Word.  I say, women: stay home, take good care of your husband, your children and your home, be pure, be faithful.  I say, men: lead as the Word commands you to lead, quit entertaining yourself to death with sports and p-rnography, be faithful, be true, quit running after the elusive nest egg and status symbols, be honest, quit ye like men!  Today’s all you’ve got—tomorrow you could be dead.

I’ve realized another reason I am so ardently against the “seeker” so called “churches” that are filled with people who would have as much or more “fun” at a club, buildings that have no crosses and no Bibles on the chairs or pew racks.  Where there’s nothing offensive, nothing hard to swallow, nothing uncomfortable—just partial Truth.  Look where that whole misguided, unbiblical nauseating trend has taken what should be the Church or what it’s done with the Truth—it’s exchanged it for a lie and made it (the Church) of no effect.   What a grief this is.

February 17, 2004  In a television interview with Diane Sawyer, Mel Gibson gave clear and succinct answers to what seemed to me to be heated and divisive questions.  It’s no surprise and this was just a taste of what’s to come as The Passion of The Christ debuts on the 25th of February.

I just discovered this page for women—The Christian Woman’s Page and took a look at a few articles.  It seems to be a good and encouraging site. 

February 16, 2004   Tragedy.  No words.  I’m struck with the tremendous stark reality that today is all we have—no guarantees of tomorrow—just today: it’s all we have.  Our family was in the middle of prayers following our Bible study when we received the call that Justin, the eldest son of our friends, the Glaser’s, had died as a result of a tragic crane accident.  This young man had just celebrated his 20th birthday, had plans to marry a young woman, had just moved into his new home and had a loving family and many friends.  Another young man whose life *seems* to have been lost too soon—but God.  But God who is rich in mercy… saw fit to bring this young man home, and so, sorrow has come to this home.

My husband and I rode silently from their home this evening… again, no words.  We wondered how could we have been so blessed.  How could the LORD be so gracious.  But I know deep in my heart that grief comes to everyone and tragedy visits every home… sorrow skips no home—every home is visited with sadness and no one escapes the sting of death.

My first inclination was to call my son… I knew our other children and grandchildren were safe here with us; but this son was not here and I was compelled to call to connect with him, to affirm my love for him and to assure him of my concern for him.  He’s just a couple of years older than the young man who passed away and just a year older than Nolan—all were friends, all had that same thread of youth that bound them and all had their lives stretched out wide before them and now two have gone…

February 15, 2004  You’ll just be amazed at Roger Bennett’s news!   The LORD surely seems to be at work here for giving the Bennett’s such remarkable news.
Blessings this LORD‘s Day!

February 14, 2004

Another visit with Mom has come to an end.  We sure had a happy week with Wes’s mom here with us from Indiana.  Not much time for blogging today… but lots in the news—if you can stand it!

Happy Valentine’s Day!
There is no greater love… John 15.13 “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”    A sweet Valentine’s Day around here today.  Wes liked his flowers! 😉  I did for him what he did for me for our anniversary: rose bushes!  I’ll put them by his Gravenstein apple tree.  I’m thrilled that his hyacinths and daffodils are starting to come up!  I bought him the bulbs for his birthday and planted them a few months ago.  He particularly likes the scent of the hyacinths—that’s why I bought them!

Another great article by Steve Atkerson of the New Testament Restoration Foundation.  Yes, I’m sort of preoccupied with this sort of material lately as we seek to understand what the LORD would have us to do and how He would have us to live out our lives in faith before Him.  None of these articles or ideas are meant as an attack on the institutional church in America—though no amount of discussion will be convincing, rather they cause us to take a good hard look and make an honest assessment of what we do and why!  It’ll surely offend some and probably will be misunderstood by others—but that’s not the intent of my posting or sharing the articles/links/sites.  If a man will not, in the light of Scripture, examine what he does or ever question what he believes and why he believes it, he’s foolish.  Prove all things, hold fast that which is good.

A couple of our children served area Pastors and wives at
a Valentine’s Banquet… they were having a bit of fun before leaving!

February 13, 2004… back to blogging.

A new dawn…  was buying a bunch of “sippy-cups” at the drugstore in town today and the cashier asked, or rather stated:  “O, these are for your graaaannd-children!?!”  I, for the first time, realized that I look *more* like a grandmother than “just” a mother—instantaneously, I felt compelled to buy a [sworn-off] box of hair dye.  This gray hair seems more like a stark announcement of  advancing age rather than a “crown of splendor” or “way of wisdom” to me.  Ahhh but for the days of youth when I was easily thin, agile and much, much smarter than today.  Ahhhhh, youth.

Hey, what about Massachusetts?!?!  Indecision… a little purchasing of time for wrestling and hashing out the ramifications of whichever law or amendment is established.  It may seem like the debate dead-ends, but it’s anything but dead!  Now there’s time for some real slinging over the issues.

YOU can take action on the Federal Marraige Amendment Amendment!  AND push to STOP Judicial Tyranny.   Track this issue at Judicial Forum —click on the weblog for current updates.

February 12, 2004  Too bizzy for bloggin’ today.

February 11, 2004   O… it’s bad enough all the criticism some people receive while they’re *living*, but now the flack Dr. Atkins is getting posthumously is amazing.  Physicians released Dr. Atkins’ [how’d they get access to the files?] medical information—revealing his physical condition at the time of his death following a fall on some ice.  A group whose interest is probably opposite the “Atkins Approach” to eating released the information.  Another example of envy and the lengths some will go to knock someone down—well I guess dead is as far as one can get knocked down—but his legacy is attacked.  I don’t know what might’ve contributed to his gross water weight-gain and is it important to debate it? —but I do know this: eliminating white food eliminates overweight—O, that, and it’s probably a good idea to watch your step on ice.

Be sure and install critical Microsoft Windows updates.  Serious security flaws will leave systems vulnerable.  “Microsoft urged consumers to apply the repairing patch immediately if they were using Windows NT, Windows 2000 or Windows XP versions of its software, or its Windows NT Server, Server 2000 and Server 2003 software commonly found in corporations.”

In the news… today’s the day to keep your eye on Massachusetts, where lawmakers debate a ban on “gay marriage” —which, no matter what the “law” says, can never even be accomplished as it violates God’s Word.  What was the latest ploy of those who are seeking a redefinition of marriage?  Do I keep  chanting the mantra:  now more than ever we need to make our voice heard and our prayers fervent?  There seems to be so much at stake here—but, again, no matter what takes place, the fact will remain that the LORD God defined marriage from the beginning as a union of a man and a woman.  No matter what man devises, God’s Word stands, God’s design stands, and God will judge.  No matter which road a man takes, all roads will, in the end, end at the Judgment Seat of Christ.  There will be no exceptions, no alternate feelings, no buddha, no mohammed, no science, no knowledge or counsel against the LORD.  The Word says:  “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” [1Corinthians 2.9]  In the end it will just be Jesus.

Keeping Roger Bennett in prayer… you can read his web journal.

In Titus2 fellowship yesterday morning we talked over the aspects of love.  It’s interesting the number of times love is involved with the decisions we make or the reaction we have to something/someone.  One of the ladies read 1 Corinthians 13 with the specific intention to seek how to apply the teaching in the verses to ministering to the family by meeting the needs of the family.  I suggested special plans ought to be made to bless the family for Valentine’s Day.  I suggested a special meal, favourite treats, individual cards or notes, and a joy-filled home.  I recalled what we’d learned from Nancy Campbell at the Above Rubies retreat:  your children may not remember all that you did in your home, but they’ll remember how it felt there.  O, how I keep this in my thoughts each day.  So… this Valentine’s Day—for everyone: go out of your way, be bold… do something out of the ordinary to show l-o-v-e.

More inspiration for February…   Is your walk waning? Is your fervor dim?  Need some encouragement for your walk?

February 10, 2004

 
This picture was taken six months after Wes’s father went to be with the LORD.
From the left:  he and his two sisters, his mother and his brother.
We had just had prayer for mother, for her future and of thanks for the days behind.
As she arrived for a visit, we were so moved by the great care and blessing of
the LORD in the last four years.  We can trust Him far beyond the sunset.

I read an article regarding habits married couples ought to cultivate; this, from christianity today.   As we make decisions to daily have a clean slate before the LORD, another wise decision is to have a clean slate between husband and wife.  Keeping short accounts safeguards marriage, strengthens it and keeps out the weeds that choke growth and fruit.

It’s going to get thicker and nastier as campaigning for the fall election heats up and as other debates come to pass; read more here.

February 9, 2004  As the family goes, so goes the nation.  Opponents of same se-x marriage  held a rally yesterday and the issue is sparking heated debates—this one’s far from over.   If marriage is to last or to have a lasting impact on future generations, then it’s imperative that it be held in highest esteem and be strengthened and nurtured.  The world is looking for answers—and ultimately, will find none outside faith in Christ.

Had to go back on the eating plan again… had gained a few pounds and had not yet reached my goal.  So… back off the butter-sugar-flour foods for awhile.  It’s not too challenging—but I did want to eat a bowl of tortilla chips today as we had mexican food today—but it was tasty even sans the tortillas and chips… and cake.  Maybe you have a struggle with weight and so you know what I mean—well… here’s a piece I received over e-mail today.

Diets & Dieting:

1.The Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans
2.The French eat a lot of fat and also suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans
3.The Japanese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans
4.The Italians drink excessive amounts of red wine and also suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans
5.The Germans drink a lot of beer and eat lots of sausages and fats and suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans

Conclusion: Eat and drink what you like but learn a new language; speaking English is apparently what kills you.

Thought you’d like that one.  My mother-in-law arrives today!  We’ve been so looking forward to seeing her.  It’s soooo chilly in Indianapolis where she lives!  I’m praying the snow doesn’t prevent or delay her travels.  The NOAA weather site shows her temp at 28˚—with snow flurries. 

For February 8, 2004   In a little more than two weeks, The Passion will debut in theaters around the world.  What will the reaction be?  What will believers do in response to the sure opposition to the movie and its message?  What will you do?  What will you say in response to hatred toward God.  Well, toward Jesus, really, because the world is much more apt to accept a god—not the God of the Bible—but a god of their own or their religion’s creation.  Jesus said: “I am the Way the Truth and the Life, no man comes to the Father but by Me.”  John 14.6   We do praise and thank the LORD for His goodness:  “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.”1John 3.1

So, The Passion…  it’ll be interesting to experience the days ahead.  We pray the film will be used of the LORD to draw men and women to faith in Jesus Christ as LORD and Saviour. 

February 7, 2004  Was Bingo the FARMER or the DOG?  Think about it… it’s quite a question, isn’t it?!?  Some of us believe in the duality of Bingo being fully farmer, fully dog.  What do you think?  Okay… my arm was twisted and I typed what I was told to type—no resistance, here.

Seven years ago today my husband had an accident with a skilsaw.  He cut up his hand and because it took so many months to heal, he was unable to work most of that time.   He lost half of his index finger and though his wedding ring had to be cut off, I marvel whenever I see that ring—I imagine that it stopped the saw from cutting that and his little finger totally off.   I was amazed at the skill of the surgeon who repaired Wes’s  hand—the reattaching and connecting and repairing the bones, nerves, veins and tissue.  But I believe one of the greatest benefits of that day was the cementing of an already dear friendship between my husband and his friend that made them more like brothers.  I’ll always be grateful to Mike for his skill & quick thinking and all he’s done to help my husband.  That accident has been used of the LORD time and time again as the LORD used that time to teach our family lessons about Himself, about trust and faith in Him that we didn’t have before that time—not to the degree that’s been built.  In the years that followed that accident, we would see the LORD bring back to our remembrance how He worked, how He provided and how he led our family and as a consequence, how our faith was strengthened as never before.  Throughout our marriage, the LORD‘s called us to live a life of faith, to fully and utterly depend on Him, His provision and His direction.  The most obvious way has been in the form of self-employment in a seasonal business; couple that with His blessed provision of eleven children and a call to minister to others.  As we recount the years, He’s never —never— let us down, not once.  He’s always provided above and beyond what we’ve ever needed.  He’s faithful and true, He’s our high King of heaven, our LORD.  We celebrate this day.  Truly, God is the LORD.

Lots more Valentine’s recipes and ideas here!  [while that site doesn’t seem to be currently maintained, it’s got lots of great recipes—not just Valentine’s Day ideas)—so many yummy looking recipes…  I’m thinking they’re not into Atkins!

I’m going use heart shaped cake pans and make a sweet-heart cake—I’m thinking of making this Oreo White Chocolate Mousse cake and Valentine’s cookies for the children and English Cherubs for my husband.  Kathryn will be making heart cutout cookies—hearts with piped “pearls” and glaze filling the centers.

Another book to read… interesting, a historical fiction book.  A quote from the site:  “Disenchantment with organized religion and a thirst for more intimate fellowship inspire them to worship in their own parlours. Realizing that God doesn’t live in structures of stone, they jettison former rituals in their quest for a deeper Christian life.”

February 6, 2004  Today’s Ronald Reagan’s 93rd birthday.  Much to celebrate in the life of this president!  I missed The Sean Hannity show today and wondered what might have been said about former President Reagan—this, from Hannity & Colmes on Fox.  While Mr. Reagan was not able to attend, a celebration was held in his honour. A pictorial tribute in World magazine sure brings back memories today.  It amazes me how quickly the last 25 years have passed!

It’s another rather dreary morning here in the Northwest.  Such is life—so plans for the days ahead must continue: rain or shine.   Valentine’s Day is coming… a gazilliion more ideas, too! at Peggie’s Place and another sweet Valentine’s page.  Mine is still sadly lacking… but our family and our home needed the attention more than adding to that page!  Still the best is flowers!  I’m so pleased with my new jackson and perkins roses!  These that Wes bought for me are Melody Parfumée and Artistry (these will go in a flower bed I’m making to honour my mother—I still need to get a tree for it).  I also buy an Evelyn rose each year for my mother-in-law—that rose garden is looking so pretty (well, not right now, but soon!).

 

A life changing book for us and for a couple of years now we’ve been encouraging others to read the book “The Day of Small Beginnings” as an encouragement to get out of the traditions of men and into the Word as far as sincerely living out day to day what the New Testament teaches. It can be read online or we can send it out as an e-book.  Many have read it and have been encouraged to rethink the what and why of the living out of the faith—regardless of whether one would make a decision to leave the institutionalized “church” or never to do so, it forever changes the way the “institution” is viewed and the heart or thoughts toward methods is forever transformed by the challenge to what has become tradition and “religion.”  Another book that’s interesting is, “Rethinking the Wineskin” by Frank Viola.  I’m not too familiar with his ministry/theological position and so would like to read more about him/his work.  His book is interesting and thought provoking.  We’ve had good letters concerning home churches or home fellowships—one thing believers have in common over the world is the desire for true fellowship and the longing to be in regular fellowship with other like-minded believers.  A question that seems to come up frequently is the question over the function or order of the meetings in homes.  A good article at the New Testament Restoration Foundation addresses this question.

This blog, in addition to being a web journal—a commentary, is also somewhat of a personal journal in that I give glimpses of daily life here in our home and family—these are more for my self than anything but I share because so many are looking for camaraderie in the Christian home/life and so… I share what’s going on in hopes that it’ll encourage some from day to day.  Sometimes what I write may seem critical or judgmental and that’s not always intentional—but I’m not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ and so when society violates or strays from the Truth, it’s important to stand against it.  I don’t have an ulterior motive in using this venue, nor the intention to give subtle messages to others.   Just thought I’d clear up an unasked question.  I love to write, I love to share ideas and information with others and I love that the LORD has allowed me to be a help and encouragement to women and families.  All I’m writing lately pertaining to home-fellowships is based on our journey to obedience in worship and community with other believers. We’re still members of a local church and  as such, are still happily involved in the lives of believers there.  Our time with other believers in home-fellowship has become our focus because of the collective desire to “live out” or fully function as a body rather than observers in others’ lives.  More on this someday.

February 5, 2004

 
Our special candlelight anniversary dinner at home prepared by Kathryn!
salad, wholegrain rolls, steak, red potatoes, sautéed mushrooms and tomatoes, chocolate cups with whipped cream and strawberries, blueberry bavarian cream filled chocolate tarts… delicious!
All the children were upstairs, while Kathryn prepared our meal; Timothy assisted her as our waiter!
What a blessing it’s been to us today…  I love new roses and peonies from Wes—not the kind of flowers he usually buys me!  These I am planting in the ground and will delight in them for years to come!

Twenty six years later: we still say, “I do… forever.”

February 4, 2004  Now, today it’s a blessing to celebrate our 26th anniversary!  Today we celebrate what the LORD has done, the children, the grandchildren, family, friends, the innumerable blessings, the joys and sorrows, the happiness and tears, the gains and losses and above all: the faith the LORD’s given us throughout all these years.

Just ten days to Valentine’s day!  We’re looking for fun recipes and decorations for the celebrations!

It’s no surprise to me that the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court would further its agenda to undermine marriage.   Read World Net Daily for more on this—I know, who really wants to read more on this—but it *is* imperative to address this one; it’s one of the most divisive and far-reaching issues we’re facing today!  Now, more than ever, it’s easy to see why it’s so important to act now on exposing and ending judicial tyranny in our country.   This isn’t the only issue that ought to have you concerned… there’s more, much more!    Walter Martin used to say: are you doing for the Truth what the enemy’s willing to do for a lie?

It’s not enough to hope it’ll all go away: This is America, after all.  It’s not enough to make a call to a senator or to pledge a couple of dollars here and there.  It’s not enough to just pray it’ll all go well.  We can and we must *be* in behaviour that becomes holiness, we can and must apply what we read in the Word. The watching world is looking for answers and finds none unless our behaviour is above reproach and our testimony is bright and true.  The church in America is becoming anemic and fruitless in reaching the lost for a changed life of Faith in Christ—many are attending services being held each Sunday—but are lives exchanged for Christ and are men and women living in faith and truth?  We must fall to our knees, pray for forgiveness for getting caught up in the religiosity of programs and agendas and curricula that promise life, fulfillment and happiness— It’s no wonder there’s confusion over the first and most basic institution: marriage.  Believers won’t even obey the Word—how could we possibly expect or even hope those without God and with no hope in this world to understand and uphold this most precious and sacred institution.  What an affront to the most Holy God for His creation to desecrate His design—but how much more, His children to stand by and watch.

How can this be done?  Well, I’m thinking it can be done as believers walk in fellowship with one another and as believers rethink what it is and what it means to be a follower of Christ.  Not the Sunday bus ride for the Sunday show for all those who park at the same Sunday Park ‘n Ride.  I mean: fellowship!  As we rethink what we call “church” and how we function as a body and what we call “fellowship.”   We don’t need another program, another activity or another committee meeting to discuss how we can provide for fellowship—but genuine in your face, in your life regular fellowship with families and singles, widows and children, etc. The more time we spend in regular fellowship with other believers, we see what it is to be a New Testament church—and, sadly, we see what we’ve been missing and what countless thousands are missing by *not* being/living in genuine fellowship with other believers.  I don’t mean they’re not regularly going to “church.”    O, we’ve been *going* to “church” for decades!  We’ve been faithful in attendance—the more commitments the better! But what we haven’t been is faithful to being a New Testament church *body*.   Think this sounds strange?  Think it might even seem “cultish?”  Well, it won’t seem strange once you read more about what it means to be a New Testament church.    One of my first questions and hopefully, yours would be: what do they believe?  The site (which is one of many) has publications to encourage and equip you as you seek to follow Christ in practice and in Truth.   Once you read the book:  Ekklesia: To The Roots of Biblical Church Life by Steve Atkerson, you’ll see what I’m talking about… in fact, you probably won’t even have to go so far as to begin reading the book to begin questioning what you’ve been doing and why.  This is just one of many good sites/links for what are commonly called house-churches or home-fellowship groups.

February 2, 2004  A new week is underway—full steam ahead and yet, we sort of feel out of steam here!  Perhaps it’ll all pick up in a day or so.  Too many balls in the air for this juggler!  I’m looking outside seeing the all the roses that need pruning, the apple trees that need pruning and all the beds that need tending—not to mention all the yard clean-up!  I’m going to muster the resolve to get out there this week and get some things done!   I try to get the pruning done each year by Valentines Day—so I still have a number of days to get them done.  I’d like to add another rose bush and another one for my mother-in-law.  I’d like to start another rose garden for my mother… I just need to find another good sunny place to do it—of course, it’ll need a tree, too.  I don’t think a girl can have too many roses.  Each year Costco sells Jackson & Perkins roses and this year they’ve got some new additions.  I’d like to get a totally different one—but I always tend toward the same ones!  Another thing I’m sort of enjoying:  peonies—so I think I’ll add another or two of those.   The hydrangeas need shaping—they’re also a favourite!  It would be something to see one of the red hydrangeas —Michigan Bulb is showing!  We have a few varieties but no reds!   Gardening is such a blessing!  I’ve long thought that everyone ought to have a little digging in their life!  There are so many lessons… parallels and life messages to be learned or better understood by spending time digging in the dirt… clearing away weeds… watching growth come… watering… keeping weeds away…  and: waiting.  Ahhh the waiting.

SO glad we were with our home fellowship group yesterday and *missed* the displays of lewdness and distasteful commercials during the Super Bowl.  We’d not have watched the game had we been home—neither we nor our children need to see all that is “normal” to many—normal doesn’t mean right—I’m talking about the commercials and the half-time show—not the game itself.   If you saw them, then you know first hand the crudeness of the commercials and halftime show.  The moment (totally inappropriate displays) may not have conformed to CBS broadcast standards, however when MTV is producing a halftime show, one could be pretty sure that the First Baptist choir wouldn’t be taking center stage—hearing about who the producers were, I’m thinking: what’s the surprise here?  Today’s news & emails were more than we needed regarding the questionable or totally inappropriate presentations, however, I would like to have seen that last winning kick!   Not referring specifically to the Super Bowl, but life in general:  with each passing year I marvel at what seems to be the lowest of lows… and then another year passes and the depth of depravity and acceptance or tolerance of sin increases and broadens. 

February 1, 2004  The first day of a new month!  My favourite month of the year!  Also, today is the LORD’s Day—a day of fellowshipping with believers!  The reason February is my favourite month is each February marks another year of marriage for us. This year it’s 26!  Twenty-six years ago—not having the slightest idea or knowing or even imagining any of the events, blessings, tragedies, trials or triumphs that would become our history—I said, I do, forever.  And now… though there are days I’d rather not repeat, I wouldn’t trade a one of them or miss a one of them for anything in the world—any amount of money or any thing more or anything less.  Even the worst of days have been better than all the best days most people ever have—and I know it’s all because the LORD’s blessing has been with us.  I still do, forever.

Kathryn is so grateful to everyone for their prayers and kind words of support.  She enjoyed some time fellowshipping with friends and having the opportunity to share what the LORD has allowed her.  It’s really quite remarkable—to think that at this point one year ago, we would never have believed that one year later we’d be looking back on nearly 5 months in a wheel chair and crutches, four surgeries, the blessing of beautiful feet, the path of learning to walk with straight feet, and the merciful blessing of the LORD through skilled surgeon’s hands!  We’d never have thought of all the blessings of this past year and the doors that have been opened to Kathryn to share the LORD.  O, to gain a glimpse of the LORD’s hand in this and of Kathryn’s character, I hope you’ll read the poem Glenys Hick’s wrote for her.  Behind the poem is a picture of an x-ray before and an x-ray following Kathryn’s first surgery.

God is the LORD, there is no other.

January 2004

Our January Snow and Ice Pictures

here’s another one for you, mama… Kathryn
and me at a party this past Christmas

January 31, 2004  Already the last day of the first month.  What an amazing thing it is to have time seem to be at an accelerated pace.  Early in motherhood, I thought the days were so long but the months flew by—now, the days and months seem to pass in a blink!

Kathryn’s doing much better today—has a bit of pain in her leg where the tourniquet was used—that surgery is done in a “bloodless field.”  It’s fascinating to see what’s done in the process—but not for the squeamish—I’ll tell ya that!

A lot more to write about the upcoming: Passion movie.  There’s an article circulating that is credited to Paul Harvey and it’s quite a sensitive review of the movie and the effect on the viewer—  From what I’ve heard of Paul Harvey, I imagine he’d likely agree with the words.

Today’s a bizzy-bizzy day.  Many have already gathered to hear Dick York share today at Emmanuel Baptist church.  He’s quite a gifted man.  I appreciate his years of work and his wisdom.  He has so much to offer having walked with the LORD as long as he has.  It doesn’t even matter to me that his theological position (calvin vs. arminius) doesn’t fully match what I personally believe.  I understand where he’s coming from and see his position.  We sort of have that going on in this house all the time, though and it’s really okay.  This side of heaven we only see in the glass darkly—no matter what we think!!   I know my Calvinistic leanings are probably a bit on the strong side and yet, I totally understand how my husband (and friends & family) sees a different (but sometimes parallel) angle of this theological position.  He’s surely read/studied/debated/and waited on the LORD la long time and has my undying admiration and respect.

January 30, 2004  It’s a rainy, dreary day here in the Northwest.  Such a blessing to have wood and a woodstove! Kathryn’s doing a bit better today but is still experiencing quite a bit of pain and some sickness… each day of the climb will be easier for her… but it’s still a pretty steep climb.  Our little friend Kinsey’s picture depicts Kathryn as she sees her.  😉  I smile knowing the LORD’s Hand in Kinsey’s life and that because of a major injury, she’s faced a thousand times more in her early years than people face their whole life… but, Kinsey sees the Sonshine.

Kathryn, by Kinsey… January 2004

January 29, 2004  Long night, this last. Lots of pain for Kathryn—no pain to me to stay by and help her.  So thankful to the LORD for His working through the surgeon who operated on Kathryn’s foot yesterday.  Wes & I talked with him for a bit after the surgery and he was so encouraged by her words and attitude.  She had told the doctors and the nurses in surgery that they had changed her life and that she was so grateful to them for all they’ve done for her—that they had no idea what a blessing they were to her.  So… when they came out to talk with us, that’s what they all said.  The doc was especially touched as he said sometimes work gets so routine that you never know how it all works out.  Well—for us, this worked out marvelously and we know the LORD was answering our prayers in and through the work of this doctor’s hands. 

A precious sister in the LORD sent a beautiful poem that was waiting for us when we got home yesterday.   What’s so touching is not only that she would take the time to do this, or that her walk with the LORD made it possible, but that it is only through this small work that she “knows” us and that we’ll probably never meet this side of heaven—and so we owe her a debt of gratitude.  I made a print of it with a picture of two of Kathryn’s x-rays behind the words and then I decided to frame it for others to see.  I had an old picture in a matted frame and so thought that there would be a nice place for it in the dining room.  I stand in awe of God Who’s made all this possible and the words form the sister in Australia surely reveal that she knows this too.  So… for Kathryn Grace who knows the Who and Why of the shape and scars of her beautiful feet… here is a poem with thanks to and for Glenys Hicks.

Perhaps you heard the Colson, Breakpoint commentary.  If not, here’s a touching commentary, At the Foot of the Cross.

Much in the news about the upcoming Passion of Christ.  David Limbaugh’s review of the movie concludes:  The moral is that if you want the popular culture to laud your work on Christ, make sure it either depicts Him as a homosexual or as an everyday sinner with no particular redeeming value (literally). In our anti-Christian culture, the blasphemous “The Last Temptation of Christ” is celebrated, and “The Passion” is condemned. But if this movie continues to affect people the way it is now, no amount of cultural opposition will suppress its force and its positive impact on lives everywhere. Mel Gibson is a model of faith and courage.   (Read his entire review here)

These I’ve received from newsletters—and expect to see many more:

The Canada-based TruthMedia team have built an evangelistic site around the PASSION film.
http://www.thelife.com/
And they have created SHARE THE LIFE as a site directed at Christians, encouraging them to integrate this film into their evangelism: http://www.sharethelife.com/
Both these sites are incomplete at this time of writing, but expect to be fully operational mid-February, well before the main film launch.

CCCI US have rebranded their WHO IS JESUS site as ‘PASSION OF CHRIST’:
http://www.passionofchrist.com/

And CCC’s Evangelism Toolbox has created a specific PASSION-related site where you can find (or add), specific resources for churches to mesh with this very significant film.
http://www.thepassiontoolbox.org/

For details of ordering tickets, getting the film to your local cinema, and obtaining promotional materials from the film’s makers, plus links, news, reviews, and comments:
http://www.hollywoodjesus.com/newsletter065.htm

You can tell a friend by email (or text message) about the availability of movie clips of the film:
http://www.buzzplant.com/passion/

January 28, 2004  Well… today’s the day for Kathryn’s 4th & final (we pray!) foot surgery.  We stayed up so late last night… don’t know if it was from excitement or just to have a good time of talking, a last little snack and coffee.  No matter, it was worth it and we’re now preparing for her appointment.  As always, she’s doing great and is very calm.  The surgeons who will be working on her foot today are the same she’s had the previous three times and are such fine men.  I’m so thankful for the LORD’s direction of the selection of this doctor and his associate!  They’re really gracious and so attentive to her needs and comfort.  Easy for me to say.  I have some links on our medical page that show different foot surgeries.  O, …perhaps not with your morning coffee, though… okay?

There’s a site—with books and the whole deal— that seems to validate the type of “diet” way I’ve been eating over the last several months. Last summer, when I decided to let go of butter-sugar-flour foods and mocha lattés, I began to lose weight.  It was as thought the LORD put His finger on that area of my life and I knew that these foods had a grip on me and I had to get out from under my obsession with BSF foods.   I know He guided my thoughts and was my Help as I walked away from foods I love and helped me to replace them with better choices for me.  I am learning moderation.  I haven’t really done the Atkins or Zone diets—but perhaps a combination of them.  My mom suggested the site so I’ve been taking a look at the Glycemic Index.   I think if you’re having a hard time getting your arms around the Atkins plan, then maybe the glycemic index is for you.  It’s possibly an easier way of dealing with “what in the world do you eat” questions.  This, from their site:

	• Use breakfast cereals based on oats, barley and bran
	• Use “grainy” breads made with whole seeds
	• Reduce the amount of potatoes you eat
	• Enjoy all types of fruit and vegetables (except potatoes)
	• Eat plenty of salad vegetables with vinaigrette dressing

This is sort of how I’ve been eating for the last couple of months.  A little oatmeal occasionally, Flax Seed bread,  NO potatoes, NO rice, smaller portions of beans, 1/4 banana, 1/2 servings of fruit at a time, Tortilla chips only if they have salsa on them—THAT totally curbs the snacking—you get too full too snack on them!  See… it’s really, really easy to cut down/out carbs.  I like this Glycemic Index approach.  I’m going to be reading more about it—perhaps I like if because it allows a bit more flexibility with carbs!  Ahhhh precious carbs.   Moderation, moderation, moderation, dear. What do you bet that the cereal suggestion of oats, bran or barley based cereals means about a 1/3 cup serving? 

January 27, 2004  Here’s an interesting Census Bureau report—it’s even a bit encouraging… regarding families.  There’s also a mixed bag of stats on Fathers that was interesting to read.  We know the Word has a message to Fathers… that the heart of the fathers would turn to the children and the heart of the children to their fathers.  This, from Malachi 4.6.  What an awesome responsibility fathers have, yet few seem to realize it!

We completed our Titus2.3-5  study this morning in our Titus2 fellowship.  It’s been a long, sort of drawn out study—one I pray has been a blessing to the ladies, but I thought it necessary to examine each word in context and focused on each as a topic for each study.  What comes of it, I pray, will be wives whose lives exemplify and not blaspheme the Word of God.  Interestingly, I read an article a little bit ago about something I just shared this morning and that is the benefit/imperative of early learning and application of specific Bible truths. This article is the second part of an article “The Bible on Responsibility.” It looks to be the last for that site.

January 26, 2004  Kathryn’s getting ready for another surgery.  She’s begun the surgical prep work of scrubbing and scrubbing.   She getting her thoughts and trust in such a place as to accept the path and walk in it. This is the last one in this series of four surgeries to correct her feet, so she’s aware of the trail ahead.  It’s been nearly a year since we first met her doctor and what a blessing he’s been to her and to us.  I marvel at the goodness of God, His mercy and timing in the surgeries and how well they’ve gone.  Kathryn’s been so gracious—I know more and more all the time why the LORD impressed me to name her Kathryn Grace—for God’s grace, God’s infinite grace is evident and made manifest in and through her life.  I’ve always seen a glimpse of this but more so in trials and suffering—things that would hinder most, rather propel her to goodness with a gracious response to humiliation!  I see the High King of Heaven, the love of God—His wondrous grace in her.

God’s blessed us with four beautiful daughters—I do not mean beautiful as the world defines beautiful, but beautiful on the inside where beauty never fades, where beauty deepens and increases with age, experience, and through the work of the Holy Spirit.  I’m increasingly sensitive to the gifting of the LORD in these daughters (and in the sons, as well—but that’s another blog!) and the tremendous and humbling responsibility that is ours in the training of daughters and perhaps in presenting each one one day to the men that will be their husbands—the ones to whom they’ll be joined.  I’m grateful for the opportunities of their lives.  I read a story this evening about a little “ballerina” whose parents only saw her to age eight.  It was gripping to this mama with two daughters a bit older than eight and two under eight.  Tiny Dancer is the story.  Get out your hankie—it’ll grip your heart.

How ’bout this story… would you invite a stranger into the service if he didn’t look right, smell right, fit right in?  If he were sitting on the wall around the churchyard, would you sit down and talk with him?

It’s going to be an interesting year if the “news of the day” radio broadcasts continue as they have been.  Some years ago, story had it that Ronald Reagan said to Nancy (at a cemetery, looking at a headstone inscribed: Here lies an Honest Man and a Politician): “Look, Nancy, here’s one with two men in the same grave!”  Ahhhh.  So now… all the rhetoric and mud-slinging… I wonder how many are honest politicians?  Perhaps an oxymoron.

Thinking of attending an Alpha Course?  Think again.  There are some conflicts with the Word you need to be aware of before you’d consider attending—The Alpha Course is another of the many dangerous teachings to mislead the Church today.

January 25, 2004

Many Blessings to you, this LORD’s Day~
Today I want to share with you a blessing…
it’s in the form of an audio-video presentation:
The LORD is my Shepherd.

 

January 24, 2004 We’re in a bit of a mess around here—new sorting and cleaning, preparing to the weekend, baking and washing… no time for bloggin—but Valentine’s Day is coming so I wanted to get working on that page.  I’ll add to it, hopefully, in the next couple of days.  Many blessings!

January 23, 2004  Ooops, I just typed in “3” again!  It’s a bit hard to remember we are well into the month of January and I am still typing 2000-three instead of 2004—maybe you are doing that, too. 

We praise the LORD that Mother is home from the hospital.  Seems she has a condition with the acid-reflux that is quite painful and since it’s not been long since a stent/angioplasty, there was some concern that a problem had arisen and needed to be addressed.  Thankfully the docs were able to help her and she was released.  Oh—the brevity of life—-and the long, long days in between.

After another sweet time of fellowship with other believers, we are more and more grateful for the body of Christ and for His provision.  Each week, it seems there are more things we discover about the Word—passages that we individually study are shared and new understanding is gained.  I’m grateful for the opportunities our children have to visit with others because of that deep need for socializing—all of us have it, I suppose, but young people especially are needing good friendships and enjoyable times.

Joyce was writing to me about her new washer/dryer and I am sure impressed with her testimony of the efficiency of the machines—and the time and water she saves!  She was sharing that the capacity is twice the size of her other washer, so that means her laundry will be done twice as fast in half the time!  She writes: “A well working tool makes for a well working mother!”  Amazing, isn’t it!?!    So— front loaders are on my mind as I type away, waiting for a load to finish so I can get another one going.  So grateful for these maidens here in the kitchen. Maiden Washer, Maiden Dryer and Maiden Dishwasher are all hard at work!

more later…

January 22, 2004  My mother in law was taken to the hospital this morning… how sad we are that she lives in Indiana—no longer lives close to us and therefore, we must rely on phone calls or email, which is how we received the news this morning.  We pray for her and earlier, we prayed that she’d quickly recover and still be able to come out for an already planned visit in two weeks.  Wes just called and had an update… so we’ll see how things pan out.  She’s a remarkable woman whose life has been such a blessing.

Here’s a new site, One Man One Woman Coalition for Marriage supporting the preservation of marriage—looks like it’s ecumenical, but good resources and links, nonetheless.  No doubt there’ll be attempted sabotage like what’s happened to other preservation of marriage/family/home sites.  We pray God will bless America, and more: that America will bless God.

You know… there’s a continued sickening occurrence of disregard for life… it’s not coincidental that it’s in the news at the same time as marriage issues are in the news—all of these things are inextricably linked: faith, abstinence, marriage, childbearing, Truth and life  vs. cults, the occult and new age religions, promiscuity, immorality, abortion, deception and death.  The article at Real Clear Politics sure shows another ugly side of the humanistic view of life.  Infant mortality is on the rise—not because of more abortions, although there are—now, added to the staggering annual numbers of abortions, there are more and more infants being killed at birth.   As sick as it is, the mothers of these infants could have had abortions moments before the births and not be charged with homicide—it would be perfectly legal to do so in our country.  At the thirtieth anniversary of Roe v. Wade, there is so much to be done.  The following article informs us of the tragedy that is no doubt taking place all over America—the world. Real Clear Politics.

It’s time to start planning for Valentine’s Day.  Now… I don’t know the particulars about the origins of this day, so when we celebrate Valentine’s Day… we celebrate love, joy, family and friendship.  We like to decorate with hearts, candles and flowers and heart shaped foods… cookies & biscuits, and we like to share sweet memories and because Valentine’s day comes just a bit after our anniversary, it’s just sort of an extension of our anniversary celebration—always a time of remembering special memories and commitments we’ve made to one another.

 Don’t forget!  Valentine’s Day is for sending love notes…

I am making a page for Valentine’s Day ideas…
I’ll let you know when it’s up!

January 21, 2004  Bloggin’ early for Wednesday—things are stacking up, already!  Only heard a bit of the President’s State of the Union address last night.  I applaud him for his comments in the latter portion of his address concerning the sanctity of marriage and our obligation to defend it.   Interesting comments regarding support of faith-based organizations and opportunities for such to receive financial backing and non discrimination of such.  It’ll be interesting to see how all that pans…  At one point he stated that we have some “unfinished business on the issue of taxes…” Uh, yes—I guess that’s on not a few people’s minds.  Good address, Mr. President.  Had to be.

Speaking of taxes—Costco has a coupon item that Wes just went to pick up last night.  Turbo Tax—with the sale price, in-store and mail-in rebates it was something like $14. or $15.   So… now, that means all he needs in order to complete our taxes is for me to go to the Social Security office and update my information—never mind that this has suddenly come up after 26 years of marriage—suddenly their records don’t reflect my name change.  Omygoodness.  Okay—so I’ll head over there one of these days.  I think I’ll enjoy that trip as much as I enjoyed heading into that root canal last Tuesday.  I do not like the SS admin office any more than the Dept of Licensing.  I just about typed motor vehicles—California, dontcha know.  Even after 25 years here… We still call it the DMV—DOL sounds sort of odd to me—when any of us go in, we’re certainly not on the dole—and those who don’t pass the tests certainly don’t feel as though anything charitable has happened to them—so, DOL—it’s maybe a dumb title.  Stick with me, it’s the DMV.

I just remembered some of my New Year’s goals.  It dawns on me… if I can’t remember when I last drank a glass of water, then it’s been too long.   That, and finishing my meds

We sold our old van!  No, I’m not kidding.  The man who bought it had rolled his van a couple of weeks ago in the ice and freezing rainstorm.  So… he already has a good engine but a van in bad shape and our van’s engine was in bad shape but the van was in not terribly awful shape—for a van that’s 28 years old!    Well, actually, not that bad until two nights ago when someone broke out the passenger window to steal the CD player.  It never *seemed* that old till last week, then it seemed… older.  So glad the thirty year olds I know look so much better/younger than that van.  So anyway… the man took the van and was happy—happy with the nice upholstery, dual exhaust, dual gas tanks and new tires—uh, and the plastic over the door.  Oh, c’mon—no, we didn’t pay him to take it!  The LORD has answered our prayer—completely and exactly.

January 20, 2004   What a beautiful Northwest day we have here today! Clear and chilly. The olders have been working through their schoolwork and the youngers have been watching one of the phonics videos.  I’m particularly happy with this program, The Hooked on Phonics [site is slow loading] videos and cards.  I please with the format and the clarity.  It’s a good partner to the 100 Easy Lessons book and ABeka language arts books.  There are some minor pronunciation differences and occasionally a different term is used for blends or digraphs or whatever, but all in all, the combination is a good one.  There are some children in our family who seem to do better with the worksheet method and some not so well, it depends on their personality—so I always recommend waiting a bit for boys and discovering their particular need/style and then plunging in with them, concentrating on attention, obedience, understanding and recognition.  Over and over I see that knowledge without wisdom is foolishness or vain.  Proverbs 15.14 “The heart of him that hath understanding seeketh knowledge: but the mouth of fools feedeth on foolishness.” That’s another topic for another day.  I need to update our homeschooling sections as I’m sure there are many dead links as well as other info that needs updating.  I don’t know when I’ll get to all that, I do know that today’s not the day.  In a moment we’re off to the Library.  We just received one of our daily calls that someone here has “holds” in at the Library.  It used to just be the ‘olders’ who needed frequent trips to the Library—but now, even the younger ones need a trip or two each week!  So… off we’ll go in the new-to-us “Limo” to the Library!

DOMA’s in the news!  I never want to be called a “one-note-Sally” or however that saying goes… where the daily mantra is the same—like a broken record; and I pray to not be as brass or a clanging gong or tinkling cymbal.  But you know, everybody’s got a note they sing… perhaps many notes, but for me one note that needs to be sung the loudest, highest, deepest and longest, is the note pertaining to the sanctity of marriage.  I don’t generally harp against those who hold a different view, and neither do I spend any time considering the views of those who don’t hold marriage in high esteem, for any thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God is to be cast down. 

“Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” –2 Corinthians 10.5 

Proverbs 14.34 says: “Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.”  

So what’s the big deal about marriage and why am I so determined in the promotion of healthy marriage and dogmatic over its preservation and restoration?  Marriage is a picture of Christ and the church—just as a bridegroom gives himself for his bride, protecting, covering and providing for her, so also Christ our LORD gave Himself for the church… that it should be holy and without blemish.  In the same way, we women so ought to behave that the Word of God be not blasphemed.

This one’s for you, Katherine ~ God Bless you.

January 19, 2004  I’m overwhelmed by the events of the last few days, humbled at the mercy of God, His providing a van for our family, and for the opportunities we’ve had to share His provision and protection.  We share, not because of anything we think of ourselves and surely not of boasting because none of all of this is our doing, but because all of what’s transpired is of the LORD —no man has power to do what’s been done.  Ps. 118.23-25, 27  This is the LORD‘s doing, it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. Save now, I beseech thee, send now prosperity. God is the LORD…

We called on the Name of the LORD and He heard our cry.  We trusted in the Name of our LORD and we were delivered.  We seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and He has provided what has been needed.  Not a moment too soon and not a split-second too late.  O, had we not stood still and waited on the LORD…

One of the thrills we had today was *heat* as we rode along in the van which is also *dry* inside with doors that shut securely.  We enjoyed conversation—able to hear and speak at a very comfortable volume.  But the heat… that was pretty neat!  We figure that it’s probably been about twelve years since we had a van with a heater because the one we had before this one also didn’t have a functioning heater.  It’s been very normal to wear lap blankets in the van.  We’ve been able to continually add to our amazing collection of van related or road related miracles… you can only get stories and miracles like these from “faith powered” vehicles which still run for no apparent reason.  I’ll never forget the fact that the LORD’s  a-l-w-a-y-s  gotten us where we needed to go, ALWAYS.

Over the years I have received numerous beautiful letters from people in many places in the world, and I suppose, this side of heaven, I’ll never meet the people who’ve written letters of encouragement, requests, permission to post articles, etc.  I imagine I’ll never know the outcomes of trials and tribulations sisters and brothers have faced and I’ll likely never know if what I shared was encouraging or helpful—but I do know this, I’m forever grateful to the LORD for the ways He’s working, the way His hand is guiding our path and for the opportunities He’s orchestrated for me to minister by way of this site and through articles or letters.  It’s a great treasure to receive a letter from one I’ve corresponded with in the past .  I’m most grateful for the joys and trials in our life that have become material for messages.  It’s not the simple, the pleasant or the mundane that draws or shapes the heart or forms our character—we delight in the mountaintops, but we grow in the valleys.  We rest in the meadows and bask in the sunshine, but we mature and our faith is shaped, deepened and strengthened in the storms and when the days are darkest.  Truly God is the LORD.

January 18, 2004  January 18 and 25 are Sundays set aside to commemorate the  Sanctity of Human Life.  May God hear our prayers and heal our land.

January 17, 2004  As this month marches on, I’m feeling profoundly aware that in just a “few weeks” I’ll be amazed that we’re already down to the end of the year and I’ll once again marvel at the speed of passing time.  A little newborn already looks older, Spring and Summer merchandise is on store shelves and Election Day is just around the corner—time marches—no, races on!

We continue to marvel at the Hand of God—His merciful kindness, His unfailing love, His provision and care.  Since returning home from our ‘vacation,’  I’ve been simply in awe over all the ways the LORD cared for, provided and protected us.  As we were leaving town, having just received a gift that would add to what would be needed for my visit to the dentist, we prayed and asked the LORD for His provision and protection throughout our trip—I was quickly reminded of those [answered] requests as we were coming home, two cylinders not firing, top speed on inclines was maybe 25 mph and so with much popping and knocking we made the arduous trip home; the I5 southbound lanes from the border to our home seem quite narrow to me.   I had many lessons reaffirmed to me: wait on the LORD, lean not on our own understanding, in all our ways acknowledge Him, submit to my husband, be careful or fearful for nothing, in everything give thanks… and so many more things!

Now, I said above: submit to my husband.  O, how much I would have missed had I not totally rested in trust that God was indeed guiding my husband, that I would submit to him in trust and faith, and that He would watch over and provide for us.  My husband’s driving thought was that the LORD had provided for this time, had taken us through many difficulties and that he just wanted to get home—make it home was the only goal.  Because the van was running so rough and Wes was having to really push it to get us home, our gas gauge was heading to and then touching “E” —- “E” — “E” — “E” –  rapidly! So with much chugging and sputtering we were nearing our home… in fact, when our home was nearly in view, we ran out of gas.  If that were the end of the story, the jubilant and awe-inspired shouts to the LORD may not have spontaneously erupted from all of us— totally and completely astonished at the work of the LORD… as if gently pushed home, we continued on and then coasted along to our home, through no traffic [which *NEVER* happens that time of day], down our lane and as the power-steering was gone, Wes turned into our driveway, with all his might, cranking the wheel first to the right and then to the left as the van stopped just near the place we always park it.  We screamed with joy—God is the LORD—there is no other.

As I said, O, how much I would have missed—had I not totally rested in trust that God was indeed guiding my husband, had I not rested in the fact that my husband is my head and that I submit to him in trust and faith—in obedience to the Word and though the Holy Spirit.  So, because of knowing that I know that I know these things: I would wait.  You see, at the border, when the van which had been running a little rough but nothing like what was ahead, we drove by a used car lot and took a good look at some “fleet vans” they had for sale.  There were several available and one in particular was *near* (but not *at*) our price range.  O, and it was Dodge… I never thought much of them—in fact, I prefer Chevy’s and this was not a Chevy.  The van we’ve been driving is not a Chevy but it’s been the right van for the time.  So while we made our way back home, in the theater of my mind occasionally I would let play out what would have happened had we just gone ahead and bought the van…  we would have missed the great blessing the LORD had in store for our family and our faith in Him.  My husband had a very specific budget and the price the dealer had quoted him was a few hundred dollars higher than Wes’s budget.  Had he gone ahead and agreed to buy it and make payments, he would have missed the better plan of the LORD.  He would have compromised his position on going into debt for a vehicle. 

I marvel…

**We would have missed the significance of an anonymous gift in the mail—that was sent the day before we got home.
**We would have compromised an agreement to not make hasty decisions or purchases.
**We would have missed recounting the provisions and blessings of the two days previous… how I was able to see the dentist, to have a root canal, to see the timing of the LORD and the locations we needed to go.
**We also would have missed the great joy of this day when after getting up very early to drive up to Bellingham to first take another look and then to offer to buy the van… Wes drove into the driveway—greeted by his jubilant family—in the van he bought on the right day, at the right time, in the right way, for the right price!

O, how much we would miss were we to choose our own way!

Breakfast at Harrison Hotsprings in BC

Yay Walmart.  Thinking of the mama’s!

Look what we bought—Thanks to family and a generous gift!

See—we made it home and are sooooo smiling!
With everything else coming from thrift stores or hand-me-downs,
one thing everyone loves here is a great unders shopping spree!
Yes—the shopping cart was FULL of unders and, yes,
I did receive a lot of looks and comments.
And yes, I do praise the LORD.

January 15, 2004 We’re back home… much to share, much for which to be thankful and give praise to the LORD and more pics to post.  But at this hour—much sleep is needed and there’s very little time before daybreak!  Suffice it to say… Canada/BC was absolutely beautiful, the LORD was [is] so merciful and we’ll never forget His blessings and benefits.

On a totally different note—Don’t know why this is intriguing, and it has nothing to do with anything, but I sure think this is a kewl house.  That’s, uh, cool—the way my boys type it.

January 13, 2004  Too bizzy for bloggin… will put up another blog in a few days!  God bless you.

January 12, 2004  A beautiful day here!  We attempted more decluttering and organizing!  I think we even found a little space in our home!  Condensing was my goal today. Reduction, yes, but condensing sort of became my brief mantra!

My “what and why” thoughts didn’t take me here, but it was an interesting read on what Mormons believe and what they probably won’t share and may not fully understand; nonetheless, it had/has nothing to do with what I was studying.   Could Jesus have sinned?  He was tempted, so could He have sinned? No—in no way and by no means!  His Divine nature, His impeccability makes this an impossibility.  It is difficult for me to remain quiet on issues—and probably this blog is ’bout as far as I oughtta go on proclaiming many things—suffice it to say—I’ve always been strong minded so… bloggin’ is a good ‘soap-box’ for me.  Interesting article on the perfect sinlessness of Christ my Perfect Saviour and here’s another one,. and another!  Aaack—could Jesus have sinned?  By no means.

Praying for friends in Colorado who’ve joined the ranks of the unemployed… we say: come on up… the water’s fine! 😉

January 11, 2004  Another good and blessed day in the LORD.  Seeing His Hand in everything we do makes for a thrilling walk, a walk of faith in anticipation of His leading, a walk of faith trusting that as all His ways are good, He will guide and He *will* provide.  Boy—some conversations have really had me thinking today—the “what and why” of what we believe… it’s remarkable what the LORD’s done for us, Who He is—His omniscience, omnipresence, omnipotence—His glory, His power, His dominion His boundless love.  Now… were we to just live out these truths, to truly be in relationship with Him, to truly walk with Him—a living body!

We had another time of praising His for His provision of our van—and praying for one to replace it!  It’s a faith-powered vehicle, one that seems continually fraught with a new sound, a new leak, a new knock somewhere in the engine and a new rattle someplace.  I sometimes wonder how far downhill that van will get before it’s at the bottom—totally irreparable—it already seems beyond repair and the next trip will be the van’s demise.  Looking in the autotrader was a real eye-opener, however!  No, it didn’t make me appreciate our van more, but it did dose me up on the reality that there’s sure a difference between a 1976 and a 2004 vehicle—a $ignificant difference.  In reality, this van—or any other *thing* for that matter, pales in comparison to what others are dealing with.  I just read Roger Bennett’s blog, for example…

Each day I receive a devotional from Gospel Chapel.  Every time I read them, I find that the LORD has worked in and through them to teach me a truth from the Word in a way I’d not heard before or had forgotten.  There’s also a “Sermon Outline” to which you can subscribe—Subscribing takes just a moment. Ahhhhhhhhh… just found the Noel Pie Plate Company online!  In a shop in Leavenworth, I saw their pie plates, canisters, and teapots and thought they were so lovely!  All the while we stopped in different shops, I searched and searched for a honeypot—saw only one, and it was tacky.  So, now… my great thrill was finding a honeypot and dipper at their site!  I drink my tea and sometimes my coffee with honey and milk.  Well… recently my little cherub, ami, dropped my large ceramic honeypot and it broke on the floor—yes, it was *full* of honey.  Fortunately, as the kitchen is often cold in the winter, the honey didn’t run all over the floor, but it was surely a sticky mess!  This was one of the things that were given to me by my dad—guess that’s what made it sad to me—no more gifts from him.  So… one of these days maybe I’ll order one and another one for a friend who always admired my blue honeypot. I sure appreciate the beautiful new CD by the southern gospel music group, Legacy Five. I suppose it’s, in part, due to the fact that we’ve met them, seen their candid videos and have heard their testimony—the ways in which the LORD’s worked and is working in and through their lives, the testimony of Roger Bennett and the Hand of the Lord in his life and ongoing ordeal with cancer.  Our family also has high regard for the Palmetto State Quartet, the work of Andrew Ishee and Phil Cross and others—there are so many great songs to be heard—great songs to be sung.  We think there’s nothing quite like quartet music—well, maybe our 11 part harmony is a close rival!

January 10, 2004  We continue to be amazed at the weather patterns—thankful for the break in the storm that allowed for a bit of clean-up in our yard.  Our friend Mary wrote of their power outage [and post 36 hour return!] and war-zone appearance of their yard—I echo those sentiments, as ours surely looked like some wild storm swept through!  I was sad to see such a large branch of the willow tree broken.  Wes will need to go up with a chain saw and finish that off.  It’s such an enormous old tree that the loss will not necessarily be noticed—but I’ll notice.  Just like I notice when something’s been moved or misplaced in our home… it’s just a funny thing about mothers. Need to find out about the content of a particular movie?  We sometimes take a look at Screen It when we’re questioning a movie and the rating attached to it.  I must give a disclaimer—this is obviously not a “Christian” site and the categories are graphically described in the movies reviewed/listed.  A particular ‘war’ movie had a rating higher than what we would allow for viewing—but after reading the description, we understood the rational for the rating.  War is not polite and killing/death/battle is not neat and clean—there are no kinder, gentler wars. My husband had a letter from a friend—I’d forgotten about his website—Judicial Forum.  Then, he’s got a weblog you can read and lots of other stuff on the site.  There are so many things going on in the news—so much, so bizarre that we can’t comprehend it—we can’t fathom the depravity that’s become so common.  So what do you think of all the news about saddam?  I wonder what it’ll take to make him talk—rather, to make him say what officials are wanting him to say.  Then, an interesting twist to the civil unions in Vermont—and like everything else, it all comes out in the wash: “The homosexual lifestyle is about sexual adventure,” said Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council. “I’m beginning to see that they’re not interested in obtaining marriage for the purpose of monogamy and long-term commitment.” This, from family.org/cforum yesterday.  Glaringly obvious, is the enemy’s continued age old attempt to thwart marriage and attack God in the assault of His creation.   Then, further in the news—‘Seems Howard Dean‘s arrogance is matched only by his spiritual/biblical ignorance.  This candidate, it would seem, would only add fuel to the fire of our national moral decline—and the temperature’s rising.   Ahh… even so, come Lord Jesus. January 9, 2004  The clouds giving way to blue sky and sunrays this morning is hardly representative of a week of ice, snow and freezing rain!  The only indication of the past week’s storm is the mess of limbs and branches of various sizes all over our yard.  Over the years, I’ve been amazed by the sudden or instant changes in weather in the Pacific Northwest!  I’m continually impressed by the changing of seasons—I’m told it compares nothing to that of the Northeast, nonetheless, for this southern California girl who knew few types of weather of weather and two seasons: hot and sunny or warm and sunny.  Occasionally, there’d be a few scattered storms here and there.  So… that explains my amazement at icicles, snow, freezing rain or rain, more rain, and a lot more rain.  It seems that during one particularly wet Spring, I’d wake up and before looking out the window, I’d ask Wes, “Is is raining?”  He’d reply day after day, “Yes…”  Day after day… rain.  Oh, were those days depressing to me.  I’m more and more attempting to appreciate all the water—preferring to see the Spiritual significance to water and equating it with the washing of the Word.  “…even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.”  Ephesians 5.25b-5.27 In the news today I was amazed to read the headlines… Of course, the ongoing coverage of the ice and snow’s resulting problems of downed power lines, trees and continued power outages.   But more astonishing, no, sickening really, is the headline that Lake Stevens gets a casino—which the GM of the casino hopes will “be an asset to the community.”  That’s just what this county needs: another gambling asset. bleck! Just what we need, another venue for people to advance deeper into addictions, more opportunities for lying, cheating and abandoning families and for the state to reach deeper into empty pockets—The manager delights in what he believes is an “untapped resource” on this side of the county; I guess this “untapped resource” is ideal for his biz and for the state: additional tax revenue.  No doubt, greedy gambling’s ravenous and insatiable sister: pornnoonographyy, will move in next door.  It didn’t make front page, but my parents have decided to come home… 😉 I’m guessing they got tired of the SunnySunShine in southern California and wanted to console us here by leaving it behind and coming home to the wet and wild weather of Washington.  That, or they are just going to stop in, say hello, check their mail, water their plants and head back! For this child we’ve prayed… and praise the LORD with Sean and Lisa at this miraculous gift!Even in this, the LORD is demonstrating His gracious love wherewith He loves us, this gift of Life—not only in this life, but in Salvation through His atoning blood.  O, again, all God’s ways are good.

January 8, 2004 The snow and ice slowed our housekeeping progress somewhat.  I think we’ll have to concentrate on the cleaning and sorting some more next week.  I have also just restarted my trek to losing more weight… well actually, lose the 4 pounds I gained over the holidays and then the rest of the weight I’d planned on losing.  It’s a really tough battle as I need to incorporate more exercise and more WATER (I know, ma, you’ve been talking to me about water my whole life!).  I like to read the tips and ideas from ediets  — these are Zone, Atkins, or low carb type diets. So, then, that’s the main deal here.  That, and schooling—it’s during the months October-November and January through July that we do most of our schooling, though we do some schooling projects year-round.  We’ve found that trying to keep to a rigid school schedule during the rest of the year is complicated by many breaks and interruptions!  So, over the years, we’ve come to this schedule and like the flexibility. The snow remains, but it’s not nearly so cold today as it’s been over the last week!  The pictures in the paper today show some incredible results of the storm and the freezing rain. Family news from Focus on the Family and Citizen Link provide updates and news that affects our nation’s families.  These articles prompt us to pray all the more for our nation, our officials and the families—especially marriages and for those who don’t know Jesus as their LORD and Saviour.

*****

January 7, 2004  Icy today!  Icy-cold and icy roads, icy trees and icy power lines!  We’ve been inside listening to ice falling from the branches and icicles falling from the gutters—quite an eerie sound as the trees sway in the wind, the icy braches cracking with some limbs falling.  The willow tree looks like a gigantic icicle mop and all the walnut trees are like ice sculptures.  After sliding around a bit the other night, I’m not driving anywhere—and pray I don’t need to!  It’s raining now… not freezing rain like last night, but a light sprinkle.  It’s 30 out and the ice is thawing a little bit and the forecast is rain and warmer weather (38-40).

January 6, 2004  I finally got out ‘year in pictures’ done!  Wes is going to put these pages on a CD for me to have.  I don’t ‘scrap-book’ and I don’t keep a detailed day to day journal, so the year in pictures is a way for us and for our children to see the year and keep the memories fresh!   Oh, this snow and cold weather is amazing!  I thought it might prevent our granddaughter from having surgery today—but, alas, our daughter-in-law braved the elements to take her to Children’s in Seattle where she’s undergoing surgery to remove a growth above her eye.  We’ve been remembering her and the surgeon in prayer!  Our grandson is here… it’s a blessing to be able to help them and to spend unhurried time with him!

The weather prevented Wes from working today—he’s thankful as he has an avalanche of office work to complete—year-end and day to day stuff really adds up!

I just received a Karla Dornacher CD in the mail… it’s a screensaver for this computer! I love the books she writes and her illustrations are so beautiful to me!  I’m looking forward to having this on the screen when we’re not using the ‘puter!          It’s too cold to type! —more later!

January 4, 2004  From John MacArthur’s, Truth for Today: “Do you know you cannot serve God unless you are separated? In the Scripture, that word refers to being set apart for a specific task or purpose.” This, taken from 1 Peter 1.16.  We’re to be holy because God is holy.  We are His workmanship, we’re His ‘ambassadors’ here, we’re His peculiar treasure.  Today as we worship, we trust Him for fresh bread, for the sincere milk of the Word that we might be yielded, more fully equipped, ready for His service as He leads us.  I pray the LORD will direct our paths this year… a specific task or purpose…

One of the blessings of our trip to Chehalis on New Year’s Eve was the special hospital visit we were able to make to see our friends, Mr. & Mrs. Pais, where Mrs. Pais had just had surgery a few hours earlier.  Mrs. Pais—our Amelia’s namesake, was diagnosed with Leukemia 18 years ago and this surgery was to remove her thyroid and some lymph glands.  We prayed together and sang to her.  What a blessing it was. Mrs. Pais has a remarkable testimony of walking hand in hand with the LORD.

amelia holding mrs. pais’s hand

January 3, 2004  A very cold and snowy 3rd day of the year!  We’re trying to stay warm but it seems an endless battle to keep the back door shut!  We’ve enjoyed these days with family and friends—celebrating the birth of our LORD and reviewing all the ways of the LORD in the last year.  Amazing workings, blessings and provision!  Another year of walking with the Saviour, another year of His merciful kindness!

Quick Notes:

We rejoice with our friends over the birth of their new little daughter!  Little Lydia Grace made her long awaited entrance into the world at 12:25 early New Year’s morning!  Over the last two weeks, when the phone would ring, we thought we would receive the ‘announcement’ call.  And  I’m sure the days were so long as the wait lingered on. 

As the LORD brought a new little life into the world, another friend is experiencing the loss of her baby and sadly faces the process of passing this little one the LORD’s called home early.  We grieve with her, her husband and children and do pray to see the Hand of the LORD and wait on His planning and His purposes in all of these things.  He is only good and His ways are only good—it’s hard to see this in trials sometimes—but were we to see all things as of His Hand, these are all the things we’d choose—we trust with our friends that God’s ways are good and His paths are peace.  This time of year often seems to come with a unique sadness of its own.

A group of stores in town liquidating their inventory—ads in the local paper and signs all over for the Design Warehouse sales.  Accidents all over the place as snow and ice make for treacherous driving conditions!  I’m thinking my parents are probably not going to come home from California… !

Well… I need to get bizzy-bizzy-bizzy———those New Year’s resolutions are tarnishing as I type—-my coffee’s cold! 

January 2, 2004  Making progress setting up new pages, revising old… more later.

Happy New Year!
We’re filled with joy and anticipation as we look ahead to the new year!

drink more water
stomach muscles
clean one thing a day
learn one new thing every day
memorize a verse a day
drink coffee while it’s hot (the coffee)
New Year’s resolutions you can hold on to.

The kettle’s on, go get a cup and enjoy today’s blog!

The Welcome Home Blog December 2003

The beautiful craftsmanship and decor… at Pension~Anna

Leavenworth at Christmas

December 30, 2003  A chilly-willy day here! What a blessing to have lots of wood for the stove—our source of heat in this old farmhouse!

New stuff in the news… Tim Eyman’s in the news again.  Some folks around here have a different name for the man—I cannot print here.  This time he’s going for the property tax… a 25% reduction which would surely benefit seniors [in their own no-mortgage homes] somewhat but wouldn’t really benefit others insomuch as the reduction in prop tax would mean less of a deduction in income tax, plus a reduction in local services we all need.  Well–*I* didn’t *need* that personal police [dis]service *I* received last month!   However, I’m still thankful for Police and Fire here—–so a reduction in Prop tax?  I’m not so sure it’s necessarily an across-the-board answer. 

Well, if Tim Eyman doesn’t raise your bloodpressure, maybe ephedra does! And, if you’re going to get a kick-start for your diet, I guess you’re just going to have to eliminate BSF foods or low carb instead of using ephedra!  Early next year, the supplement will be banned—in fact, consumers are being urged to immediately stop using the herbal weight control supplement now!  There’s just enough time for everyone to ransack the stores in order to keep New Year’s resolutions.  Since most New Year’s resolutions only last a matter of days… and the ban will take effect some 60 days after the announcement—it’ll coincide with the total loss of New Year’s resolution commitments… ‘course, folks may have a few days of residual left in the bloodstream and bottles of the pills stashed away.

We’re doing some year-end/new year cleaning-sorting-reorganizing-painting and bedroom shifting around here!  The boys are switching rooms with the girls.  So….instead of progress, it looks like a real mess—and no light at the end of the tunnel yet—but, we’ve traveled this road lots of times and so, if the LORD tarries, we’ll have this situation all taken care on in the next few days.  It’s time to go through all the clothes, books and toys.  Well, not so many toys (by choice!!!) but, way too many clothes and books—well, maybe not too many books!  When 11 people love books… 

We love to get a fresh start at the new year and so we do this pretty much every year.  This way, the children end up with very clean rooms and a new view from time to time!  Our boys have had the room they’re going into, but the girls have never had the ‘front’ bedroom yet—so, now they’ll have the sunrise side! 

In the background I have a beautiful new CD playing… we went to the Legacy Five southern gospel music concert last night!  What a blessing to us all!  Roger Bennett was a bit late so we enjoyed the waiting for him and the updates he was sending by phone [during the concert] as his plane landed at Sea-Tac and throughout his cab ride north to the location of the concert.  Roger was in Houston to see a specialist in preparation of bone marrow transplant.  You can read an update on his condition and situation.  We really love the music and the message this group brings.

December 29, 2003  Ahhhh…. the last week of 2003.  Amazing!  Lots of things have happened in the last few days!  We did go to Leavenworth—a quaint Bavarian town nestled in the Cascade mountains.  It was so lovely; beautiful shops all lit up with strings of brightly coloured lights, icicle lights and stars, greenery and garlands entwined with tiny white lights framing nearly every doorway and then, the reds and greens of ornaments, nutcrackers, bells, clocks and dishware—from teacups to carvings, the shops were overflowing with special things for everyone.  It was quite cold and so all the people were bundled up and the snow continued to give a light dusting everywhere.  It was snowy going over the Pass—compact snow and ice—but our son’s car was suited just right for the driving.  We sure enjoyed it—I think Wes loved riding along watching a movie—I add this, because, those of you who know the condition of our family van (In addition to several problems, the van is very old, leaks, no heater…) would not be able to make such a trip.  I’m sure our son and daughter-in-law appreciate their cars/things *much* more, now that they’ve had the experience of driving ours!  Anyway… what a treat to drive such a nice vehicle and stay in such a beautiful place.  We loved the whole adventure!

While we enjoyed the time away, I sure missed the children—-but! our children were being treated to a day in Seattle at Pike Place Market and a day at other shops and thrift stores where they made several purchases.  I’d made some requests of things to *not* purchase—and they did very well—oh, except for the fake cigar with talc in the end to blow out like smoke.  Gasp.  You know, our daughter-in-law was pretty embarrassed when a woman, who’d just seen a few of the children go out to the van, walked into the store and asked Tara if she was the one driving the van, and when Tara replied that, yes, she was… the woman exclaimed that one of her children was sitting in the van smoking a cigar.  Ohmy… poor Tara. She explained to the woman that the cigar had been bought at the dollar store—-I don’t know what the woman must’ve thought.  Fortunately, Tara’s a quick wit and blew it off (no pun intended).

Pictures tomorrow… I’ll get them resized for the blog!  Blessings to you and mama if you’re reading this… i love you.

We’ll go to a Southern Gospel concert—one of our favourite groups, Legacy Five, will be performing.  We’re grateful for their testimony.  We pray for the health of Roger Bennett, who’s had leukemia for ten years.  You can read an update on him and his situation.  Wes received a phone call today from the promoter of the program who called asking that our children take tickets at the door and they’ll have an opportunity to talk with the members of the group. Roger Bennett has a most beautiful style playing the piano—our daughter has thoroughly enjoyed his books.  So… this is a blessing and a happy opportunity.

December 26, 2003  Our son and daughter-in-law gave us a special gift for Christmas—a stay at a bed-and-breakfast in Leavenworth and the care of all of our children!  Now, isn’t that a sweet and thoughtful gift?!?!  I was thinking of my parents who are suffering in southern California… ~wink~ and their dinner on the Queen Mary—well, this isn’t quite what they’re doing but so nice!  Our sweet Naomi loved her new dolls from grandmother… She opened a couple of her  birthday gifts this morning and a couple this evening.  She was a little sad that friends couldn’t come for her birthday—I think it’s the first time she’s realized that a Christmas birthday has a bit of a bittersweet side—but in her tears, we tried to show her tender-loving-care and some special treatment.

Funny… I was thinking about this a lot—-thinking that the LORD Jesus: whose birth we [say we] celebrate comes at a time when people are just too busy to remember Him—or don’t know Him at all.  I’ll explain this to Naomi along the way and perhaps she’ll avoid the trap I’ve failed to avoid over the years and just love the celebration for what it is and not for what it “ought to be” or should’ve or could’ve been.

Early Christmas & Birthday morning 2003

December 25, 2003  It’s a happy Christmas Day—the day we celebrate the birth of our LORD and Saviour, Jesus Christ.  We know that there are many myths, many traditions, many pagan aspects to this particular day… and we quickly acknowledge the faults or disparities in joining in the celebrations of the world or taking part in pagan rituals—but none of those things alter the fact that Jesus was born of a virgin, God incarnate, and that there is no other Name given among men by which we must be saved.  We celebrate the birth of our LORD, we celebrate the gift of salvation that was ordained of God through His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes on Him may be saved.  He is no respecter of persons and He cannot lie.  His is our All in All.  This is what we celebrate today.  It never was about a time of rushing, or fretting over gifts or disappointment or a tree or right clothing… it never was about all these things that trip us and trap us.  Every year I feel the gripping of the trap—and every year on this morning I feel relief that it’s ‘over.’ The freedom to just worship the LORD—to thank Him for the unspeakable gift of His Son, our salvation, our Rock and Redeemer—THIS is Christmas—This is Peace.  Ahhhh sweet peace in our Saviour.

December 23, 2003   I love this poem… it’s precious to read, precious to hear. You can hear “A Cup of Christmas Tea” told by the author, Tom Hegg.  Do you have time for tea today?

December 22, 2003  Off and running to begin another fun packed week! More cooking today—this kitchen’s becoming a carbohydrate explosion—I think there are so many carbs in the air that it won’t matter that I’m trying to avoid them…I think I’ve just begun taking in carbs by osmosis.  However, still no weight gain from any sampling I’ve done… but I’m not pushing it!

I’m refraining from eating Mary’s recipe for ‘butterfingers’ candy.  I made about a bazillion of these last night.  Ingredients are Cheese-It’s, peanut butter, and chocolate bark.  I spread the peanut butter between the Cheese-It’s–then put them in the fridge to get cold. Then using a half package of ‘bark’ at a time, I melted the bark in a bowl in the microwave (2 mins) and then using a fork to turn them the bowl, I began coating the little ‘sandwiches’ and setting them on sprayed foil-lined baking sheets.  I did something like 300 of them using two packages of bark.  I tasted half of one and decided that that was going to need to be my last taste.  A pan-full would be the desire…  I made peanut brittle, too and I had a bunch of smiling faces as I began to crack the brittle into pieces in each pan.  I thought I’d be standing there stirring forever… here’s my tip: be sure you have your candy-thermometer out and if it’s a glass one, make sure it’s not broken *before* you start boiling the butter-sugar mixture!  I remembered half way through that I might have another old thermometer in the drawer… sure enough, I did!  Sometime in this past year, the glass one cracked (uh, in the drawer) the glass on the very end is cracked and some’s missing.  The shape of this thermometer is like that of a 12″ long drumstick.  I never *saw* the counter being used as a drum… nor this drumstick…

O…would you please take a few minutes to vote in a poll~ The American Family Association has been taking an online poll on whether homosexual marriages should be recognized, at www.marriagepoll.com you can vote today!   So far, the results don’t look too favourable (in my eyes).  You’ll see by the results of the polls, that Christians aren’t the only ones voting.  The enemy’s sly.  O… the enemy is as a roaring lion… he’s prowling about seeking whom he may devour.  We know that: we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the  darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. (Eph. 6.12)

December 21, 2003  God Bless you, this LORD’s Day!  Take a look around… greet someone who’s alone… seek to be a blessing!

Our daughters in the Deaf Choir Christmas program

More next week.

December 20, 2003  Here’s a sweet Christmas story.  My husband sent it to my computer… think you’ll enjoy it.

As always… there’s a lot going on in the news!  Christmastime sparks the annual barrage against Christianity and things ‘sacred’ to us.  Sacred being, the LORD Jesus and our worship of Him.  Other things would be: the nativity, the cross, etc. or public expressions of faith.  I often think: are we doing for the Truth what the enemy is doing for a lie?  From local news to world news and current events, there are so many things going on that it’s hard to keep track of them all.  There are sites to keep you up-to-date on the latest news concerning our ‘religious’ freedom; one such site is Alliance Defense Fund.

I receive a newsletter from Norma that’s been immensely helpful!  She’s continually coming out with helpful ideas and encouragement for healthy eating and healthy living—all these in Healthy Truths!!  You can subscribe to receives these invaluable letters!

December 19, 2003 Went caroling last night!  We live in an old town with neat old houses and streets.  What a blessing it was to walk the sidewalks singing in front of various homes.  Some people came out, some stayed in, they all seemed genuinely grateful for the singing.  A couple of guys, in particular, who were obviously working inside remodeling an historic old home, stopped what they were doing to came out and sit on the porch steps to listen.  It was impressive to think that we had the privilege and the freedom to do this—in many other countries of the world this would not be possible, and so, once again we praised the LORD for His mercy and the opportunities we have to share and praise Him openly and to spread the gospel.

December 18, 2003  One of the great blessings of the internet is all the unique friends and websites there are to meet and see!  I do praise the LORD for the blessings He’s afforded us through internet.  I know I’ll always be grateful that my friend, Kelli, *just so happened* to be looking for a Bible study when I used to publish a daily Bible study and she *stumbled* [Providence] across my list.  O, was that ever of the LORD as there have been so many marvelous talks and blessings because she took time to contact me and ask questions—further, that she took the chance or the risk come visit our family—what a blessing that was.  She visited at a time I was feeling sick (which I so regret!) and was in such need of encouragement: she was it, just what I/we needed!  She’s added a special dimension to our lives.

Then, there are those who subscribe to TheWelcomeHome letters and sometimes I happen to see a subscriber list and take the opportunity to visit their sites. I don’t always see who’s signed up or who’s still subscribing—it’s probably best that way because as it is I just write as the LORD inspires and not to a specific person or group. Well anyway, seeing the url’s on subscribers addresses sometimes sparks my interest—especially when a name is particularly unique… one such visit was one I made last night and was so interested in her site—especially her page on Soap making!!!  Well, it’s great: Thyme For Ewe—what a neat site & family!

December 17, 2003
Well, it sure doesn’t look like anyone’s low-carbing here!  My kitchen sideboard looks like carbohydrate headquarters!  All the ingredients for brittle, fudge, divinity, bar cookies, rolled cookies, pies, and Christmas cakes!  It was cheaper \/ for Wes to go out and do the shopping, so he came back with all the supplies for Christmas baking.  Now… this is one of the ways we celebrate—making treats and sharing them is a way we demonstrate love to our family and friends.  For one thing, we generally have very little contact with our neighbors… that’s the drawback to living in the rural/farming area of our town.  It’s a blessing, though, too: the space and view!  Anyway… through the year we bake treats and give to our neighbor, but at Christmastime we like to really do something extra.  So… how’s it going to go—low-carbing at Christmas?  My first goal is NO weight-gain—if I lose, that will be a real bonus!  No weight-gain is my strong conviction!  I’ve been able to maintain this weight-loss through this fall and yet(!) I have tasted a few of the things we’ve made.  I just can’t go and have a piece of pie or the treats I used to freely eat—it’s not worth it to me anymore.  I never want to live in or travel in that territory on the scale ever again!

I’m still driving ever so carefully…

Now there’s no small stir in the controversy over what should be done with saddam hussein!  I wonder how long he’ll persist in telling his captors that Iraq disposed of its weapons long ago, or that he knows nothing of (missing Navy pilot) Michael Speicher or that Iraq has no ties to Al Qaeda.  It’ll be interesting to see how this all plays out—who’s taking orders from whom and how long they’ll be able to fight.

Laura’s site “Seams Like Yesterday” is up and running—it’s so nice!  She does such high quality, beautiful work.  It’s a blessing to know her, to watch the LORD work in and through her and her family!  She and Mary have shown us a bit of quilting and I look forward to learning more… well, that is if there’s time!  I think she’ll soon be swamped with orders!  The baby quilt she made using a child’s baby clothes is the most precious quilt I’ve ever seen.  The ways she used distinctive parts (pockets, collars, cuffs, hems) of the clothing was really incredibly clever and the mother (who ordered the quilt) will easily remember the child as a toddler in the particular outfits as she sees the unique squares.

December 16, 2003   I’m dreaming of hot summer days… as I came across this picture I was almost able to hear the sounds of summer… feel the heat of the sun on my face, or the digging in the garden and the splashing of the pool water.  I’m mindful that we’ll soon turn the corner and the days will soon be longer and the hours of darkness will diminish!

Need more articles?  Interested in more on what’s going on in the church today?  Take a look at Kjos Ministries. 

I’m thankful to have been serving in the soup kitchen yesterday and as I drove there, I was mindful of a message I wrote a couple of years ago concerning serving in the soup kitchen and my murmuring heart. There were inconveniences and small irritations that kept bringing to mind the words of the LORD… will you be My servant?  Then again yesterday these thoughts come to me as some of the  guests were demanding, belligerent and perhaps even rude.  Honestly, it was a joy because I no longer saw them as irritations but as opportunities to serve the LORD.  I thought of all my cantankerous attitudes over the years and my self-centered demands of the  LORD as daily I have *expected* Him to reply to me as if I’d never caused Him grief.  My High King Of Heaven—who was I to not serve Him… and yesterday it was in the form of serving some people who didn’t care—but for themselves.  Then, as God would have it, there were blessings in the form of people who *did* care and were grateful.  I got to thinking—do I serve the LORD for what *I* will receive or for the Joy that is set before me.  So, again, I prayed and I pray today: Lord, make me a servant.

These are the days before Christmas… I hope other sisters will be encouraged to wait on the LORD in these days and not allow sentimentality to grab hold of their hearts and derail them as they seek to serve the LORD without trappings of the world.  I sent out a Welcome Home letter yesterday in hopes that someone would benefit from my failings and what the Lord is doing through the years.

It’s a real test of determination to be resolute to not be caught up in the frenzy.  When the ads flash before us of all the things we must have and do not need or think we need and cannot afford, it’s a test of resolve to be unruffled at the barrage of mind.  We have received many “season’s greetings” cards… what does that *really* mean?  Nothing. Absolutely nothing.  O, I *know* the sender means *something* in the sending, but really, it means nothing.  The season doesn’t save us, and God didn’t send the season so that we’d celebrate His love for us.  He sent His Son—*that’s* what we celebrate.  I’m thinking that maybe we ought to send Happy Holidays cards in January or February or some other month when people have a day off from work or school.  How about summertime happy holidays cards when teachers and students have a holiday from classes.

December 15, 2003  All over the news… it’s saddam… It’s sort of pathetic how many shots are being taken at the administration, the military—how many conspiracies and theories are bandied about.  I was thinking they ought to just put him back in the place they found him—but what a contradiction–his people killing themselves for him and for whatever benefit or great reward they believed they’d receive from *g*od for their efforts and yet their own leader obviously didn’t believe that or his own lies as he sat with a gun in his lap.

Continuing to add to our “year in pictures”  Fun to reminisce as I looked through the hundreds of photos!

December 14, 2003 Well… what a weekend this has been—-and what a day in the news! He (saddam hussein)  proves rats can quite possibly live through anything-anywhere!

Today was a pretty late start… we sure enjoyed performing in our two Christmas programs at church and also tonight attending the Christmas musical presentation at a local church our friends attend.  It’s always very professionally done and such a blessing.  Now… I’m sure that they all put a great deal into the performances—even more than we did—!! Well… so now another Christmas program is part of our family history—no doubt, one of our favourites, and for me the very little time spent in practices etc., etc. was a blessing.  Our friend, Kimberly, has an incredible knack for figuring out programs and envisioning how they’ll all come together—faith in the LORD and His doing and organizational skills to be able to pull off all sorts of dramas and presentations.  We sure had a great time singing together as a family (especially in our living-room practice sessions!!)  Then, having our son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren there—and I’m just grateful to the LORD for meeting me at my point of need—giving me words to share in a portion I had in the program.  I’ll get it edited tomorrow for a welcome home message.

   
these are for you, mama————scenes and sets of the Christmas program.

Our daughters will take part in the Deaf Fellowship Christmas program next week—but those practices have been minimal and are part of our sign language class this week.  As I’ve written in the past, our church “sponsors” a Deaf Fellowship that meets in our old building and we take sign language classes there.  The LORD in His mercy provided this blessing long before we understood our part in it and our need of sign language training!  In the meantime, I’ve come to understand that sign language understanding or ability is not just for those who have deaf or hearing impaired family/friends, but is necessary to/for everyone—this, since our daughter is hearing impaired —unilaterally deaf, with minimal loss in her right.  We’ve come to see once again that the mercy of the LORD is unfailing and we’re in awe of His provisions for our family.  I don’t think there’s anything more beautiful than watching a beautifully signed musical.  On the program for next week, the words read: “Interpreting will be provided for the hearing.”   Our little daughter sure is looking forward to the musical—finally “getting” many of the signs—it moves pretty fast!  She’s got a joyful heart and is enthusiastic!  I talked with a woman today whose husband is deaf and she commented that she didn’t learn sign language until they’d been married a couple of years.  Apparently someone told her that if she were to have any hope for her marriage, she’d *have* to learn to *talk* to her husband and *understand* *him*!

I’m anxious to read  a newsletter/magazine I received from a friend today.  What I’m interested inis reading someihing about John MacArthur’s latest book. Here’s a recent quote: “Everybody has an opinion, whether it’s about the war on terrorism, the state of the economy or whatever.  John MacArthur reveals that there’s only one opinion that carries real weight… God’s!”

andrew wants to play the guitar… but a broom’ll do!

 

December 12-13, 2003  It’s tough to come to an understanding or a decision of how to celebrate Christmas—as it’s not a holy-day or a sanctified day—or the actual day of the birth of our LORD—it *is* however, a marvelous time to give thanks and to share the Good News—that Christ DID come to earth, what He did and why He did it.  Just as God says He will preserve His Word, I believe so also that He will preserve His message—the message the prophets declared and angels proclaimed.  Jesus Christ came into the world as Saviour—fully God, fully man— to save sinners from eternal separation from Him, to live eternally *with* Him in Glory.  There is no other—those who say there are many roads, I say, yes, there are many roads and they all meet at the Judgment Seat of Jesus Christ and in that Day He will either say come in or depart, I never knew you.  I stumbled across and read a sermon I thought was quite good as I was reading Spurgeon on Christmas.  I’d have to readily admit that I’m sort of a Spurgeon-ite—which also makes me a Calvinist, reformed theology, yada, yada, yada.  I try not to get into that all that often as it often causes divisions and sometimes disagreements.  I want to just say: I follow Jesus my Lord.

We have a program at our local church this evening and tomorrow evening—among all the other presentations, our family will sing and I will share a message called reflections of a mama’s heart at Christmas.  I’ve been deliberately writing and rewriting this talk as I’ve wanted to be certain that it is an accurate description, or a sincere reflection.  So… I wrote it—and I’ll send it out as a Welcome Home message tomorrow.  I need to make a few additions or changes—since something written for a talk varies a bit from a written message.  It was an honour to be asked to share—my hope is that others were blessed—I always come away from these sorts of things feeling like I totally missed the deal and blundered—nonetheless, I sure pray that someone was encouraged.  We loved singing tonight!  In one part of the song, I’m not just sure whose part I was singing—could have been alto, could have been tenor—but I got back around to the line.  One of my boys was singing out strong… and I sort of got got up in one of those tender mommy moments—you know the kind that make you weep for the sweet moment.  I was sure proud of all of them.

      December 11, 2003  

Our daughter made nice treats for the Bible study she attends on Wednesday evenings. A couple are new and will become favourites around here!  I added one of the recipes to Kathryn’s recipes page (c-chip-pecan pie bars). Now… we tasted them—BUT since they’re BSF foods, my daughter and I are avoiding them—but all the littles sure did gather around to eat the “frame” of each pan.  Now the “frame” is the half inch perimeter of the pan that she never includes on the serving platters—so no one ever gets the ‘frames’ or  ‘edges’ of brownies, bars, coffee cake or whatever—well, no one but the littles here–it’s their favourite part of our baking; that, and batter! (I know… raw eggs…)

after the piano recital on Sunday

Avoiding BSF foods has helped me so much!  I’m thinking of getting a little more serious so as to be able to lose the last ten pounds I want to lose; but I’ve been able to maintain this thirty pound weight loss by avoiding BSF foods.  If we’re out visiting, then I’ve been eating very-very small portions of white foods or butter-sugar-flour foods and this has enabled me to maintain this loss but if I add these back in to my daily diet, I always gain a pound or two.  But, for the most part: NO WHITE FOOD!  I can’t seem to follow the regimens of Atkins like my parents—they’ve done so well!  I also can’t seem to stay in the Zone or hang out with Dr. Phil or go to the South Beach… just saying NO to white food has been enough for me.

Ahhhh, so grateful for the opportunities the LORD’s given me to share with women and families.  I sure don’t take this lightly, but then, nor do I take what I’m doing so seriously as if I have this great wealth of knowledge and wisdom—but this I know, the Word stands—the Word does not fail and God’s truths do not return void.  My thoughts always return to a verse that governs my thoughts: Christ in you, the hope of glory. [Colossians 1.27]

We fellowship with a group of believers who attend different ‘churches’ in the area.  I say ‘churches’ because we know that as believers in Christ, *we* are the church and the buildings in which we gather are simply that: buildings or meeting places—we do *go* to church—so to speak, we *are* the church—all over the world believers are the church.  Anyway, in this fellowship of believers, we find many facets of personality and so the contributions are unique—*this* is what makes fellowship so sweet: the combining of unique personalities who are individually at once whole when surrendered by faith in and to Jesus, make up a dynamic whole when gathered together.  Just like in a family—in the beginning a husband and wife are a complete whole—any additions to that family make it a more dynamic whole—but it is already a complete whole.  I was sharing this in the lesson (#22) that day in our Titus2 fellowship on Tuesday morning. In these meetings and in our evening home-fellowship we’re seeking to live in accordance to the Word and not be caught up in what have become the trappings of the modern “church.”

Oh my… a line from that ‘purpose-driven’ article I read yesterday just keeps ringing in my ears—the congregation being asked what kind of music they like to listen to on the radio—answer: then that’s the kind of music we’ll play in church.  Oh my… I’m thinking, that’d be like me asking all my little children what kind of food they want  to eat for breakfast and then serving it to them everyday!  I’ll tell ya this right now: they wouldn’t quickly choose ten grain cereal!  Or, how ’bout this: what if I were to ask the children how they’d like to spend the day—everyday—they wouldn’t tell me they’d like to spend the whole day in study, writing essays, doing mathematics, being quiet in prayer and meditation,  hard at work keeping the home spotless—that’s for sure!  No! They’d want to play and play and play—drinking Nestles Quik and eating chocolate-chip cookie dough—they’d probably like to watch movies and invite all their friends in to do the same!  We all would probably choose one of the easier roads—but is that what this life’s all about?  An amusement park?  Is that what Christ died for?  Is entertainment man’s chief aim and God’s glory? I saw a man sitting at a bus stop in our little town today… so far removed from all that drives some people.  I grieve for him—for all the lost and for all the saved who live lost.

December 10, 2003  I know that I often stand alone in many groups.  I’m not uncomfortable with this, but I’m often grieved that so many I truly respect seem oblivious to the things that seem so clear to me—and I do hastily confess that I’m sure they must think the same of me. I just finished reading an article that stated more succinctly than I could the challenge or what I consider to be the problem with a popular book and church growth movement.  I often hesitate to comment on specific groups in the Christian community for the sake of unity—but I do comment when for the sake of Truth I see the need to do so.  One such situation is the seeming frenzy over the purpose driven church or life—its ‘success’ and its methods.  In the article I’ve just mentioned, there are specifics—and these are but a few of the glaring contradictions or controversial points of the purpose driven life and/or church.  The article is lengthy but worth the read. It’s risky to take a stand but I’d say it’d be far riskier to *not* take one. 

December 9, 2003  I receive reminders of birthdays from Birthday Alarm—you just sign up and receive two reminders: a week and three days prior to the birthday dates you’ve selected.  It’s a neat way to be reminded to e-mail or send a card to someone. At this time of year it’s neat to set some goals for the coming year… this’ll help with your organizing or ‘be organized’ goals!

December 8  It seems we’ve hit the deck running, this week!   Many things to take care of… many commitments on the calendar!  It seems it always goes this way—no matter how many attempts are made to not be over-committed.  All the dates or activities involve at least a couple in our family and all seem important—and all the while attention is being given to one event, preparations are being made for another!  So… sometimes it feels like each event is just a step to the next event.   Problem is, hastily running through them would tend to invalidate them, and that’s something I’d like to avoid like the plague!  Balance.  O, for balance!

The year’s coming to a close… all the print media publications will soon be coming out with ‘year in pictures’ editions.  This morning I received an email from Focus on the Family… reviewing the top articles of the year.  Personally, I think these are just some of the most dramatic articles.  I don’t think you’ll never see the TOP articles of the year—for the TOP articles, are rarely published… and perhaps few are known, they’d not be sensational enough for the mainstream media—but these are the truly top articles—articles that would be top stories of a lifetime… but in this last year… mothers who’ve loved and lost their sons in war; mothers who’ve loved and lost their sons in auto accidents; mothers who’ve held their dying children after years of caring for them; fathers who daily go out to work to care for their families in spite of sickness or injury, weather or disability; fathers who walk sons through adolescence and daughters down the aisle; children who overcome obstacles, disability or pain in order to reach goals, climb mountains, reach stars; husbands who say good-bye to wives and children to board planes bound for destruction; families who gather belongings moments before fire consumes it… these are the top stories… these are the ones few ever read but are most worthy of recording.

December 7, 2003  May God Bless you, this LORD’s Day.  Today our children played in another piano recital.  They all played so beautifully!  Our friend has invested so much in their lives and given them a gift I could never repay: the gift of music.  I’ll always be grateful to her for what she’s done for them and to the LORD for giving them the ability to play.  I pray for all the children to play beautiful music.  So many years, so much practicing—even now as I type this, beautiful music fills our home (just now: Sunrise, Sunset) —I couldn’t be more thankful!  Ahhhh… it was also my step-dad’s birthday—what a blessing he’s been in and for our family.  Our children have learned a special love from him—a consistent, patient man whose life has been a blessing to me—to my mom and to them.  It seems all her life there have been inconsistent, unfaithful men and that is not who this man is and so—in celebrating today, we celebrate for her the birth of her husband—a rare gift, he is.

December 6, 2003  Oh, what a beautiful morning!  It’s likely to become gray and dark—but for now the sky’s beautiful!  My friend thinks that overcast days are the most beautiful… she oooh’s and aaaah’s over the shades of white and gray.  Hmmm.

More on freezing… foods, that is.  I receive a [yahoo groups] digest called frozen assets—it seems that every day I am learning a new (to me) idea that I incorporate into my cooking and homemaking. There was a question a day or so ago regarding the potential defrosting of a freezer in a power-outage and how would one know if the freezer defrosted in their absence, say, if they were out of town or away on vacation.  So, here’s the tip:  “…fill a small cup/dish with water, put it in freezer until frozen. Then place a penny on top of the ice. If you find the penny at the bottom or anywhere other than the top of the ice, you will know the freezer had defrosted or partially defrosted.”  Isn’t that the best?!?!?  Then there’s the tip for boiling ground beef instead of frying it. And, though I link to the site from our recipe pages, I sort of forgot about the Urban Homemaker site.  I really like Marilyn from articles I’ve read and the contents of her site.  She used to be a featured columnist for Gentle Spirit magazine… O, how I miss the former days of that magazine. Many changes have transpired since then.  O, in those days, when that magazine would come—I couldn’t wait for its arrival, I’d drop everything to sit down and read it… as I recall, I’d read them cover to cover while nursing babies, watching children out on the lawn, waiting at appointments or whatever!  I miss those days!
December 5, 2003  It’s a clean-up day around here, a study day and preparation for a busy weekend.  Keeping laundry under control is my daily concern—I find that when I maintain a simple schedule, all of these things can be handled—but! when I neglect one thing for more than a day—woooo, all duties seem to topple!   My friend, Mary, wrote to share that she’d begun holiday baking—and freezing!  I will set about doing this next week!  I hope to have several things made each day.  What a blessing it is to have things done in advance!  All this thinking comes from seeing time spent wisely, being prepared with foods/meals in the freezer and seeking to be resourceful!  Ah… that’s what homemaking is: continually growing in wisdom and grace—blessing others in the process and product.

We had another Bible study here in our home last evening—many little children, good fellowship and time in the Word.  I wish we could have these times every couple of days!

Recently, I was thinking on the things Nancy Campbell shared at a retreat—over and over again her words come into my mind and the thing I’m thinking of is that young people need fellowship, they need it as much or more than we do.  They need us to provide for them the basis for lasting friendships and then opportunities to cultivate them.  I know this to be so true… and as we have many ages needing different types of things, it’s a blessing to have families in—families who have various aged children and who are seeking to train them up in the ways of the LORD.  It’s challenging to me sometimes to see that all the children are busy with appropriate things, that their companions are ‘on the same page’ so to speak, and to be sure that idle time is well spent.  I know it’s worth every thought, every prayer and every ounce of energy—the fruit is sweet.

My daughter in law just called for a recipe for Russian Cream which she plans on taking to a party tomorrow.  It’s such a delicious tasting side-dish.  I think it goes with everything!  We’ve sure enjoyed it here.  Problem is… it’s not all that healthy… so moderation!

December 4, 2003   Recently I discovered that in the lost files were all our lists—lists for school, checklists for packing, shopping, trips, camping, etc., etc.  Additionally, I had household checklists for different seasons, gardening, etc. that I regret losing.  So… now I’m in the midst of redoing these lists—they make things ever so much easier, especially when packing for a trip or making a fast grocery list.  I’ll post them here when they’re done.

December 3, 2003  We searched for a song (for the Christmas program) to practice last night… what a challenge it is to choose a song which reflects our heart and expresses the message we seek to convey.  So… after talking about all of that and praying together, it was time to prepare for bed.  It wasn’t for naught—anytime a family gathers and shares together is a blessing.  We have a small amount of time to choose the song and so we’ll have to get clipping along!

Another stormy night!  I know the sounds are magnified—as is everything else in the dark, but it sure seemed like a bad storm outside!  My husband was up and gone very early this morning… and as I tried to go back to sleep, my imagination soared as I thought of what was blowing around outside!

Not stormy inside, we’re enjoying a nice morning here!  Pink light-bulbs in the lamps make the home seem warm to me.  My mother used them when I was a little girl and so I’ve grown accustomed to the type of light they give off and now prefer it to other light effects.  Even the fluorescent tubes in the kitchen are this type of colour—it sort of looks like ‘afternoon’ all day long.  Plus having been born and raised in California, I prefer warm weather and sunshine—but after so long living in the Pacific Northwest, now the scenery I most prefer most is what’s HERE—this is home to me now!  I realized this amazing shift when earlier in the year we visited my old hometown—and what I had continued to think was my favourite place—anywhere: in So. California.  Now, I love it there… but it’s not home to me anymore and the bland countryside/landscape is no longer home to me…stucco, concrete, swimming pools, Coppertone, compact cars, freeways and palm-trees were all more than familiar to me, but they’re not ‘home’ to me anymore—home is here and it’s taken on a whole new meaning now that I’ve seen what home isn’t anymore.
More notes…
Had several letters of response to yesterday’s “TheWelcomeHome” note I sent out.  I’m thankful for the opportunity to send letters out to ladies and am praying about what I ought to send first.  I’ve got several letters I want to complete and send.  Lots of ideas to share in the “Good Things & Recipes” letters, too.  It’s a blessing to have been able to do this for several years now—and I ‘m humbled at the replies.  Finally, yesterday, I was able to access the mailing list and so will be able to use that list server once again.  It was challenging (for me) to get that sorted out.  I have soooo much to learn!   Everyday is a learning experience—for which I am grateful!

One of my little boys has been ‘behind’ in reading and lately has just ‘taken-off’ with reading and spelling!  What a thrill it is to sit beside him while he reads to me!  The particular story he was reading had a bit of adventure in the story line and it was so exciting to listen to him as he anticipated what would happen next and was reading with that same feeling!  I love it when things all seem to come together and learning becomes a daily thrill for the child!  I wouldn’t want to miss this for anything!

A great homeschooling/large family endorsement sort of article in an Indiana newspaper!  I’m guessing this family wishes that even though this article is quite encouraging, it likely doesn’t reflect what actually happens in a large homeschooling family home—all the blessings and benefits are too many to accurately convey.

Looking for national news? The site referenced above also had a link to national news.  Since my mother in law lives in Indiana, I was happy to have a link to news there.

December 2, 2003  What a windy-rainy day it’s been!  I’m thankful for the rain—but don’t like storms!  The wind has helped the last of the weeping willow tree leaves to shed… they’re now all over the yard—tiny leaves, millions of them!  Nearly all the trees are bare, now, and the landscape has taken on a whole new look—no, an old familiar look.

I found an old book on Ebay-–my daughter found a CD she’s been looking for — we ordered them and are anxiously awaiting their arrival!  I’ve discovered that just about ANYthing I’ve been looking for can be found on Ebay.  Incredible.  So, all day, I’ve resisted the temptation to search Ebay for things I don’t need.  Things I have been searching for for years can now easily be found on Ebay… so, there you go—the commercial spot for the day! Ebay: such a deal!

Had all these pop-up ads on the screen… all these offers to download this or that program.  Spyware.  Well… thankfully, one of my sons got rid of most of the programs that started the problems.  It was time consuming and it’s mind consuming to me!  I know our MS friend would be rolling his eyes at the trouble we’ve gotten ourselves into—especially since it wasn’t all that long ago that he got us out of the fix we were in!  Okay… so tighten security—batten down the hatches—it’s sometimes rough sailing on this ship!
And so goes another day.
December 1, 2003

Another new month… another opportunity to do this month: better.  We all think these things, we all attempt great things and then, we all look forward to a new month, a new year to *really* do better.  We have this eternal hope that *this* will be a better year… doing things differently than we’ve done them before.  Obviously, somewhere along the way we slip and fail to keep to our lofty goals and high expectations—December is a great month to be thinking about all we decided *last* December—resolutions we mentally entertained at the end of the month in preparation for the *new* year ahead—the new year and its vast unpainted canvas.  Here we are at another December looking back at the canvas that only twelve months previous loomed large in front of us and now, that once white canvas, that clean slate, is anything but white and clean.  I never did get photos in albums this past year.  I never did write all the “thank-you’s” I intended to write.  I didn’t faithfully remember my secret pal with cards and gifts.  I didn’t keep life simple and orderly. I never did back up the files on the computer.  I never did write down the sweet sayings of the children and I didn’t make them quilts or very many new clothes.  I didn’t spend near enough personal time with each child—listening, really listening to all their thoughts.  I didn’t get very many projects completed.  Well, if I think I didn’t do anything… what DID I do?  Ah… the memories of the year flood my mind… and hopefully through this month I will post pictures of what really did happen this past year.  It’s not all lost, it’s not all a waste, it’s not a failure.  It wasn’t what I planned, it wasn’t all I hoped it would be… but it was more—so much more!  It was all I needed, all I wanted, and so much more.  Things that could never have been imagined: happened.  Things that seemed impossible: happened.  Things I didn’t expect: happened.  Blessings—-now I know what the line in the hymn means: blessings supernal!  Heaven came down and glory filled my soul…
The Lord allowed things to happen in this past year that I’d never imagined would happen the way they did.  His Hand has been so evident—His mercy and grace so sweet—His provision so perfect.  Now… the month ahead should bring great things… we’ve seen the King and He is gracious!

 

Oh…. I reached a milestone.  I’ve boasted for years that I never got a ticket.  I was stopped one time because my license plate had fallen off.  I was stopped one time by an officer giving us a warning that there was commotion in our vehicle.  I was stopped in a grocery store parking lot for failure to signal (I later learned that our little city police were on the lookout for a person driving a van matching the description of our van) and I questioned about the signal for a parking lot—he told me it was a good practice to do so. :-O    Ahh… so my milestone is that I got a ticket.  Yes! I did and it was for failing to come to a complete stop at an intersection I *thought* I’d done so—–well… so there you go. In tears I handed him my license and proof insurance and registration… which I had to riffle through an envelope of registrations for and I didn’t have on my glasses so I couldn’t see the writing—I could have given him one of my Les Schwab tires warranties for all I know! The officer said I need to stop completely—not rolling, stopping, removing my foot pressure from the accelerator and then proceeding into and through the intersection.  I felt like I was in driving school—I wanted to say I don’t know what you mean…besides that, I didn’t even see you, where on earth did you come from, anyway!?!  So now… Shattered my clean driving record and now I am nearly causing myself and our passengers whiplash at stop signs and yellow traffic signals.  Yeah, I know… I have friends who know I tend to push the speed limit and they’re wondering how on earth I’ve never been stopped all these years.  So… the failure to stop—that ticket was for all the others I should  have gotten and didn’t.  Mercy.  I can’t afford to NOT stop now!  I told the officer I learned to drive in San Francisco, California—he smiled.  I immediately called my husband… what a merciful man… he must’ve been smiling for he didn’t really say much and let me know that it’d all be alright… and it is.  I laugh now—foot firmly on the break.

No… this wasn’t snapped from my van window with our camera.
I don’t know where this pic came from.  My sincere thanks to whoever sent this 😉