Christianity Lived Out

Kuwaiti Prince Publically Converts to Christianity

2012-01-13T13:03:00.000-06:00

HT to Godfather Politics

One of the Kuwaiti princes has converted to Christianity according to Iranian TV. The source is an audio recording of the man saying that he approves of its distribution and knows that he will likely face death but believes that he will then see Jesus. Of course, another Kuwaiti prince denies that the man named is really a prince. I tend to believe the Iranians. Let's all pray for this prince and his bold actions.

Complete Lunacy of the EPA

2012-01-11T12:28:00.000-06:00

Godfather Politics has an interesting article about the EPA. It is worth reading the whole thing. Here is a little quote from it.

With no real supply of cellulosic biofuel to be had, the fuel companies were unable to comply with the EISA requirements, the Environmental Protection Agency is moving forward with their plans to impose fines on the fuel companies for failing to meet the guidelines. And if the fuel companies are unable to get their hands on 8.65 million gallons of cellulosic biofuel this year to meet the requirements, they’ll face even stiffer fines.

I suppose the EPA would be glad if "Big Oil" just stopped selling their non-compliant fuel. Of course, those of us that rely on fuel to get to our jobs would be SOL. But the planet would be "safe". (Insert eye roll here.) The whole thing is so ludicrous that I can't even put it into words.

Help Stop Trafficking from Nepal to India

2012-01-02T13:50:00.000-06:00

I recently discovered a mother and family (homeschooling with 6 kids) who has taken the grief of losing a little one (Tiggy aged 22 months) and turned it into sharing Jesus with some of the world's most vulnerable. They are raising money to build a home for Nepalese girls (average age 14, but some as young as 6) who are vulnerable to or victims of the Indian sex trade. Please visit their site to learn more about this terrible problem and to help out by praying and/or donating.

http://www.tiggyshouse.com/

The Moth and the Lamp

2011-12-31T13:43:00.000-06:00

I found this quote on the bottom of a mug.

"The moth bathes in the false glory of the street lamp, and nobody bothers to tell her that she hasn't found God."

It really reminded me of how important it is to warn people before it is eternally too late and help them turn toward the glory of the father.

I also made a collection around it.

Thomas Sowell on Committees

2011-12-29T16:21:00.000-06:00

When an organization has more of its decisions made by committees, that gives more influence to those who have more time available to attend committee meetings and to drag out each meeting longer. In other words, it reduces the influence of those who have work to do, and are doing it, while making those who are less productive more influential.

From his recent random thoughts article. There are many more good things in it. Go check it out.

Can't Believe that I Made the Front Page of Etsy Again!

2011-12-05T07:56:00.003-06:00

Mine is the green and brown one made from an ink blot. You can see it here if you want.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/86057508/green-and-brown-t-rex-dinosaur-original

Seizing the Center is Why We Lose

2011-12-01T15:03:00.000-06:00

Thomas Sowell gives a great history lesson about what happens to candidates that try to move to the center. Over and over they lose.

Politicians need to have strong beliefs and stick with them unless their minds are changed by evidence and reason (as opposed to political climate or some other nitwittery). We need people with integrity in office not a bunch of losers that are constantly shifting to the center.

Thomas Sowell Talks Sense About Immigration

2011-11-30T23:23:00.000-06:00

The purpose of American immigration laws and policies is not to be either humane or inhumane to illegal immigrants. The purpose of immigration laws and policies is to serve the national interest of this country.

There is no inherent right to come live in the United States, in disregard of whether the American people want you here. Nor does the passage of time confer any such right retroactively.

You should read the whole thing.
http://townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell/2011/11/29/gingrich_and_immigration

Front Page of Etsy

2011-11-17T23:22:00.001-06:00

I recently opened a little store on Etsy. Today one of my items made the front page. It is the rather freakish green butterfly (about number 6 on the slideshow).

I was totally amazed and very greatful to God and the person (Devi) that chose my work.

A Parable Worth Reading

2011-11-01T22:54:00.000-05:00

The Wild and Free Pigs of Okefenokee Swamp

by Steve Washam based on a telling by George Gordon

As school districts dangle more and more corn in front of homeschoolers in the form of vouchers and charter schools, please remember this parable. After all, government schooling is just educational welfare!

Some years ago, about 1900, an old trapper from North Dakota hitched up some horses to his Studebaker wagon, packed a few possessions–especially his traps–and drove south. Several weeks later he stopped in a small town just north of the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia.

It was a Saturday morning–a lazy day–when he walked into the general store. Sitting around the pot-bellied stove were seven or eight of the town's local citizens.

The traveler spoke, "Gentlemen, could you direct me to the Okefenokee Swamp?"

Some of the old timers looked at him like he was crazy. "You must be a stranger in these parts," they said.

"I am. I'm from North Dakota," said the stranger.

"In the Okefenokee Swamp are thousands of wild hogs," one old man explained.

"A man who goes into the swamp by himself asks to die!"

He lifted up his leg. "I lost half my leg here, to the pigs of the swamp. "

Another old fellow said, "Look at the cuts on me; look at my arm bit off!"

"Those pigs have been free since the Revolution, eating snakes and rooting out roots and fending for themselves for over a hundred years. They're wild and they're dangerous. You can't trap them. No man dare go into the swamp by himself. "Every man nodded his head in agreement.

The old trapper said, "Thank you so much for the warning. Now could you direct me to the swamp?"

They said, "Well, yeah, it's due south–straight down the road. "But they begged the stranger not to go, because they knew he'd meet a terrible fate.

He said, "Sell me ten sacks of corn, and help me load them into the wagon. "And they did.

Then the old trapper bid them farewell and drove on down the road. The townsfolk thought they'd never see him again.

Two weeks later the man came back. He pulled up to the general store, got down off the wagon, walked in and bought ten more sacks of corn.After loading it up he went back down the road toward the swamp.Two weeks later he returned and, again, bought ten sacks of corn. This went on for a month. And then two months, and three.

Every week or two the old trapper would come into town on a Saturday morning, load up ten sacks of corn and drive off south into the swamp.

The stranger soon became a legend in the little village and the subject of much speculation. People wondered what kind of devil had possessed this man, that he could go into the Okefenokee by himself and not be consumed by the wild and free hogs.

One morning the man came into town as usual. Everyone thought he wanted more corn.

He got off the wagon and went into the store where the usual group of men were gathered around the stove. He took off his gloves.

"Gentlemen," he said, "I need to hire about ten or fifteen wagons. I need twenty or thirty men. I have six thousand hogs out in the swamp, penned up,and they're all hungry. I've got to get them to market right away. "

"You've WHAT in the swamp?" asked the storekeeper, incredulously.

"I have six thousand hogs penned up. They haven't eaten for two or three days, and they'll starve if I don't get back there to feed and take care of them. "

One of the old timers said, "You mean you've captured the wild hogs of the Okefenokee?"

"That's right. "

"How did you do that? What did you do?" the men urged, breathlessly.

One of them exclaimed, "But I lost my arm!"

"I lost my brother!" cried another.

"I lost my leg to those wild boars!" chimed a third.

The trapper said, "Well, the first week I went in there they were wild all right. They hid in the undergrowth and wouldn't come out. I dared not get off the wagon. So I spread corn along behind the wagon. Every day I'd spread a sack of corn.

"The old pigs would have nothing to do with it. But the younger pigs decided that it was easier to eat free corn than it was to root out roots and catch snakes. So the very young began to eat the corn first.

"I did this every day. Pretty soon, even the old pigs decided that it was easier to eat free corn, after all, they were all free; they were not penned up. They could run off in any direction they wanted at any time.

"The next thing was to get them used to eating in the same place all the time. So, I selected a clearing, and I started putting the corn in the clearing.

"At first they wouldn't come to the clearing. It was too far. It was too open. It was a nuisance to them.

"But the very young decided that it was easier to take the corn in the clearing than it was to root out roots and catch their own snakes. And not long thereafter, the older pigs also decided that it was easier to come to the clearing every day.

"And so the pigs learned to come to the clearing every day to get their free corn. They could still subsidize their diet with roots and snakes and whatever else they wanted. After all, they were all free. They could run in any direction at any time. There were no bounds upon them.

"The next step was to get them used to fence posts. So I put fence posts all the way around the clearing. I put them in the underbrush so that they wouldn't get suspicious or upset, after all, they were just sticks sticking up out of the ground, like the trees and the brush. The corn was there everyday. It was easy to walk in between the posts, get the corn, and walk back out.

"This went on for a week or two. Shortly they became very used to walking into the clearing, getting the free corn, and walking back out through the fence posts.

"The next step was to put one rail down at the bottom. I also left a few openings, so that the older, fatter pigs could walk through the openings and the younger pigs could easily jump over just one rail, after all, it was no real threat to their freedom or independence–they could always jump over the rail and flee in any direction at any time.

"Now I decided that I wouldn't feed them every day. I began to feed them every other day. On the days I didn't feed them, the pigs still gathered in the clearing. They squealed, and they grunted, and they begged and pleaded with me to feed them– but I only fed them every other day. Then I put a second rail around the posts.

"Now the pigs became more and more desperate for food. Because now they were no longer used to going out and digging their own roots and finding their own food, they now needed me. They needed my corn every other day. "

"So I trained them that I would feed them every day if they came in through a gate and I put up a third rail around the fence.

"But it was still no great threat to their freedom, because there were several gates and they could run in and out at will. "Finally I put up the fourth rail. Then I closed all the gates but one, and I fed them very, very well. "

"Yesterday I closed the last gate and today I need you to help me take these pigs to market. "

The price of free corn was freedom.

The parable of the pigs has a serious moral lesson. This story is about federal money being used to bait, trap and enslave a once free and independent people.

Federal welfare, in its myriad forms, has reduced not only individuals to a state of dependency; state and local governments are also on the fast track to elimination, due to their functions being subverted by the command and control structures of federal "revenue sharing" programs.

Please copy this parable and send it to all of your state and local elected leaders and other concerned citizens. Tell them: "Just say NO to federal corn. " The bacon you save may be your own.

© 1997, The Idaho Observer. All rights reserved. Permission granted to reproduce for non commercial purposes in entirety including this notice.

2 Good Movies and a Good Book

2011-10-17T20:12:00.001-05:00

We recently got back from a vacation in Houston (which I might post about later). Right before we left last week, I went and saw two good movies and read a good book. I didn't have time to post about them then so am just now getting around to it.

Good Movie #1- Courageous
If you haven't seen this movie yet and it is still in theaters, I highly recommend it. The message about dad's standing up and being a man for their kids was really well told. There were a couple of spots of rough acting, but the crew from Flywheel, Facing the Giants, and Fireproof have come a long way.

Good Movie #2- Captain America
This is a good story about serving your country and self-sacrifice and looking at the heart of a person instead of the outside. It may be rather scary for littler kids (the villain has a red skull face). There is also quite a bit of violence because Captain America is a soldier during WWII. The whole thing makes you want to do something big with your life.

Good Book- Wings of a Dream by Anne Mateer
This is a Christian historical romance that I was given to review by Bethany House. It is set during the influenza epidemic of 1918. It is a great story about following the Lord's leading even when he is taking you where you don't think you want to go. Ms. Mateer does a great job of creating a compelling set of characters. The story revolves around Rebecca and her thirst for adventure. She longs to get away from her boring life in a small town in Oklahoma and her overbearing mother. She is sure that she can see the path that God has laid out for her. But as with much of real life, God's way leads her to an altogether different adventure than she had in mind.

Even though I really enjoyed this book, I can't give it the full 5 stars. The ending was too abrupt. I would have enjoyed a little more of the loose ends tied up. The book just ends at the climax without much thought to the aftermath of her big decision.

Walter Williams and Thomas Sowell

2011-10-09T20:58:00.001-05:00

Another intelligent idea from Walter Williams:

I believe that a person who is 65 years old and has been forced into Social Security is owed something. But the question is, Who owes it to him? Congress has spent every penny of his Social Security "contribution." Young workers have no obligation to be fleeced in order to make up for the dishonesty and dereliction of Congress. The tragedy is that most seniors just want their money and couldn't care less about whom Congress takes it from.

Here's what might be a temporary fix: The federal government owns huge quantities of wasting assets -- assets that are not producing anything -- 650 million acres of land, almost 30 percent of the land area of the United States. In exchange for those who choose to opt out of Social Security and forsake any future claim, why not pay them off with 40 or so acres of land? Doing so would give us breathing room to develop a free choice method to finance retirement.

My husband and I would gladly get out of SS for 80 acres (even if it was in the middle of nowhere). You can read the rest of the article here.

Another very excellent economist is Thomas Sowell. I loved this quote from a recent article.

Depending on what criteria are used, you can have as much official poverty as you want, regardless of whether it bears any relationship to reality.

Those who believe in an expansive, nanny state government need a large number of people in "poverty" to justify their programs. They also need a large number of people dependent on government to provide the votes needed to keep the big nanny state going.

Think about this the next time you here poverty stats.

Ahh, There's the Common Sense

2011-09-29T17:58:00.000-05:00

I love the way that Walter Williams puts our economic situation in easy-to-understand no-bull terms.

If European governments and the U.S. Congress ceased the practice of giving people what they have not earned, budgets would be more than balanced. For government to guarantee a person a right to goods and services he has not earned, it must diminish someone else's right to what he has earned, simply because governments have no resources of their very own.

To read the whole article, go here.

So many people seem to think that the federal government (or other civil governments) has money (or something of value) of its own accord. Granted, it can manufacture more at the factory right down the road from where I live (which is very interesting to tour if you ever have the chance). But all that does is devalue the money you have in your bank and your future earnings. All of the money given to various people by any form of government is taken by force from other people. A possible exception might be rentier states. In that case the money given out by the government still comes from other people, but the people are from outside the country who rent our buy something of value from the country and all the citizens get a share.

Anyway, Dr. Williams' quote reminds me of one from the Ten Commandments. "You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor."

A River to Cross- a disappointment

2011-09-13T19:39:00.000-05:00

A River to Cross by Yvonne Harris was a disappointment to me. I love Christian historical romances, but this one fell flat.

The romance part was too modern. While nothing immoral happens between Jake and Elizabeth, there is none of the old-fashioned propriety one expects in a love story set in the 1880's. She even sleeps at his house unchaperoned. Though this would not seem strange today, it seemed very out of place for the setting.

The romance was also to sappy. The book made is seem as though everyone falls in love at first sight. Elizabeth's first husband proposed in only a few days. Jake proposed to a former fiance on the day he met her. The two in the story seem "know" as soon as they look into each other's eyes, but at least wait some weeks to get engaged. It seemed like the relationships were built solely on physical attraction.

The story opens by introducing Elizabeth as a woman who has come to Texas to help care for her niece when the child's mother passed away. Yet though the child is later orphaned she is barely mentioned throughout the rest of the story. So why have the kid in the story at all? Why not just say Elizabeth went to Texas to visit her brother? It seemed like the whole niece/aunt angle was woefully underdeveloped.

The plot did not flow to me at all. It seems like a whole section of the story (involving a beaver dam) served no purpose except to allow the couple to have another life threatening experience together. The rest of the story seemed fairly disjointed as well.

Though I usually enjoy the books I am given to review by Bethany House, I can only give this book 2 stars.

Matthew 18 and Marriage

2011-09-11T13:20:00.000-05:00

Many Christians are familiar with the following quote of Jesus' in Matthew 18. But I have never heard of anyone using it in a marital situation. My question is: why not?

15"If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. 16 But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.' 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector."

My mom's friend (I'll call her Veronica) from church is going through a very terrible divorce. Veronica's husband (I'll call him Bob) had numerous affairs over the past 30+ years. Two of the most recent affairs have been with a woman in foreign country while on a mission trip and with a woman young enough to be his granddaughter. Veronica has been keeping all of this a secret for years because she wanted to save her marriage and help her husband. While this is admirable, I think she might have had more success in those regards if she had told a couple of fellow Christians years ago and had them confront Bob. If Bob did not listen to the friends, then taking the issue to the church does not seem uncalled for. Then this sin could not have been hidden and who knows how many woman could have been saved from Bob's clutches.

Yet I have never heard of anyone applying Matthew 18 to marriage problems. But surely Bob sinned against Veronica. So why do we never discuss following this plan with adultery problems or gambling problems or abusive situations or addiction problems?

Vigilante Left Me with a Heavy Feeling

2011-09-05T16:16:00.000-05:00

The book Vigilante written by Robin Parrish reminded me something of a Christian batman. I received this book from Bethany House for review. I picked it because I generally like action books, super heroes, and don't mind a little violence. So I thought I would love this book. Yet as I finished the book, I just felt heavy. Not sad, mind you. Just weighed down.

Maybe that is the point of the book. Maybe it is supposed to make you think about heavy topics like when is violence as a Christian appropriate. Maybe Robin Parrish wants the reader to consider the depths to which humanity can sink and ponder what to do about it. But I read fiction for enjoyment. I read for fun. I did not find this book fun to read.

Even though I didn't really end up liking this book, it will likely appeal to many. It was well written. The characters are solid. And certainly the premise is not boring. So I ended up giving it three stars.

Secret Stands

2011-08-25T15:58:00.000-05:00

I have come to a realization about my church. They refuse to take a public stand on many cultural issues, but sometimes take a stand behind the scenes. For example, a new ministers first sermon is about it being a Christian duty to go green and shrink one's carbon footprint. He disappears in less than a month. One story is that he missed his home state too much. But the other is that many people were alarmed at his sermon and he was given the opportunity to go back home. Let's just say that the second reason is correct for the sake of this post.

The leadership refuses to take a stand on "issues" (I guess the green movement/creation stewardship is one of these) because it will "detract from our mission". But the minister ends up gone. And I feel wary of the leadership. The level of transparency is rather disheartening. Even the city government has more transparency.

On a separate, but related topic. . .
We recently ordained 15 more elders. One of the comments made during the ceremony was that we should honor our leaders because we have no idea what they do (in reference to helping people). But the comment really struck me. A shepherd parable in the Bible says the shepherd knows each sheep by name and the sheep knew the sound of the shepherd's voice. How can 40 or so men (including the new 15) know 5000+ people? And obviously they don't expect us to really know them if it is accepted that we don't know what they do.

Our church motto is Building followers of Christ through worship, community, and service. But this just doesn't seem like a community to me.

Too Many Criminals (and you are probably one of them)

2011-08-05T12:40:00.000-05:00

Via: Overcriminalization

Evangelism without Community

2011-08-05T07:45:00.000-05:00

We had a good lesson from the youth minister at our church on Wednesday night. It was about evangelism and how it has an aura of distastefulness in American churches. One of the main reasons he gave is that evangelism is often feels (or actually is) contrived.

Now before I go any further, I have to say that one of the reasons that we chose the church we did is that evangelism actually occurs. The leaders participate in sharing the Gospel with the lost. Actual people from the world give their lives to Jesus and are baptized instead of just people from the youth group who have been going to church their whole lives.

Now back to the point of this post. I believe that one of the biggest hindrances to the overwhelming spread of the Kingdom of God in America today is a lack of community. As a member of the missions committee, I get to hear stories of how whole people groups are converted to the Lord. All of peoples that I know about are societies where the people live in community.

What do I mean by community? I mean a group of people whose lives are woven together on a daily basis. I mean a setting where friendships and work and religious ceremonies and family are all tangled together. For example, the shepherd and the weaver have a relationship because they rely on one another. Everyone in town knows your worst mistake because they were their when you did it but they still hang out with you anyway. People who have done some hard things together often form lifelong friendships. We Americans hardly have any of that. We are largely disconnected from people outside our immediate family. What connection we have is often tempered by technology; we often interact without actually being near the person.

Let me give an example from my own life. My husband has something of a community at his work with a Christian ministry. I am forming something of a community with the Christian homeschool co-op. But my husband and I aren't really in community with anyone as a family except in some respects with our small group at church. And the people we are in the most contact with have knowledge of and are trying to live for Jesus.

When we lived in Phoenix, it was somewhat different. We had no kids. I worked at a landscape architecture office, and my husband worked as a bill collector and then in financial services. We had lots of friends that were searching for the truth about Jesus and we were happy to share what we knew. Two people were even baptized in our swimming pool.

But if I want my kids to experience evangelism, I will have to contrive something. It might be going on a short term mission trip or involved in a ministry at church . Or I could try to form a deeper relationship with our old lawn mower man since I know that he and his family do not have a church home. Now I am not saying that any of these ideas are wrong or bad. I am saying that they do not flow from my normal life.

In places where the Good News of Jesus flows through the land like healing water, there are already relationship channels for it to flow through.

Intolerance of Kids

2011-07-27T13:46:00.001-05:00

I heard recently on TV that Americans spend more time grooming that caring for kids. Now as a homeschooling mom of 2 with a tiny sliver of my day given to grooming, that came as a surprise to me. But really it shouldn't have. With day cares and schools, fewer and fewer grown-ups are raising the fewer and fewer kids we are having. Maybe that is why there is a growing amount of intolerance for kids in trendy society.

Instead of promoting family and kids, the trend seems to be to ban them. Here are some examples:

McDain's restaurant banned kids under six in PA.

Some people want to ban babies from planes (or at least business class).

People are calling it "brat bans" and it may be the next big deal for vacation destinations.

At at least one movie theater, kids under six are no longer welcome except on "baby days".

Now I have been the parent with a melt-down kid and I have been the childless adult annoyed that a parent was allowing a tantrum in a theater. But it still saddens me to read these things.

Spending on Education

2011-07-17T08:21:00.001-05:00

I thought you might enjoy this video by Heritage Foundation. It does a great job of explaining why spending more tax dollars on education isn't the answer.

I think the whole education system would be better without the government at all. There is a great website about this point of view called the Alliance for the Separation of School and State. I encourage you to go check it out.

Happy 4th of July (a little early)

2011-06-29T11:07:00.001-05:00

I wanted to share with you an article by Thomas Sowell called "July 4th". In it, he reminds us that July 4th is the day that the Declaration of Independence was first publicly read. Here are some quotes from it to encourage you to read the whole thing.

Some clever people today ask whether the United States has really been "exceptional." You couldn't be more exceptional in the 18th century than to create your fundamental document -- the Constitution of the United States -- by opening with the momentous words, "We the people..."

More than a hundred years ago, so-called "Progressives" began a campaign to undermine the Constitution's strict limitations on government, which stood in the way of self-anointed political crusaders imposing their grand schemes on all the rest of us. That effort to discredit the Constitution continues to this day, and the arguments haven't really changed much in a hundred years.

I think that people who find the Bible irrelevant because it is old also find the Constitution irrelevant because it is old. I also think that God never changes, human nature hasn't changed, and limited government is still a good idea.

But we have gone far from our roots in this country. We used to be a people governed by the Holy Spirit from within or at least by common sense rooted in His Word. We used to know that God set up various governments (family, church, civil) and that each had its own authority. I encourage us all to fall before the Lord and confess the sins of our nation. If you would like to join others in doing this, you can go here to see congregations across the country that will be having a special time of prayer on July 3rd called Call2Fall.

Noah for Children

2011-06-22T09:02:00.000-05:00

Since I was in the adult class, I can't say exactly what was taught to the kids at my church's Summer Spectacular about Noah. All I can go on is the decorations and the play that everyone attends. Even based only on that there several errors and a little PC blather.

There were no dinosaurs on any of the arks accept for the one my kids and I decorated in the toddler hall. As I was working on this the 9-year-old son of one of the Sunday School teachers told me I was doing it all wrong because everyone knows that the dinosaurs were all extinct long before Noah. I tried to explain politely that I believed they were alive and on the ark.

The animals that were on the big ark display in the atrium included Dalmatians, poodles, and fresh water fish.

It seems to me that while our Senior Minister of the Word was on target for accuracy (he even mentioned that there were no fish or poodles on the ark) the Children's Director obviously didn't think it was important. Or maybe she doesn't agree with a young earth. Or maybe she is ill-informed about the details of Noah's ark having been around the cartoon version of a tiny craft with animals poking their heads out of windows for so long.

It seems to me when something is as scoffed at as Noah's flood that we need to fill our kids heads with realistic images not cartoony goofiness. I really appreciate Answers in Genesis and their newest project: building a life-size replica of the ark completely out of wood. The project is called Ark Encounter.

When I showed my kids the graphic from the website, they were amazed at how huge the ark was compared to people. I would love to take them to Ark Encounter in a few years. I am sure the enormity of the ark will have even more impact in person.

Literal world-wide flood

2011-06-15T12:08:00.001-05:00

Our Sr. Minister of the Word gave the Noah lessons all three days of our Summer Spectacular. Several hundred adults were there many of them visitors. I enjoyed it. In part, I enjoyed it because I got an answer to one of my questions: Does this church believe in a literal world-wide flood about 4500 years ago?

The short answer is yes, but we are not discussing the age of the earth or how long man has been on the earth.

He did a good job of sticking up for the fact that the genealogy is of real people who lived 900+ years (as opposed to clan leaders or other mumbo jumbo). He did a good job explaining the local/universal debate and defending the universality of the flood. These were the reasons he gave:
1. It is the simplest reading of the text.
2. Why else would God insist on a boat instead of migration?
3. The year long duration of the flooding/drying process seems out of league with a smaller flood.
4. God promised to never do this again, but there have been many catastrophic floods since then.
5. Jesus and Peter use the flood of Noah's day as an example of God's ability to judge the whole world.
He also mentioned the flood traditions from around the world, and how there would have been plenty of space for all of the kinds of animals. He also pointed out that there would have been only one doggish animal not coyotes, wolves, etc.

Here are some other nuggets of interest that I gleaned.
Enoch means dedication. He started walking with God the year Methuselah was born. Methuselah's name means when he dies judgement comes. Methuselah long life shows God's grace. (FYI, Methuselah died the year of the flood.)

We must have a supernatural worldview not a purely natural one. This is the most rational explanation of the marvels we see around us.

The source of trust is what you are trying to build. What are you trying to build with your life? What does it show that you trust? Build something now that will survive when judgement comes.

Obey even when it doesn't make sense. For example, how can being dunked under water have anything to do with my spiritual life?

Faithful move upstream in a downstream world. Sometimes this might involve moving upstream against even religious people.

God shows he remembers us with deeds (wind to recede the waters), signs (olive branch in the dove's mouth), and his Word (speaks to Noah, gives covenant).

True faith looks for a way to respond to grace.

Church like the co-op

2011-06-12T09:21:00.000-05:00

What if Sunday school classes at my church were run like the homeschool co-op?

Let me give a little background to this question.

After the previous two posts, I started thinking about other systems that allow for variety and transparency under an umbrella of essential truths. Our homeschool co-op is an example of this. There is a statement of faith that you have to agree to before joining. This is pretty basic evangelical Christian type stuff. Saved by grace not works. Jesus was all man and all God. Jesus lived a sinless life. You get the idea.

Within the families that attend, there is variety under this umbrella. There are "quiver full" families and others that use birth control. There are families that love Halloween and others that abhor it. There are those that abstain from alcohol and those that enjoy a beer or glass of wine occasionally.

When it comes time to decide what classes will be offered the next semester, everyone gets a chance to suggest classes/teachers. Parents put tally marks next to the classes they would like to see offered in their kids' grade level. The classes with teachers and lots of tally marks generally make it onto the schedule.

The class teacher must write a class description before the time to sign up for classes. The description tells which curriculum will be used and more detailed information on what will be covered in class. This gives parents a chance to decide if the class fits with their family. For example, last semester there was a class on movies and world views. The teacher e-mailed out a list of the movies that would be viewed and discussed before the sign up day. Parents that didn't want their kids to watch Avatar (one of the movies discussed) didn't sign their kids up for that class.

So what if my church's adult Sunday school worked this way?

We all have member accounts to log in to the church website. New classes often start in September, so they could have the suggestion process start in April. They could set up a page for suggestions, and each member could log in and leave the name of the class with a brief description and a suggested teacher (themselves or someone else) and class format type (lecture or discussion).

After a couple of weeks of suggestions, that feature could be turned off and each member could vote on up to 5 classes they would like to see offered.

It would take a group of coordinators (just like at the co-op) to figure out the logistics. 300 tallies gets the chapel. 50 tallies gets the library. Questionable subject matter with lots of tallies could be approved or nixed by the elders. Suggested teachers that hadn't taught before could be interviewed or something.

After the logistics process, list of upcoming classes and teachers could be published on the website with a more detailed description of what was going to be covered.

I think there would be several advantages to this system. First, we would get away from age/stage-of-life centric classes. Second, it would be easier to get to know people with similar spiritual interests. Third, you would know right up front what subject matter was going to be presented. Fourth, everyone would have a chance to have some input into what we learn and the format. Fifth, people with a gift for teaching could have a chance to actually teach. There could be practical (parenting, divorce recovery, etc.), wold view (The Truth Project, Resisting the Green Dragon, etc.), and straight up Bible classes (I and II Peter or the miracles of Jesus). Maybe there could even be a class called "Q and A with the elders" where I could ask all of my questions (see previous post).

There would be a disadvantage to this system in one respect. Some people would not want to leave the comfort of going to the same class that they have gone to for years. So maybe this would be better implemented on the class level. Then each class could publish their chosen topic and teacher for the semester. Or maybe a class could suggest themselves in the congregation-wide suggestions by suggesting their teacher and their class perameters and all voting for what they know.

Any thoughts?

Examples of unanswered questions

2011-06-10T07:01:00.000-05:00

I thought I should clarify the last few sentences of my previous post. "There is no platform to make concerns known. There is no platform for dialogue and debate. There is no platform to share new ideas gleaned from scripture. There is no fellowship in the Word only the dissemination of information and the acceptance of it by the masses."
In these sentences, I am referring to dialogue, debate, fellowship between the masses and the leaders. In a church of 5000 people with about 50 leaders (elders, ministers, etc.), I realize that they can't all sit down and listen to each persons complaint, question, or concern as a group. And I realize that on a one on one basis they are generally willing to listen to and study with individual members. Our leaders are caring, god-fearing people as far as I can tell by my limited exposure to them. The only one I have any kind of relationship with is the Missions Minister because I see him almost weekly as I'm on the missions committee.

I have been thinking/praying about what would be a viable solution to this longing for open and frank discussion. So far my best thought has been a congregational convention. I know that several denominations have conventions. Ours doesn't, but I thought that a congregational convention would be a breath of fresh air to me and would deepen the sense of body and community. I would especially enjoy an open mic session where everyone could ask questions of all the elders/ministers and everyone could hear the response and follow up with questions of their own. I think that this would increase the transparency of our church 100 fold. It would allow members with similar questions to know that they are not alone.

Here are some of the questions I would ask:

Why are we not allowed to actively promote 40 Days for Life as part of our pro-life ministry? (I help found the ministry and I am still fuzzy on the answer to this question.)

How much of our $10,000,000 auditorium renovation is repair and how much of it is upgrade? (In a financial responsibility small group study that was sponsored by the church in the run up to the fund-raising drive, this was one of the guidelines for spending in your family. For example, are we getting a new TV because ours broke or because we want a trendy upgrade?)

How will the Christian university we are starting in Africa be different than a secular university in the areas of science, economics, history, government, etc.?

In the missions committee, we often discuss the "felt need" of a people group as a springboard to a ministry that gives our missionaries an easier tie to the people. I think that one of the "felt needs" of Americans is weight loss. Are we willing to look into being of service to our community in this way?
What are other felt needs of the residents of Tarrant County and how do you see us reaching out to people who feel these needs?

Why is the biggest celebration that goes on at this building on Halloween and called "Fall Festival" instead of at Christmas or Easter? Why are the decorations at Christmas entirely secular with 6 trees and no nativity scene?

When the Wednesday night kids classes were moved to the chapel so the teachers could get their rooms decorated for Summer Spectacular (our VBS), why was Evan Almighty chosen as the movie for elementary students? Is playing a movie that doesn't uphold the Bible as accurate really a wise thing to show impressionable kids? Does this church uphold that a literal world-wide flood happened 4500 years ago? (Our Summer Spectacular theme this year is Noah.)

Why doesn't our church take a stand against evolution by hosting creation science speakers especially when the Institute for Creation Research is only a few miles away?

In a recent sermon, the new minister mentioned that it was a Christian's responsibility to fight global warming, eat organic, recycle, etc. This seems a dangerous road to be going down. Much of the green movement is more concerned about "Mother Earth" than about people especially the poor. Global warming (if it is occurring at all) is not likely caused by people. Can you please explain further what this church's view is of these issues? Would some of the leaders be willing to watch the DVD series Resisting the Green Dragon by the Cornwall Alliance and give your collective opinion in a future meeting?

What are common lies taught to our kids by the public school system and what are some ways that parents can combat them?

I am sure I would have more as the answer to these came in. Some of these questions are recent, but others I have been trying to get a solid answer on for months or years.

Thanks again for your input.

How important are beliefs?

2011-06-08T09:08:00.000-05:00

I am not sure how to go about describing my dilemma so you may have to be patient with me as you read. In the churches I attended growing up, there was much emphasis on believing biblical truth especially when it came to how assemblies are conducted and the basics of turning to Jesus for salvation. But there was little emphasis on reaching out beyond the walls of the building. There was little emphasis on life transformation. Someone was considered a "faithful Christian" (as opposed to someone who had fallen away) if they attended the assembly regularly (preferably 3 times a week) and if they agreed with the aforementioned truths.

Of course, there was much fighting over some of the "truths". The most ridiculous one I can remember was when we lived in a small town in Iowa. One tiny congregation refused to meet with the bigger (but still small) congregation because the bigger congregation refused to agree to stop wearing gold based on I Peter 3:3. "Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes."

Then a shift occurred. A movement started that was in many ways a breath of fresh air. It started emphasizing "salvation issues" as the truths and basically shucked all others in an attempt to create more unity. With this movement there came a realization that some verses (truths) could be interpreted different ways by rational people (like I Peter 3:3) and there could still be unity among them (you don't have to agree on everything in the Bible to get along). Without common belief in other truths (Jesus died a literal death and rose again in 3 days), unity would be pointless.

Yet, to most people that I know, unity simply means sitting in the same auditorium listening to the same sermons, giving money to the same collection, and possibly supporting the same missionaries. If I start talking about unity, I will get off the main point of this post, but I believe there is more to it than that.

The church I currently attend is the best church I have ever been to. There is an emphasis on letting God transform your life. The congregants are encouraged to get out of the church building and go on mission trips or help tutor kids in low income neighborhoods. These things are sadly missing from most churches I am familiar with. This church also tries to allow for freedom in the small truths. They call it being grace centered. I do not think you would be ridiculed for not wearing gold, but insisting that everyone do so would not be tolerated.

When we first started attending (5 years ago), I had little knowledge and gave little thought to world views. I had never thought about what the Bible had to say about economics or civil government. I never thought much about the dangers of the postmodern idea that people get to decide what is true. I never realized the depth of evil that springs from replacing God the Creator with billions of years of evolution. My own worldview has become stronger over the years. I can see more clearly the destructive fruit of an unbiblical worldview.

So now I am growing more and more concerned that the leaders of my congregation do not share my worldview on many issues (evolution, economics, civil government, etc.). Now my dilemma is: How much does their worldview on these issues matter? How far should one go along to get along? And what about other issues. There is no platform to make concerns known. There is no platform for dialogue and debate. There is no platform to share new ideas gleaned from scripture. There is no fellowship in the Word only the dissemination of information and the acceptance of it by the masses.

So I would love to hear your thoughts (and the scriptures to back them up). Thanks so much.

Unlikely Suitor by Nancy Moser

2011-05-28T20:27:00.000-05:00

I really enjoyed Unlikely Suitor by Nancy Moser. From the moment I got my review copy from Bethany House yesterday, I couldn’t put it down.

Before I go on, I really encourage you not to read the back cover. It gives too much away. I think you will enjoy the book much more if you just let the story unfold without being really sure of where it is going. I will attempt to not give too much away either in this review.

This book gives the reader an excellent glimpse into New York City and environs during the late 1800’s. It takes you from the lowly seamstress to the upper crust in Newport. The author shows that despite one’s social station there are common threads running through all humanity. She shows the need to rely on God and yet take the opportunities he gives us.

This book is very well written and well researched. There are even fashion plates in the back that fit the descriptions in the book.

The characters draw you in and make you want to know more about them. Each brings something to the story. The epilogue was especially gratifying with a good amount of closure.

I recommend it to anyone who enjoys Christian historical fiction. 5 stars

Great New Book

2011-04-23T08:41:00.000-05:00

I recently received Paradise Valley by Dale Cramer from Bethany House to review. It was one of the best books I have read in a while. I chose it as a book I would like to review because I really respect the Amish. This book is based on events in the 1920’s when the state of Ohio jailed some Amish dad’s for not sending their kids to the government run consolidated school. As a result, some of the Ohio Amish community seek freedom to raise their kids in the Amish way by moving to Mexico. Mr. Cramer shows how they stick to their beliefs and are willing to sacrifice for them. He shows their love of family and their willingness to work hard. After reading this book, I respect the Amish even more.

The story is focused on one family- The Benders. The Benders have been blessed with 13 children (one dead and one mentally challenged) but not all are equally fleshed out in the story. It focuses on the father, Caleb, and his 15-year-old daughter, Rachel. Though these two are the focus of the story you get glimpses in to the thoughts of many of the other characters.

One thing that I liked about the writing was Mr. Cramer’s truthful style. Strengths and weaknesses are given to all of the characters. He doesn’t sugar coat the harsh realities of the struggles the Benders face, yet this isn’t a heavy book that weighs down the soul. It is almost as though he has opened a window to Paradise Valley as it really was.

This is a first book in a new series about Caleb Bender’s daughters. I read the whole thing in a couple of days. I cared about the characters and wanted to see what happened to them. I also wanted to learn why they made the choices they made. I am really looking forward to the next one!

Filling in Transcripts

2011-02-13T10:12:00.000-06:00

I have noticed a trend that is obvious in public schools, but is also lapping over into homeschools. This is what I call transcript filling. It seems to me that many homeschooling families give up the freedom of education that they once enjoyed in elementary and junior high when they get to high school. They stop thinking about what they think is important for their kids to learn and start worrying about what the state requires. They begin the process of what I've dubbed transcript filling. By this I mean they start trying to check off the list of classes mandated at public schools for a "recommended" or "advanced" high school diploma. They often do this with little regard for any level of mastery. They also do this with little regard for the importance of the subject in the student's future life. It is all about checking off stuff so that the kid can get into college. That is the point that is so sad to me. You can still get into college (good ones even) regardless of what is on your high school transcript. I will give you an example.

Let's say that my kids and I choose freedom. Let's say that my son's transcript looks something like this.

4 English credits
3 Math credits (taken as dual credit at Tarrant County Community College)
2 Spanish credits
3 Science credits
1 US Constitution credit
1 World History credit (maybe related to ancient civilizations and the Bible)
1 US history credit
1 Biblical economics credit
5 Electives like cake decorating and marksmanship

With this transcript he would only be eligible for the "minimum" degree in Texas and would therefor not be able to get automatic admission to a state university like say Texas Tech. But wait. . . He'll already have 9 college credits. If he takes one more class and has a 2.5 GPA (that's 2 B's and 2 C's), then presto he is back into the automatic admission category.

From Texas Tech's website for transfer students
ASSURED ADMISSION. If you present the required combination of transferable hours and GPA below, you are assured admission. GPA is cumulative for all transferable courses from all schools attended, and courses taken for grade replacement are used for GPA calculation only if the same course is repeated at the same institution where it was originally taken.

Transferable Hours	GPA Requirements
12 - 23 hours	2.50 cumulative
24 or more hours	2.25 cumulative

So it wouldn't have mattered if all we studied in high school was underwater basket weaving and the Bible, as long as he had a diploma and could take 4 community college classes with decent grades.

But let's say that your kid is bound for bigger and better things than Texas Tech. Let's say that he is going to a private Christian college like Patrick Henry University.

The College requires that a minimum of 18 high school level courses be completed. The following courses should be completed prior to admission to Patrick Henry College:

English: Minimum of four courses. To be well-prepared, students should pursue a well-rounded, college preparatory English program that emphasizes literature, grammar, and composition. Examples: grammar, literature, composition, speech, and debate. Please note: Competitive speech and debate may count for one English course.
Mathematics: Minimum of three college preparatory courses, which must include: algebra I, algebra II, and geometry. Examples: algebra (I & II), geometry, trigonometry, pre-calculus, and calculus. To be well-prepared, students should take courses at least through trigonometry.
Science: Minimum of two different college preparatory courses. Examples: biology, chemistry, and physics. It is preferred that students complete three courses and that those courses include labs.
History: Minimum of two courses, which must include at least one comprehensive course in U. S. history and one comprehensive course in world history.
Government: Minimum of one course. The course should cover material on local, state, and federal government.
Foreign Language: Minimum of one course. Examples: French, German, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, Italian, Latin, or Greek. It is preferred that students complete two consecutive courses.
Electives: Minimum of 5 courses. Examples include Bible, fine arts, logic, rhetoric, music, economics, geography, and computer courses, as well as courses in areas such as biblical worldview and apologetics.

It looks as though that my son's "minimum" diploma is just fine for them.

There are all kinds of alternatives for ways to get into college and there are all kinds of colleges to get into. There is even one Christian college doesn't have any academic requirements and selects students based on other criteria. It is called Rivendell Sanctuary. Its students graduate with an AA degree. Every university I have heard of, accepts AAs without question regardless of where the are from.

So I don't understand why more homeschooling families with high school students don't pursue freedom. Why not follow what interests your child? Why not fill their days with subjects you actually think are important to their future? Why just check off some list given to you by the government? Maybe I will understand it more when my kids get to high school, but I certainly hope not.

Movies Worth Considering

2010-10-15T12:18:00.003-05:00

I Want Your Money

You can find out more about this movie (in theaters now) by going to their website.

Blood Money is a documentary about the abortion industry and is now available on DVD.

The San Antonio Christian Independent Film Festival is starting October 23rd. This is the venue where people started to get excited about movies like the Widow's Might last year. Sybil Ludington is the one I am most interested in this year. Enjoy the trailer below.

Sybil Ludington Full Length Trailer from KICKS Ministries on Vimeo.

Raising Kids to Do Hard Things Day One

2010-10-09T18:36:00.003-05:00

My husband and I just got back from the Raising Kids to Do Hard Things Conference in Dallas. It was a day and a half of presentations my Gregg Harris (father of Joshua, Brett, and Alex Harris). Friday evening had two sessions.

The first one was about why God commands us to do hard things. One thing that I thought was interesting in this session was his point that God has used the curses of Adam (struggle to provide) and the curse of Eve (struggle in bearing children) to bring about the good of a godly household. He also pointed out that sin is a problem of not really believing that God is good and wise and that his ways for our lives are good (for us) and wise. He reminded us that we are here to glorify God. He went on to explain that glorifying God means putting his goodness on display.

The second session was about the seasons of life. He used Jeremiah's instructions to the Jewish exiles to show that there are for seasons of life: 1) Individual 2) Householder 3) Elder 4) City Father. He said that whatever stage you are in you should focus on that and do well at it because it prepares you for the next stage.

I really recommend signing up if Mr. Harris is doing one of these conferences in your area. The next ones are in Atlanta, DC, and Orlando. There may be more beyond that. It is definitly well worth your time.

Appleseed Project

2010-10-05T16:37:00.002-05:00

This past weekend, my husband signed me up for the Appleseed Project. This is a rifle marksmanship program that is taught by volunteers with the Revolutionary War Veterans Association. My husband is a very good shot even at 500 yards. I on the other hand could not hit the broad side of a barn. My husband has tried to teach me, but my arms get tired before I really learn much. And I grew impatient because I wasn't able to hit the targets. I didn't really know what to expect during this weekend, but I was willing to go because I knew it would mean a lot to my husband.

I was very frustrated the first half of the first day. We were doing everything in the prone position so my arms weren't getting tired, but I couldn't align myself properly with the rifle. They gave me a loaner and that made all the difference. I started making progress right away. In the final set of targets that I did, I shot the 100 yard size silhouette 4/10 times from standing in 2 minutes. Now that might not seem great (and it isn't), but you have to take into account that I didn't hit the paper AT ALL the first time we did it. I also hit all 4 of the 400 yard size silhouettes the proper number of times in less than 5 minutes during the final round.

So if you have any interest in learning a little more about our history (during the lunch breaks) and learning to shoot a .22 rifle better, I recommend signing up for an Appleseed near you. Ladies and kids are free (though there were range fees where I was). The age of the kids allowed depends on the range rules. At our range, the kids had to be at least 12.

Within My Heart by Tamera Alexander

2010-09-30T13:10:00.004-05:00

I just finished reading my review copy of Within My Heart by Tamera Alexander from Bethany House Publishing.

This is a well-told story about overcoming with the help of the Lord. It is something of a sad story; almost all of the characters have suffered some very traumatic experience. The point of the story is that the joy of living and loving is worth the chance that there will be sadness and suffering. And that is true of the book as well. Even though there are some sad parts it is well worth the read, especially since there is a happy ending.

This book seems to be part three of a series called Timber Ridge Reflections. Though this book stands alone, I wish I would have read the other two before reading this one. It is not that you can't follow the story without reading From a Distance and Beyond This Moment. It is just that I got the impression that many of the side characters would have been better understood if the first two books had been read.

This book shows God's presence in the characters' lives without coming across as preachy. I would have liked to have a little more written about the spiritual aspect of the story, but I enjoy books that others label as preachy so the average Christian fiction reader will probably find this book the perfect blend of non-preachy and seeking the Lord in all areas of life.

If you are interested in reading and reviewing Bethany House books, click here. It is a lot of fun and encourages me to read things that expand my horizons.

Vigilante's Bride

2010-09-18T21:44:00.002-05:00

I just received a free review copy of The Vigilante’s Bride by Yvonne Harris from Bethany House publishers a couple of days ago and could not put it down. It is a very interesting read set in the Montana territory after the Civil War. It has many elements of a Wild West story. It sheds light on the Crow Indians, how justice was served when there was no law for miles around, and cattle ranching. There are gun fights and a hanging. There is a romance in the story too, but not so much that men would find it sappy. It was more about the cowboy and his decisions and struggles. It is also Christian fiction, but I can’t say that the characters' relationship with the Lord was anywhere near center stage. (I did find that a little disappointing.) All in all, I thought it was a very good read with a good mix of action, suspense, romance, and even a bit of humor.

Teen with Integrity

2010-09-04T09:24:00.003-05:00

Yahoo! News had and interesting article about Zach Nash, a 14-year-old who disqualified himself from a golf championship. He inadvertantly had too many clubs in his bag and turned himself in after winning the championship.

The story made me wonder, "Would I have the guts to do that?" Or would I start making excuses, "I didn't know the extra club was there; it was an accident." "It's a dumb rule; why should I have to obey it."

I like the way the author said it a the end of the article. . .
"Now, it's easy to go and tee off --pun ver much intended-- on golf's drop-the-hammer rules, on Wood for bringing the extra club to Nash's attention, or to Nash himself for failing to count the club. But all that misses the point. This is a stor about honest and doing what's right, even when what's right makes zero logival sense. Sure, Nash could have rationalized away keeping an extra club, but where's the honor in that?"

Homeschool Co-op

2010-09-02T09:14:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was the first day of our homeschool co-op. It meets once a week for 5 hours not including lunch. I am teaching High School World Geography to 8 young adults 1st hour. I think it is going to be a lot of fun. I am a "floater" 2nd hour. That means that I am assigned each week to a class that needs extra helpers. This week I was in junior high drama which was very funny. 3rd and 4th hour I am grading junior high biology. One of the answers was pretty funny. The question was something asking about what are the people that participate in an experiment called. The kid wrote, "I believe the word is 'volunteers'." All of the graders got a chuckle out of that. 5th hour I am with my daughter in a drawing/handwriting class for K/1st. She is pretty upset about this because she wanted to do the whole day like a big girl by herself.

The kids had a great time and are excited to go back next week. My 1st grade daughter is taking gym games, exploring music, under the sea, art, and the draw write now class. My 3rd grade son is taking gym games with sister, bodies and bones, ancient civilizations, Real Science for Kids pre-level 1 chemistry, and beginning chess.

It is a nice splash of spice to our homeschool week. It gives us all a chance to pursue things that we would otherwise not get the opportunity to do.

Glimpses of Failed Hope and Change

2010-08-27T08:50:00.002-05:00

I have noticed over the past few months that there are a lot of out-of-state license tags around here. Michigan seems especially prevelant, but I am seeing more and more Ohio, Illinois, and Florida. I started wondering if people are coming here because Texas has a better economy?

My mother-in-law, brother, and brother-in-law are all looking for work. My mother-in-law started her search when the ministry she worked for had to shut down. My brother lost his job as the low man on the totem poll during cut-backs at a job he had only started a few months previously. My brother-in-law lost his job due to cut backs about a year ago. He found a job in a different state and moved. Now they tell him his job will likely be cut in September. So the search begins again.

There was a meeting yesterday at my husbands work to explain the new Obamacare mandated health insurance that we will have. While our premiums changed by only $6/month, our deductible is going up to $9000/year/family. And here I thought that the silly law was supposed to make health care better for people and less expensive.

So how is all that hope and change working out for you?

Mosasaur Soft Tissues

2010-08-21T10:45:00.003-05:00

You might remember the T-rex soft tissues found a few years ago and how scientists still claimed that they were millions of years old. Well yesterday ICR posted an article about mosasaur remnants that still had several kinds of soft tissue. How can eye, skin, and blood tissue be millions of years old? As it says in the article, ". . . it is highly unlikely that this mosasaur is even thousands of years old, since these tissues decay so quickly. Therefore, insisting that they are over 80 million years old defies all reason."

Good Song (even if it is country)

2010-08-20T11:06:00.003-05:00

So, we have a 26-year-old assistant football coach who is quite creative and who is tired of Obama and his policies. He writes a song, and, as the new report indicates, he sends a link the song to everyone in his "personal e-mail list." Thus, he wasn't taking class time or practice time to tell students about his political views. He was on his on time, with his own computer, sending to his own list. And now he is fired? Come on people! If you don't like it, complain to the man directly. Ask him to take you off his list or something. But this is just crazy.

This is the quote from an article about Bryan Glover and the song that he co-wrote. Now I don't like country but this song has enough rock in it to like. The lyrics are great. And since Mr. Glover is now jobless, I am sure he could use whatever money can be made from purchasing his song. (It only costs $1.29.) So here are some of the lyrics and the link to the website.

There’ll be a party come this November

Where we’re gonna set things straight

All good people gonna gather ‘round

Gonna show what made this country great

We’ll run off the schemers and back-room dealers

So the Red, White and Blue will prevail

When we’re holding the hammer

Every one of them looks like a nail

Arrested for Sharing the Gospel

2010-08-06T10:01:00.002-05:00

My husband gave me this video from Dearborn, MI where some men were arrested for handing out the Gospel of John outside of a Muslim festival. Are we ready for persecution?

A Little American (Christian) History

2010-08-05T16:54:00.001-05:00

This video was e-mailed to me by our missions minister. I thought it was worth sharing.

Back to a Normal Routine

2010-08-03T16:30:00.003-05:00

My kids and I have been off for our summer break for the month of July. Now we are back in the swing of things. I have given the kids more personal responsibility for their tasks and they really have stepped up and seem to be enjoying it.

Since I haven't posted anything in a month, I have all kinds of links I have been saving up.

Some are just depressing. Like the fact that Planned Parenthood can't account for 1.3 billion of our dollars. Or this one about the disconnect between teens attending church and teens actually living moral lives. Look at this quote for example.

Forty-seven percent of Protestant teens reported active involvement in their church’s youth group, compared to 38 percent of all teens. The majority of Protestant teens also reported that they attend Sunday School “a few times a month, participate in youth retreats, rallies, and conferences.”

In all, ninety percent of Protestant teens say they believe in God, compared to 85 percent of all teens; only 12 percent of all teens say they are “unsure about the existence of God.”

Clearly this generation is anything but irreligious; quite the contrary. However, further examination of the research begins to reveal the disconnect I mentioned earlier. According to the study, only 55 percent of Protestant teens believe in life after death—a belief held by 50 percent of all teens, including the nonreligious. In a further contradiction, 69 percent of Protestant teens say they have made “a personal commitment to live for God” and yet only 32 percent read the Bible once a week or more, while 19 percent report having had premarital intercourse in the last year compared to 22 percent of those who are unchurched. Additionally, 63 percent of Protestant teens report cheating in school compared to only 58 percent of all teens and 41 percent say that morals are relative—that “there are no definite rights or wrongs for everybody.”

Others made me think. Like this video about not having any kind of federal income tax.

Some made me smile. Like this one about the 2010 winners of the Stuck at the Prom contest from the makers of Duck Tape brand duct tape. The contestants design formal wear out of duct tape.

Happy Independence Day!

2010-07-04T11:57:00.002-05:00

I am posting the Declaration of Independence. Enjoy reading it and enjoy your freedom.

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected, whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States, that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. — And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.

The Good, the Struggles, and the Fizzle

2010-06-28T10:06:00.007-05:00

Friday was our last day of school. We will start up again at the beginning of August. I decided to look back on what I wanted to accomplish at the beginning of the year. Some things we did awesome. On other things I was overly ambitious and let them fizzle. Other things we are still struggling with.

The Good

My son has improved so much in reading that we are actually going to start with 3rd grade level stuff in August. I am going to try Total Language Plus. This is a program that uses 2-3 "classic" books a year to do all of the vocabulary, grammar, writing, etc. You read the book slowly (a chapter a week/a couple of pages a day). You buy the curriculum a classic at a time. If you don't like it, you haven't blown your whole budget only about $30. And there is a convenient place to shift gears if it isn't working for you. These are all pluses to me. The first book is The Courage of Sarah Noble which seems to be a very charming tale of life in the early 1700's in the Connecticut wilderness. He also did very well with spelling but I think we are ready to try something besides the Writing Road to Reading. He actually wants to take spelling at the homeschool co-op that we will be participating in next year.

My daughter finished the handmade reader and got promoted to the My Father's World reader that my son started out on. He later progressed to Day-by-Day Begin to Read Bible and made it almost through the whole thing. My daughter does a great job of reading, but her 6-year-old self doesn't like to sit still very long to do it.

We all really like the Right Start Math curriculum. They both say that math is their best subject and I think it is in large part because of this curriculum.

I think that the wisdom traits lessons and the big fat lies were a success. We did 10 of each and then reviewed them throughout the year. The kids really seemed to get a grasp of these things so I plan on weaving them throughout the next year (and maybe adding a few more big fat lies).

Texas geography was fun even though it was kind of a lot of work for me. The kids thought that some of the official things were kind of funny. For example the official vegetable of Texas is the sweet onion. We finished the whole state with plenty of time to spare. I did sort of simplify it as time went on though. I am looking forward to American geography with Cantering the Country. This is a guide that gives you hints and resource lists to do unit studies on each state. We are going to start with the states we have been to and then work our way around the country.

We also had a great time with anatomy. We did all of the experiments in the Magic School Bus body experiments. That was a great addition to reading through the DK First Human Body Encyclopedia.

The Fizzle

We kind of fizzled on the astronomy. We only got through the sun, Mercury, Venus, and the Earth. We also only fit one star party into our schedules. We will continue in the coming year though because the we did enjoy it.

The biggest fizzle was quilting. I had trouble with the machine when we got to the actual sewing part. By the time I got it going we were out of the routine of doing it.

Daily grammar worksheets were a big dud. I found it much easier just to let my son write things he was interested in and correct his grammar. I am so glad that grammar stuff is included in the Total Language Plus stuff. It is helpful to only have one thing to keep track of.

The Struggle
My kids struggle with handwriting. I had to give up on lower-case (for the time being) with my daughter and continue with capitals over and over. Now she can write all of them reasonably clearly, but I am really going to have to hunker down on handwriting next year. My son has improved a lot, but there is no way we are moving on to cursive for a while.

Timed tests is another struggle. If there is no time factor, my son can do the problems no problems. But when then instructions are to try to finish a certain number in a certain amount of time, he freezes. We have made some progress on this, but we have to keep working on it next year.

Hay and Oil

2010-06-21T18:04:00.001-05:00

Now this makes more sense than the stuff they've been spraying into the Gulf that turns the oil into globs.

Make That Almost $12,000 a Year

2010-06-17T10:37:00.004-05:00

Several months ago, I posted about the almost $10,000 a year per kid Americans spend on average to educate kids in the public school system. Today an ex-public school teacher sent me an article entitled "End Them, Don't Mend Them". This is one of the paragraphs talking about cost of our public education system.

According to an annual Gallup poll conducted from 2004 through 2007, Americans think insufficient funding is the top problem with the public schools in their communities. But if throwing money is what’s needed, American school kids are getting smacked in the head with gobs of cash aplenty. That $11,749 is a lot more than the $7,848 private school pre-K through 12 national spending norm. It’s also a lot more than the $7,171 median tuition at four-year public colleges. Plus $11,749 is much less than what’s really being spent.

How can it possibly cost more to educate a high school students than college students? At least we know what it actually costs to get a college education because we have to pay for it or get student loans for it. But as the author of the article points out, districts sometimes pretend to be "poor" by not including things like teacher benefits in their reporting. Some under reporting by as much as 90%.

Schaeffer calculated that Los Angeles, which claims $19,000 per-pupil spending, actually spends $25,000. The New York metropolitan area admits to a per-pupil average of $18,700, but the true cost is about $26,900. The District of Columbia’s per-pupil outlay is claimed to be $17,542. The real number is an astonishing $28,170—155 percent more than the average tuition at the famously pricey private academies of the capital region.

If that doesn't make you want to puke, you must have a stronger stomach than I do. The more sickening thing is this: What do we get for our money?

The average IQ in America is—and this can be proven mathematically—average. Logic therefore dictates that National Assessment of Educational Progress eighth grade “at or above proficient” reading and math levels should average 50. This is true in only one of the 50 states. National averages are 29 and 31 percent. Either logic has nothing to do with public education or that NAEP test is a bear.

For all of that Ivy League School spending, we certainly aren't getting brilliant kids. So I agree with the author's proposal.

Here’s my proposal: Close all the public schools. Send the kids home. Fire the teachers. Sell the buildings. Raze the U.S. Department of Education, leaving not one brick standing upon another and plow the land where it stood with salt.

OK, I might not plow with salt, but I do think we would be better if all education was private or at home. You can find out more about this interesting idea at The Alliance for the Separation of School and State. The author goes on to clarify:

Gather the kids together in groups of 15.4. Sit them down at your house, or the Moose Lodge, or the VFW Hall or—gasp—a church. Multiply 15.4 by $15,000. That’s $231,000. Subtract a few grand for snacks and cleaning your carpet. What remains is a pay and benefit package of a quarter of a million dollars. Average 2008 public school classroom teacher salary: $51,391.

And for all of you asking, "What about socialization?" . . .

“Don’t kids need to experience the full range of human diversity that public schools provide?” No. And if you don’t understand the process by which modern kids become socialized, you seriously need to update your Facebook page. Also, let the Statistical Abstract tell you something about the diverse experience provided by public schools. During the 2005-2006 school year 78 percent of public schools reported “violent incidents,” more than one in six schools reported “serious violent incidents” (robbery, rape, sexual battery, or a fight or attack with a weapon), and 46 percent of schools reported thefts or larcenies. More than 10 percent of high school boys admitted to carrying a weapon to school during the previous 30 days. Among middle schools, 8.6 percent reported daily sexual harassment, 30.5 percent reported daily disrespect shown to teachers, and 43 percent reported daily bullying. Operating on the assumption that adults notice only about a third of what goes on among kids, this means that daily bullying occurs at 129 percent of middle schools. Furthermore 31.5 percent of middle schools and 38.7 percent of high schools reported “undesirable gang activities.” As opposed to the desirable kind.

The author also gives answers to other common questions. I encourage you to read the whole thing.

Seriously?

2010-06-10T10:43:00.003-05:00

I got this article in an e-mail today. It is about how our founding documents are no longer politically correct and therefor in the eyes of Wilder Publishing need a warning label. The following warning was in a book they published titled "The Constitution, The Declaration of Independence, and The Articles of Confederation."

Seriously?! Have we come to this?

I suppose they are right. We do not have the same values as a country as we did in the late 1700's. In a few ways we are better off for it (no slavery quickly springs to mind), but are we better off in most ways? Back then most kids had a mom and a dad that actually lived together. Back then kids went to school to learn to read and write and do arithmetic and came out of the 8th grade knowing more than we do in college. Back then people valued working hard and liberty and capitalism. People used to understand that truth was real not some nebulous concept that changed with fad and fashion. Back then people feared the Lord.

Yes This Really Happened in Dallas

2010-06-06T16:31:00.001-05:00

No Where to Cut

2010-06-04T11:24:00.003-05:00

The Heritage Foundation released a study called Federal Spending by the Numbers. My favorite (or most annoying) section is "No Where to Cut". In it they highlight some of the most obvious (to thinking people) places the government could cut if it was serious about having any kind of a balanced budget. I'll point out some, but recommend you read the whole thing.

The federal government made at least $98 billion in improper payments in 2009.

Washington spends $25 billion annually maintaining unused or vacant federal properties. (Maybe we should start selling federal property.)

Government auditors spent the past five years examining all federal programs and found that 22 percent of them—costing taxpayers a total of $123 billion annually—fail to show any positive impact on the populations they serve. (Is there any discussion about cutting these programs?)

Because of overstaffing, the U.S. Postal Service selects 1,125 employees per day to sit in empty rooms. They are not allowed to work, read, play cards, watch television, or do anything. This costs $50 million annually. (I know that $50 million is just a drop in the bucket, but this seems ludicrous beyond words.)

While we are talking about the post office. . .
A GAO audit classified nearly half of all purchases on government credit cards as improper, fraudulent, or embezzled. Examples include gambling, mortgage payments, liquor, lingerie, iPods, Xboxes, jewelry, Internet dating services, and Hawaiian vacations. In one extraordinary example, the Postal Service spent $13,500 on one dinner at a Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, including “over 200 appetizers and over $3,000 of alcohol, including more than 40 bottles of wine costing more than $50 each and brand-name liquor such as Courvoisier, Belvedere and Johnny Walker Gold.” The 81 guests consumed an average of $167 worth of food and drink apiece.

Improper or fraudulent Medicare spending now totals $47 billion annually—12.4 percent of its budget.

Federal employees owe more than $3 billion in income taxes they failed to pay in 2008. (I wonder how many of them work for the IRS?)

Over half of all farm subsidies go to commercial farms, which report average household incomes of $200,000.

The refusal of many federal employees to fly coach costs taxpayers $146 million annually in flight upgrades. (Again a drop in the bucket, but if it is good enough for we the people, it should be good enough for our servants.)

Congress recently spent $2.4 billion on 10 new jets that the Pentagon insists it does not need and will not use.

IndoctriNation Movie

2010-05-28T11:29:00.003-05:00

There is another independent movie that is being made that I am looking forward to seeing. It is called IndoctriNation. You can see clips and the trailer here. (They aren't allowing embedding at this time.) This documentary ties the indoctrination of our kids in the public school system to the decline of Christianity in America.

One thing that the movie points out is that there is no such thing as a worldview neutral education. All education seeks to transform the mind not just with straight facts but with ideals. I think many Christians don't want to believe this. They want the broad way, the easy way to be the best way when it comes to education.

I know that people can send their kids to public school and end up with devout Christians. I also believe that this is only possible with intense re-doctrination when the kids are at home.

I also know that some parents have no other choice. But I would say that this number is far fewer than the number of Christian parents that send their kids to public school.

Thoughts? Comments?

Sad but Funny

2010-05-20T17:27:00.001-05:00

I happened upon this Rasmussen survey and thought I would share.

The latest national telephone survey of Likely Voters finds that 41% say a group of people selected at random from the phone book would do a better job addressing the nation’s problems than the current Congress. Almost as many (38%) disagree, however, and another 20% are undecided.

Sixteen Brides by Stephanie Grace Whitson

2010-05-10T17:04:00.002-05:00

I received Sixteen Brides by Stephanie Whitson on Thursday and couldn't put it down the whole weekend. The story revolves around civil war widows who want to make a new life by claiming homesteads in Nebraska. Sixteen women are going west together with train tickets purchased for them by the "Ladies Emigration Society". They find out later that this is not on the up and up.

Before you start to feel overwhelmed at the thought of keeping track of 16 women, the focus is on five of the ladies with glimpes at the others. And if millions of people can keep track of the first season of Lost, you can keep track of these ladies. The story is well worth it.

The five main ladies have to overcome things that are still around today. Ella feels like she is not a real woman because she is tall and "beefy" and not pretty to look at. Sally is overcoming an abusive relationship. Ruth is still grieving the loss of her true love after 3 years. Caroline has been branded a traitor by her family for her choice of husband. And Hettie . . . well you'll just have to wait to the end of the book to find out.

This is a very engaging tale that weaves God in subtly largely through Ella's mother, Zita. I do wish that there was a bit more about the spiritual transformation of the people, but I still give this book a big thumbs up.

Good News and Bad News

2010-05-09T17:42:00.002-05:00

Good News/ Bad News #1
I got a notice from the county tax assessor the other day saying that we would owe less property taxes next year because our homes value had gone down by about 12%. At first I was excited. Let's face it; less taxes is nice. Then I was slightlly concerned. Did that mean we could even get what we owe out of our house if we tried to sell it? Good thing we don't forsee moving anytime soon.

Good News/Bad News #2- In which the helpful IRS agent turns it into all good news
I got a notice on Thursday that we owed the IRS an additional $2,000 +. This is on top of the money withheld and the money I sent a check for back in March. So I panic and then carefully read the documents that came with the notice. Turns out I forgot my kids SSN on the first page. So I call the 800 number expecting a rude IRS employee to tell me it will take forever and three forms to get the matter resolved and in the mean time I am still responsible for the two grand. Instead I get a very friendly IRS agent who has me verify some information and give the SSN. He then put me on hold then came back and said my 1040 was ammended and I wouldn't owe anything. Then he asked me if I wanted to take a deduction that I hadn't taken for the kids. I didn't even know for sure what it was but I said OK. He put me on hold again and came back with the announcement that I would get about $800 in a refund. Go, IRS guy.

Now don't start thinking that I have changed my mind about the IRS needing to go and be replaced with the FairTax. But it is nice to deal with pleasant, helpful people.

Two Trailers Worth Watching

2010-04-30T15:13:00.003-05:00

Today I came across two trailers that are worth looking into. The first is for an independent movie called BloodMoney. I can't embed it so you will have to actually follow a link to watch it. It is a documentary about the abortion industry from a pro-life perspective.

The second trailer is for a DVD series called Resisting the Green Dragon. Here is the blurb from the website.
And here is the trailer:

Crazy World

2010-04-27T10:49:00.003-05:00

The May 2010 issue of Newsmax has an article called "Abuse, Waste, and Blunders". In it Clayton B. Reid recounts many of the idiotic things our federal government has given money for in the name of job creation and "stimulus". It is an article worth reading though it might make you a little sick. Take this one for example.

It seems like a simple enough message: If you're a drug user, use a condom. But the folks at the University of Washington in Seattle think the Real Men Are Safe project, which stresses that message, appeals only to white men. So they'll be using $448,112 in public funds to make the program "more culturally relevant" to black and Hispanic men. To accomplish this, they will convene a panel "of academic and community based-experts knowledgeable in HIV prevention in African-American and Hispanic communities" to revise materials to be more minority friendly. It creates no jobs.

This to me is sickening on so many levels. First of all, shouldn't the slogan be something like Real Men Don't Do Drugs and Wait for Marriage. Wouldn't that do the most to prevent HIV among all communities? Second, let's look at how many people this will actually "help". There are about 80,000 blacks and Hispanics in the greater Seattle area. Let's assume that 40,000 of them are male and 30,000 of those are old enough to be doing drugs and sleeping around. Let's say these people in Seattle are about on the national average for drug use so we'll say about 2,400 black or Hispanic males in the Seattle area do drugs (and sleep around). How many of these people will even see the new message and/or be aware enough at the time to make sense of it? The whole thing seems pretty ridiculous.

Quite a Week

2010-04-25T09:17:00.004-05:00

We have had quite a week. Saturday and Sunday was a fundraiser for Real Choices Pregnancy Center. This is a big deal to me because I have been working for years to get my church to be more pro-active in the abortion front. And now I am one of the people in charge of the fundraiser. I am excited to see what God will do.

Tuesday we got to see John Williams conducting the Fort Worth Symphony in some of his music. This was especially cool for my husband. He is a big fan and has been saving and plotting for a long time for us to be able to do this. The kids did great and especially enjoyed the Star Wars and Indiana Jones parts of the concert.

Then yesterday we went to Camp El Tesoro for their Homeschool Adventure Day. We had a blast. We got to choose 5 activities. First we searched for and categorized fossils. We mostly found bivalves though they had some examples of larger cephalopod fossils from the area. The next activity was the nature hike. This was the best part of the day for me because I found this guy beside the path.

It is a poisonous pit viper called a copperhead. Then our guide declared that he was going to catch it and take it back to the main lodge so that the other families could see it.
Obviously, this is not something you should try at home. After this we had a picnic lunch and moved on to archery. We all really enjoyed this. The staff was very patient with us and we all got to shoot about 15-20 arrows before the session was over. Then we went to the birdwatching class and a hayride. The last thing of the day was cooking s'mores over a campfire. That was fun and a good snack to tide us over on the hour ride home.

Also, I have to mention, the bluebonnets were spectacular. I really like our state flower.

Thomas Jefferson Quotes

2010-04-17T10:32:00.002-05:00

In light of yesterday's post, I thought I would share some Thomas Jefferson quotes.

"When government fears the people there is liberty; when the people fear the government there is tyranny."

"A government big enough to give you everything you want, is big enough to take away everything you have."

Overcriminalization

2010-04-16T12:16:00.002-05:00

My husband recently sent me this article about a new book published by Heritage Foundation. The book is One Nation Under Arrest. It is a book about how our federal government has so many laws (about 4,000) and regulations (over 300,000) that almost anyone could be a criminal and not even know it. This is especially true when you add the state and local laws to the pile. The video below gives two examples of this.

In light of this, I recommend that you watch this video by a law professor about why you should always exercise your 5th amendment right to stay silent if ever questioned by the police (even if you are innocent).

$200 Million Per Arrest

2010-04-13T09:26:00.003-05:00

We so much government spending going on I don't think any of us are surprised by amazingly high price tags for virtually nothing. But I think this takes the cake. According to Rep. John Duncan from Tennesee, the $860 million budget for the air marshals program is a complete waste. Let's look at some of the facts he shared in a speech from the House floor.

1. About 10 air marshals have been arrested (about 40) for every arrest they made on our behalf (4).

2. There are 4,000 air marshals. That is 1000 per arrest.

3. And now to finish with a quote from Rep. Duncan, "In other words, we are spending approximately $200 million per arrest. Let me repeat that: we are spending approximately $200 million per arrest."

This is our money they are wasting.

Now my husband's solution to this: Allow anyone with a concealed weapons permit to carry on planes and make citizens arrests if there is "trouble" to be handed over to the authorities upon landing. The cost to citizens would be $0.

Any Lovers of Freedom

2010-04-12T12:40:00.002-05:00

In reading why the Amish are exempt from this health care bill (they shun all forms of government money), I wondered how many Americans would be willing to give up all of their government benefits except those in the Constitution (armed forces, post offices, roads, and a few others). If you could sign up to forgo all government money (Medicaid, social security, welfare, food stamps, etc.) for the rest of your life in exchange for paying only 5% income tax and being left alone by the federal government, would you do it? I think I would.

Now you ask, "Who would take care of me when I get old or sick?" The people that God tasked with that: your family, the Church, and your community.

The Corp in the Healthcare Bill

2010-04-06T09:36:00.004-05:00

Even though it is scary, you need to read this article at NoisyRoom. I would not have believed this if I had not read it from the bill myself (it is on page 1312). I believe that Pres. Obama got his wish and will have the legal apparatus to have his own private army not sworn to protect the Constitution. This concerns me more than the take over of healthcare and that concerns me plenty.

UPDATE:
Wickle's comment with a link to this Glenn Beck post makes me feel better. But the language of this bill (and the one it is amending) still creeps me out.

Acknowledging My Son

2010-04-05T09:02:00.004-05:00

My mother wrote this for here church bulletin and said that I could share it here. I took out names and such.

When my son. . . was in high school and [college], he was shy and wouldn’t really try to converse with people at church or look them in the eye. I yearned for people to talk with him, but he made it difficult for even the out-going ones to strike up a conversation with him.

One weekend [my son] went on a university retreat with D. A. and a bunch of university students. The Sunday after the retreat we were crossing the [church] parking lot and I heard someone call my son’s name loudly across the parking lot. My son’s shoulders went higher and his eyes looked up. Sure enough, it was D. A. acknowledging my son, shouting my son’s name all over the [church] parking lot. I was thrilled. Someone had noticed my son and was hollering his name out over the parking lot. Several people noticed and turned around and looked. My son had a good day and so did his mom.

I thought later, “Whatever D. A. asks me to do, I will do it because he acknowledged my son loudly and clearly and bravely and strongly in front of a lot of people.”

I wonder if that is how God feels about His Son. Are we willing to shout His Son’s name across the areas where we walk? Are we willing to say loudly and strongly, “I LOVE JESUS AND HE IS MY BEST FRIEND, AND I WANT EVERYONE TO KNOW!!!”? Will God do anything for us (for eternal reasons) when we acknowledge His Son?
I believe the shouting answer is, “YES!!!”
Someone may ask, “How do I acknowledge the SON today in Abilene, Texas? Maybe it would be like Martha saying out loud, “Yes Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.”
Maybe it is serving in Jesus’ Name with no regard to ridicule, embarrassment, or a committee as did the sinful woman in Luke 14.
Maybe it is to sing out loud a song about Jesus as the early Christians sang the first baptismal song, “Wake up, O sleeper, Rise from the dead and Christ will shine on you,” from Ephesians 5:14.
Or maybe the greatest of all ways to acknowledge the SON would be to honor the Son in baptism, and God would smile in heaven and say, “This is a new son of mine and I am very pleased with him.”
Will God do anything for us (for eternal reasons) when we make a stand for His SON? The shouting answer is again, “YES!!!”
“You may ask me for anything in my name and I will do it.”
John 14:13

Happy Easter!

2010-04-02T15:43:00.003-05:00

May you have a blessed time as you remember the blood of the Son that cleanses us from all unrighteousness. May you rejoice as you remember His triumph over Satan and death. May we all strive to serve him more diligently.

The Tabernacle Experience

2010-03-27T17:39:00.002-05:00

My family and I just got back from the Tabernacle Experience at Inglewood Baptist Church in Grand Prairie, TX. We hadn't really planned on going. In fact, we only found out yesterday. So not really knowing what to expect, I thought it was something to look at and take pictures of. But it was a real worship experience. We were so blessed to have participated.

The tabernacle is a life-size replica of the original (of course minus the gold, sliver, and bronze). You are given a set of headphone set with an MP3 player. The narrator leads you through a worship experience that is truly unique. You are led to different areas. At each one, a connection is drawn between the Jewish experience and ours in Christ.

If there is one in your area, I suggest you go. We paid $5/person. It was very worth it. The one in Grand Prairie will only be there today and tomorrow.

Pray to End Abortion

2010-03-26T15:47:00.002-05:00

Prayer is powerful. OneMom shared this site that is getting people to sign up for 20 minutes of prayer on behalf of the unborn. It is called the Great Prayer Project. I encourage you do sign up for some slots.

Thoughts from Thomas Sowell and Walter Williams on the Passing of the "Health Care" Bill

2010-03-25T13:06:00.002-05:00

First a warning from Thomas Sowell. . .

If the current legislation does not entail the transmission of all our individual medical records to Washington, it will take only an administrative regulation or, at most, an Executive Order of the President, to do that.

If that doesn't scare the hooya out of you, I don't know what will.

The corrupt manner in which this massive legislation was rammed through Congress, without any of the committee hearings or extended debates that most landmark legislation has had, has provided a roadmap for pushing through more such sweeping legislation in utter defiance of what the public wants.

Like, for example, amensty or cap and "trade".

The voters will have had no experience with the actual, concrete effect of the government takeover of medical care at the time of either the 2010 Congressional elections or the 2012 Presidential elections.

It is our job to stay diligent to remind people of what is at stake.

The last opportunity that current American citizens may have to determine who will control Congress may well be the election in November of this year. Off-year elections don't usually bring out as many voters as Presidential election years. But the 2010 election may be the last chance to halt the dismantling of America. It can be the point of no return.

And then a glimmer of hope from Walter Williams. . .

If there is anything good to say about Democrat control of the White House, Senate and House of Representatives, it's that their extraordinarily brazen, heavy-handed acts have aroused a level of constitutional interest among the American people that has been dormant for far too long.

Ah if only people would read, understand, and value the Constitution.

While the odds on favorite is that the Republicans will do well in the fall elections, Americans who want constitutional government should not see Republican control as a solution to what our founders would have called "a long train of abuses and usurpations."

Oh, that we would listen to what he is saying! Just because the Republicans might be better than the Democrats doesn't mean that they are constitutionalists. Walter Williams goes on to ask a list of questions we should be asking Republican leaders.

Solutions to our nation's problems require correct diagnostics and answers to questions like: Why did 2008 presidential and congressional candidates spend over $5 billion campaigning for office? Why did special interests pay Washington lobbyists over $3 billion that same year? What are reasons why corporations, unions and other interest groups fork over these billions of dollars to lobbyists and into the campaign coffers of politicians?

The answer seems to come to this:
The greater Congress' ability to grant favors and take one American's earnings to give to another American, the greater the value of influencing congressional decision-making.

Hopefully, our nation's constitutional reawaking will begin to deliver us from the precipice. There is no constitutional authority for two-thirds to three-quarters of what Congress does. Our constitution's father, James Madison, explained, "The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government, are few and defined ... (to be) exercised principally on external objects, as war, peace, negotiation, and foreign commerce."

That is the problem. If we got serious about the Constitution, we would have to slice and dice the federal government (in some cases whole departments) not nip and tuck. Are you ready to get serious? I am.

May Day

2010-03-19T20:36:00.001-05:00

It thrills my soul that thousands of people are taking part of the May Day : A Cry to God for a Nation in Distress. I would really love to be there!

They are spending the day praying prayers of repentance over the 7 areas of culture: business, government, arts and entertainment, education, family, and religion.

There are busses leaving from Wisconsin, Tennessee, and other areas of the country. If you can go, I would recommend it.

Kay Granger Explains IRS Expansion via Health Care Bill

2010-03-19T09:54:00.002-05:00

Rep. Kay Granger's explanation of how the IRS will expand under this health care bill is rather frightening. Here is a quote from an e-mail she sent to her constituents.

IRS agents verify if you have “acceptable” health care coverage;
IRS has the authority to fine you up to $2,250 or 2.5 percent of your income (whichever is greater) for failure to prove that you have purchased “minimum essential coverage;”
IRS can confiscate your tax refund;
IRS audits are likely to increase;
IRS will need up to $10 billion to administer the new health care program this decade;
IRS may need to hire as many as 16,500 additional auditors, agents and other employees to investigate and collect billions in new taxes from Americans; and
Nearly half of all these new individual mandate taxes will be paid by Americans earning less than 300 percent of poverty ($66,150 for a family of four.)

This is just sickening. If your Representative is on board with this monstrous bill, please call them and firmly tell them to vote against it.

Ann Coulter's Health Bill

2010-03-18T10:14:00.003-05:00

I usually don't read Ann Coulter, but I did find this article interesting. It is about her ideas on free-market health insurance. Here are the highlights.

In the first sentence, Congress will amend the McCarran-Ferguson Act to allow interstate competition in health insurance.

The very next sentence of my bill provides that the exclusive regulator of insurance companies will be the state where the company's home office is. Every insurance company in the country would incorporate in the state with the fewest government mandates, just as most corporations are based in Delaware today.

The third sentence of my bill would prohibit the federal government from regulating insurance companies, except for normal laws and regulations that apply to all companies.

My bill will solve nearly every problem allegedly addressed by ObamaCare -- and mine entails zero cost to the taxpayer. Indeed, a free market in health insurance would produce major tax savings as layers of government bureaucrats, unnecessary to medical service in America, get fired.

The market is a more powerful enforcement mechanism than indolent government bureaucrats. If you don't believe me, ask Toyota about six months from now.

Right now, insurance companies are protected by government regulations from having to honor their contracts. Violating contracts isn't so easy when competitors are lurking, ready to steal your customers.

You can read the whole thing here.

This makes sense to me. So why is Ann Coulter coming up with it instead of the Republicans?

Some Pro-life Stuff

2010-03-12T09:19:00.005-06:00

I haven't really been following 40 Days for Life this spring because they are not doing it here. But as usual if your town is participating, I recommend that you participate. So far, there have been 261 confirmed babies saved from a horrible death and the parents have been saved from a lifetime of regret.

I was e-mailed a link to Live Action that shows a scan of a 1952 Planned Parenthood brochure. The brochure is about birth control. The key quote is highlighted in the image below.

The quote is slightly cut off by my blog template. It says, "Abortion requires an operation. It kills the life of a baby after it has begun."

LifeSiteNews alerted me to the fact that a huge campaign is going in the NY subways called Abortion Changes You. Their website offers a place for people to begin healing emotionally after abortion.

Fair

2010-03-08T08:31:00.003-06:00

At the beginning of February, Thomas Sowell wrote three articles called the "Fallacy of Fairness parts I,II, III". I was interested in these articles (and have kept them in my stuff to post about pile for all this time) because of what some mean by social justice. When some people say this, I think that they mean that life should be fair. But as Mr. Sowell says, "If by 'fair' you mean everyone having the same odds for achieving success, then life has never been anywhere close to being fair, anywhere or at any time. If you stop and think about it (however old-fashioned that may seem), it is hard even to conceive of how life could possibly be fair in that sense." I quite agree. Everyone has different advantages and disadvantages from the start of life and throughout it. Even in Heaven some will be given 10 "cities" to rule and some will have only one. Whatever you think the "cities" in the parable are, there is still varying levels of reward/responsibility.

Now if by fair you mean that people shouldn't be discriminated against, then I completely agree. Here are some of Mr. Sowell's thoughts on the subject:

Many people fail to see the fundamental difference between saying that a particular thing-- whether a mental test or an institution-- is conveying a difference that already exists or is creating a difference that would not exist otherwise.

Creating a difference that would not exist otherwise is discrimination, and something can be done about that. But, in recent times, virtually any disparity in outcomes is almost automatically blamed on discrimination, despite the incredible range of other reasons for disparities between individuals and groups.

In Part II, Mr. Sowell continues this theme with a discussion of a school district in Berkley.

The point is to close educational gaps among groups, or at least go on record as trying. As with most equalization crusades, whether in education or in the economy, it is about equalizing downward, by lowering those at the top.

This is not justice (social or otherwise). These sorts of actions rob those who can/are doing well to achieve their full potential. Do we really want everyone to be equally poorly educated? Mr. Sowell then continues:

Those with that vision do not want to even discuss evidence that students from different groups spend different amounts of time on homework and different amounts of time on social activities. To admit that inputs affect outputs, whether in education, in the economy or in other areas, would be to undermine the vision and agenda of the left, and deprive those who believe in that vision of a moral melodrama, starring themselves as defenders of the oppressed and crusaders against the forces of evil.

Redistribution of material resources has a very poor track record when it comes to actually helping those who are lagging, whether in education, in the economy or elsewhere. What they need are the attitudes, priorities and behavior which produce the outcomes desired.

Justice is allowing the legal or natural rewards/consequences of ones actions to come to rest. The just thing is to reward those who excel in school. Mercy allows for helping those behind change their study habits, etc. But it is injustice to truncate the learning of those who are excelling or pass people who are failing.

Then in Part III, Mr. Sowell continues:

Society may lavish thousands of dollars [in the US about $9700 per student] per year on schooling for a youngster who does not bother to study, and yet when he or she emerges as a semi-literate adult, it is considered to be society's fault if such youngsters cannot get the same kinds of jobs and incomes as other youngsters who studied conscientiously during their years in school.

It is certainly a great misfortune to be born into families or communities whose values make educational or economic success less likely. But to have intellectuals and others come along and misstate the problem does not help to produce better results, even if it produces a better image.

I feel like I must say it again. Education of children is the responsibility of the parents not "society" or the government. If a child comes out of school semi-literate, it is because of the failed responsibility of the parents. An awesome example of a parent taking responsibility is the mother of Dr. Ben Carson (pioneering pediatric brain surgeon). She was a poor, illiterate, black woman raising her sons alone. She also suffered from extreme depression. Yet she encouraged her sons to learn and do well in school and set high standards for them. I highly encourage you to watch the move Gifted Hands to learn more about this amazing woman and her amazing son.

Mr. Sowell continues,

But criteria exist precisely to have a disparate impact on those who do not have what these criteria exist to measure. Track meets discriminate against those who are slow afoot. Tests in school discriminate against students who did not study.

Disregarding criteria in the interest of "fairness"-- in the sense of outcomes independent of inputs-- adds to the handicaps of those who already have other handicaps, by lying to them about the reasons for their situation and the things they need to do to make their situation better.

Not allowing people to experience the consequences of their actions is often an injustice. If everyone won the race, the slower people would not be motivated to train harder and do better. If everyone passes and your parents don't care, where is the motivation to learn to read? Justice allows natural consequences to take place.

Swats

2010-03-04T15:25:00.003-06:00

According to this article in the Telegraph, a study in the US has shown that swats (or as the British say "smacks") produce better citizens. The study was based on the answers of 179 teens.

Those who had been smacked up to the age of six performed better in almost all the positive categories and no worse in the negatives than those never punished physically.

I can't say that I am really surprised. Yet liberals and those who would shrink parental rights are only likely to be angered that the study didn't show what they wanted instead of rethinking their beliefs.

This is one of the reasons that I do not support the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and encourage you to look at ParentalRights.org.

Take a look at what is going on in Malta because of the UNCRC. According to the article, "Any provisions in the Maltese statute book that allowed corporal punishment and that could endorse child abuse had to be removed in order to come in line with international law, according to a British expert." Notice how (in the minds of these folks) international law takes precedence over the will and law of the Maltese people.

In Europe, there is a growing movement pushing for a ban in all countries. Nineteen European states have legally barred physical punishment in the home and another four are committed to doing so. Malta is one of the remaining four that has not taken any such steps.

Two Dissimilar Items of Interest

2010-02-22T16:22:00.002-06:00

The first item I would like to bring to your attention is this article on the biblical illiteracy of the general "Christian" population especially the youth. I don't understand how people can claim to be God seeking people and not have read what he wrote. I think that part of the problem is that people don't seek truth about anything anymore. If something can't be learned without really trying, it appears that most people don't really think they should learn it. This quote from the article sums it up pretty well.

In general we spend far less time reading anything at all in this culture, much less dense and demanding books like the Bible. Not long ago I met with a student who was struggling in one of my courses. When I asked her what she thought the trouble was, she replied, in a tone suggesting ever so slightly that the fault was mine, "Reading a lot is not a part of my learning style." She went on to inform me that students today learned more by "watching videos, listening to music, and talking to one another." She spoke of the great growth she experienced in youth group (where she no doubt spent a lot of time watching videos, listening to music, and talking with people), but her ignorance of the Bible clearly betrayed the fact that the Christian formation she experienced in her faith community afforded her little to no training in the actual reading of Scripture.

The next is a video by a scientist that did experiments to see what happens to plant when exposed to ever increasing amounts of carbon dioxide. It is definitely worth the watch.

Olympic Flowers

2010-02-18T10:06:00.003-06:00

Normally I wouldn't care much about who designed the bouquets that the Olympic winners receive. And I personally think they are rather ugly. But since my social justice radar is on these days, I found this story interesting. Just Beginnings is the business/charity that is fulfilling the 1800 winners bouquets. The thing that makes it interesting is that Just Beginnings offers a training program for people with multiple barriers to employment. The trainees might be ex-cons or abused women. After the the training program is completed, the participants have a marketable skill. Some of them work at the Just Beginnings store. I think this is a great way to give people a hand up instead of a hand out. You can read more about it here.

Got Jobs?

2010-02-17T10:35:00.002-06:00

According to an e-mail I received from Rep. Kay Granger, "And after all that spending [referring to the stimulus bill of a year ago], unemployment rates are still sky high with the economy shedding 20,000 jobs in January alone. In fact, Texas had 1.6 percent fewer jobs in December 2009 than we did in February 2009. This has only led to more Congressional calls for another stimulus package. Only this time they will call it a 'jobs bill.'"

If we allow this "jobs bill" to pass, we are fools who will get nothing but trouble for it. I love this quote that I found on Caffeinated Thoughts.

You cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the wealthy out of freedom. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that, my dear friend, is about the end of any nation. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it. -Dr. Adrian Rogers

Birmingham Planned Parenthood on One Year Probation

2010-02-13T15:19:00.002-06:00

This news article made me glad/excited and sad/angry at the same time. It is an article about the video below (by Live Action) and the state of Alabama's reaction to it.

According to the article,

After the tape was released last year, state health inspectors reviewed clinic records and found that nine minors, ages 13-15, had received abortions without proper verification of parental consent since November 2008.

In one case, health officials said, a 15-year-old received an abortion even though the person claiming to be her mother did not appear to be and presented questionable records, including an expired Alabama driver's license. Inspectors said Alabama birth records show a different person as the girl's parent.

There were also concerns about reporting child abuse. One of the 13-year-olds who received an abortion reported starting having sex at age 12 and having three partners in the previous year. She was back at the clinic for another abortion four months later and said she had now had four sexual partners in her life.

"A reasonable person would suspect abuse or neglect of this 13-year-old child, based on the above," inspectors wrote. "Neither the Registered Nurse, the Medical Doctor, nor any other Center staff reported the suspected abuse or neglect to the authorities as required by law."

According to the Code of Alabama, minors must present clinics with a consent form and verify that the signature on the form is that of their parent or legal guardian. The code requires the minor to sign the form as verification, but the clinic's forms don't have a space for that.

I am glad that Live Action's Mona Lisa Project is making an impact. I am glad that the state of Alabama is taking action (though I think it should have been harsher than a 1 year probation).
But the thought of all these rapers of young girls not being brought to justice brings me to tears. The thought of a 13 year old having 2 abortions is so sad.

Please join me in praying prayers of confession and repentance for our nation.

Social Justice Research

2010-02-09T10:32:00.003-06:00

In thinking about and researching my questions on social justice, I have been reading this post by Peter Greer and Phil Smith the authors of The Poor Will Be Glad. Here are some paragraphs that highlight the complexity of the subject and how our good intentions can have bad consequences.

After the genocide [in Rwanda], Jean seized an opportunity to begin a small poultry business to provide his neighborhood with eggs. He managed to scrape together funds to purchase several fowl, and his business grew. Later, a church in America “adopted” the village where Jean lived and worked. The church decided to donate clothes and supplies. They also imported eggs from a neighboring community and gave them away. Suddenly, this one village was flooded with surplus eggs. It is not difficult to imagine what happened to Jean’s business: people went first to collect the free eggs and bought Jean’s eggs only when the supply of free eggs was depleted. The market price for eggs plummeted in Jean’s village and, as a result, Jean was forced to sell his productive assets, his chickens.

The next year, after Jean had left the poultry business, the church that had supplied the free eggs turned its attention to another disaster in another part of the world. Jean’s community had no capacity to produce eggs locally and was forced to import eggs from a neighboring town. The cost of these eggs was higher than the eggs Jean had sold, so both Jean and his village were hurt economically by the good intentions of one American church.

Have you ever donated your used T-shirts to your local thrift store? Often these are bundled and shipped to Africa. This business of secondhand Western clothing, called the mivumba trade in East Africa, decimated clothing production in countries like Uganda and Zambia that previously had thriving textile industries. Several other countries, including Nigeria and Eritrea, have imposed significant tariffs on foreign imports to avoid a similar fate. It is hard to comprehend that our used T-shirts could harm local producers on another continent, yet the American church must learn to be aware of such consequences in our increasingly interconnected world.

Many Governments

2010-02-08T13:35:00.002-06:00

American Vision has an interesting post today about the many governments. It is worth a read. Here are a couple of quotes to whet your appetite.

To deny the validity of the many governments and the responsibilities that each has under God, would be to deny the authority that belongs to each of them in the realm of their activity. If we as individuals neglect our personal governing duties, then we can expect the state to assume the role of all other legitimate governments and claim to be the sole government, while labeling all others as counterfeits. Therefore, to see the state as the only governing institution “is destructive of liberty and of life.”

Institutions and civil governments are made up of people who are governed by the condition of their hearts. If the heart is in rebellion against God, we can expect undisciplined and ungovernable people. If the heart has been made new in Christ, we can expect a people who will govern their lives according to the governing principles of Scripture.

Social Justice Question 1

2010-02-06T14:58:00.003-06:00

I have been thinking for some time about justice and how it applies to socioeconomic issues for some time now. I made my self a list of questions so that I could crystalize my thoughts. So far I have only answered the first one to my satisfaction.

1. What is justice? Justice is allowing people to experience the rewards or consequences (both legal and natural) of their actions regardless of their socioeconomic status. For example, if a person commits murder, they should have the legal punishment even if they are rich or famous. A natural example would be something like this: If you drink and drive, you are more likely to crash your car. This consequence happens as a natural result. An example of a just reward would be getting the prize if you fairly won the race.

Here are the rest of my questions:
2. Is this true of countries as well? What are the natural economic consequences and rewards of various political systems, religions, and corrupt practices when looking at countries and peoples as a whole?

4. What economic system(s), religion(s), etc. are prone to produce prosperous countries?

5. Mercy is negating just consequences because you empathize with the other person or find that there extenuating circumstances. For example, an abused woman might be given a reduced sentence for murdering her husband. How much mercy can be injected into a system without collapsing the system? We cannot allow all criminals to go free or to get a minimal punishment no matter how sorry we feel for them. We would be foolish to never punish our children no matter how sad it makes us. Is it true of all systems that justice must only be sprinkled with mercy?

6. How do these ideas apply to the poor especially in other countries?

Tebow Superbowl Ad

2010-01-29T12:12:00.004-06:00

It was confirmed some time ago that Tim Tebow and his mother were going to have an ad during the Superbowl this year. I had never heard of the young man until I read about his ad. (I don't watch football though I do enjoy the Superbowl for some reason.) I found his story very touching.

Now of course pro-abortion types have come out protesting. According to LifeSiteNews, [a] fierce campaign is being waged by pro-abortion forces against the planned pro-life Super Bowl ad featuring football superstar Tim Tebow. At last count, pro-abortion organizations had generated over 120,000 letters opposing the ad, which have been sent to CBS, and NFL executives.
(If you would like to sign a petition letting CBS know that you are supportive of this, click here.)

Is there still freedom of speech in this country or what? If you abortion types are so offended, don't watch the Superbowl. It is as simple as that.

UPDATE: In the comments, I was given this link to a site where you can be an encouragement to Tim Tebow. The site says that NOW is also protesting the ad. Now there is a surprise. This video was also linked to above the note of encouragement section.

Raging Elephants

2010-01-28T08:46:00.003-06:00

Some weeks ago, I asked what black people liked so much about the Democrats. Recently my husband sent a link to a website of an interesting organization called RagingElephants.org. They are trying to get more minorities to see that many of the values they have are the same as conservatives. Now I don't know that I agree with everything on the site and I am not sure what is up with the apostle title of the spokesman, but I do appreciate the main message of the organization. This commercial is especially good.

Texas Republican Governor's Race Primary

2010-01-23T12:23:00.002-06:00

Here in Texas we Republicans have three choices for Governor in the primaries.

The first is the incumbent, Governor Rick Perry. He has been playing a good conservative game lately. He did go to the tea parties. He eventually vetoed SB 1440. And Sarah Palin is participating in a rally for him. But I never really thought that was who he truly was. It seems like he is playing a game and he knows a conservative is more likely to win. And I haven't forgotten that he (by executive order) tried to shove the HPV vaccine down Texans throats.

His website boasts that he has aggressively created jobs, but I found out that almost all of the "created jobs" are in the government sector. So how does that equate to a small government Republican? The rest of his issues section seems good at face value.

But there is also a lot of bad points to be read about here. The first one mentioned is:
The Trans Texas Corridor and the gargantuan, multi-billion dollar toll road fiasco. The TTC and the toll roads are the biggest taxing, spending, and tolling increases in the history of Texas! The toll road scam screws Texas taxpayers, consumers, drivers and landowners. Rick Perry shoved toll roads down the throats of millions of Texans. It is a prime example of the big government, pro-tax, pro-toll agenda of Rick Perry. Then he wants to sell these roads off for quick cash like a fool.

The second is Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison. I would label her as a moderate. This website is a great resource for why I can't even consider voting for KBH. Her issues section sounds good but I just don't trust her.

The third is my favorite, Debra Medina. This lady is all about freedom. What a breath of fresh air! Her main talking points are repealing the property tax so that you can really own your property and have true property rights and protecting gun ownership/the right to defend yourself and protect your property. She rightly says that these are two of the pillars of a free society. One of the things that I like most about her is that she actually appears to have read and understood the US Constitution and the Texas Constitution. She is not afraid to talk about states nullifying unconstitutional laws passed by Congress.

Her issues page has a section on the right to life. It is simple enough.

Pro-Life Period

Life begins at conception and concludes at natural death.

Every human is created in the image of God. God, not man, is the measure of all things. Every human life is precious and I will work to protect innocent human life.

The main "con" against Mrs. Medina is that she has no experience. I think video on her home page is a great answer to that.

The other is: Can she win? Well, after Mr. Brown win in Massachusets, I would say anything is possible. She has gone up from 3% in the fall to 12% in the most current Rassmusen poll.
I hope that continues to gain momentum.

You can watch her responses in a recent debate below. You can click through to Youtube to view the other parts or click on the related videos when you are done.

Operation Rescue

2010-01-22T09:56:00.003-06:00

Operation Rescue does great work finding how abortionists are breaking the law and working to get them closed down. They are currently offering a $10,000 reward to anyone who can give them convicting evidence of abortion clinics that break the law. They claim that they have never found an abortion clinic that complies with all of the federal, state, and local laws. So if you know something criminal that has taken place at an abortion clinic, please give Operation Rescue your information.

Also, this organization has a list of all the abortion clinics in America. It also gives each state a rank. These are the ones for Texas.

Ratio of Women Ages 15-44 Per Abortion Clinic: 125,022 to 1
Rank: 29 (50 being best)

Abortion Rate Per 100,000 Women Ages 15-44: 15
Rank: 19 (48 being best, 2 states don't report)

In cruising around their site, I found a fairly disturbing story:

In New Orleans there is an abortionist, Ifeanyi Charles Anthony Okpalobi of the Gentilly Medical Clinic for Women, that is continuing to practice without a license. Operation Rescue was instrumental in proving that he was not abiding by several state laws. So his license was revoked. But he is still allowed to practice. Why? According to Operation Rescue, this is because he is allowed to stay open while his case is being appealed.

Race to the Top

2010-01-21T10:22:00.003-06:00

Family Research Council published a post recently about Pres. Obama's "Race to the Top" program. One of factoid that jumped out at me was the amount of money America spends per student per year: a whopping $9,266.

That made me start thinking. . . What would I do with $18,532 a year for education of my two kids? So here is my wish list with approximate costs.

1. Native Spanish speaker Spanish tutor, 72 sessions x $30= $2160
2. Master Gardener to dig a garden and supervise the kids and I as we produce organic vegetables and herbs, gardener+garden = $3000
3. A lab quality microscope with computer hookup, $1500
4. Private astronomy lessons by someone who could help us figure out our telescope, 36 sessions x $25= $900
5. Right Start Math curriculum level D, $150
6. Karate classes for my son, 12 months x $30= $360
7. Horse Riding lessons for my daughter,12 months x $40= $480
8. Fort Worth zoo membership= $170
9. Awesome thinking games like Qwirkle cubes and others= $200
10. As I still have about $9500 left, I guess I could pay myself as the teacher and use it to by a minivan.

So what would you spend your $9,266 on?

What do you think the public schools spent it on? That is about $203,000/classroom.

Are we really getting that much bang for our buck?

Dark Horse Rising

2010-01-20T08:51:00.003-06:00

I am excited to see that Scott Brown won Teddy Kennedy's old seat. To me this is one of those times when God reminded us that we don't know squat. While I couldn't sing the praises of Mr. Brown whole-heartedly (he's not what I would call pro-life), I am excited that he will vote against the health care bill. I am also excited because if a conservative leaning moderate can take Massachusets, what is going to happen during the main elections in November. I have to think a sharp kick in the pants is coming to the liberals. The fact that Pres. Obama and Pres. Clinton couldn't pull this out emphasizes that point. One of my favorite quotes comes from the LifeSiteNews correspondent in DC.

Here in Washington, the group of about 30 pro-life leaders that we were with Tuesday evening erupted in loud cheers when the television screen showed AP's declaration of Scott Brown as the winner of the Massachusetts Senate race.

You would think that a last inning, game winning home run had just been hit or a last second hockey Stanley cup goal was scored. I haven't seen anything like this before. Although Brown cannot be considered a pro-life politician, the leaders all recognized the historical significance of this dramatic vote result. The game has now suddenly changed and the Democrat social radicals are real danger of huge vote losses in the November elections. Their reckless and ruthless health care fiasco is costing them dearly.

Where will it all go from here? It should be very, very interesting.

Steve Jalsevac

Very interesting indeed. There is still a spark out there in America that is tired of all this bigger government, big deficit, big bail out bull corn. Let's fan that spark into a flame.

Marching for Life

2010-01-19T11:50:00.005-06:00

I participated in the Dallas March for Life this past Saturday. It was great to participate with so many people (about 5000). Because of permit issues we had to walk on the sidewalk (last year a lane of the street was coned off), it took an hour for all of the people to make from the cathedral to the courthouse were the original Roe v. Wade was filed. Of the many pro-life t-shirts, the one that made me think the most was this one.

One of the facts it lists is this:

87% of the people that have an abortion claim to know Christ.

If we focused on discipleship instead of just conversion or "accepting Christ", how many lives would be saved?

Also over this MLK weekend, many thousands marched in protest against the enormous Planned Parenthood under construction in Houston. People from all over the country came to make their voices heard.

Climate Change

2010-01-14T09:11:00.002-06:00

I read two interesting articles yesterday about climate change. The first was by Walter Williams. The main point of the article is the climate change/environmentalism has become a religion for many people. Here are a couple of quotes:

The very idea that mankind can make significant parametric changes to the Earth has to be the height of arrogance. How about a few questions because temperature is just one characteristic of the Earth. The Earth's orbit is another. If all 6.5 billion of us, all at once, started jumping up and down for a little while, do you think we'd change the Earth's orbit or rotation?

Over long periods of time, there is absolutely no close relationship between C02 levels and temperature. Humans contribute approximately 3.4 percent of annual C02 levels compared to 96.6 percent by nature.

I feel I should go on record here and say that I don't buy into Dr. Williams' "billions of years", but that is the topic for another post. I think that he is right in this: People cannot change any major earth system.

The other article was by Calvin Beisner of the Cornwall Alliance. The article was about how we may be in line for a cold trend. Check out their graph. It looks convincing to me. I wonder if we will now all be encouraged to send as much CO2 into the air as possible? Somehow I doubt it.

Pray Against Houston Mega Abortion Clinic

2010-01-13T09:57:00.003-06:00

Planned Parenthood is planning on opening the largest abortion facility in America in Houston, TX. The six-story clinic is targeting low-income women, minorities, and college students. The facility will kill babies in the 1st and 2nd term of development. It is estimated that 12,000 children will die every year in this abortuary.

If you are in the Houston area, please plan on participating in the prayer and fasting event being held over Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend to beseech God to close the doors of this awful place before it even opens. If you live far from Houston, please join me in prayer against this place.

Nurse vs IRS

2010-01-12T09:03:00.002-06:00

NURSE WINS! The reason this made the top of Yahoo News is because it is amazingly rare for 1 person to take on the IRS without a lawyer and win. This is one of the reasons that I think our current tax system is unjust. How can a system be truly just when "[t]he IRS's rules on deducting work-related tuition are complicated and onerous"? This same line could be said of a great deal of the ever-expanding, ever-changing tax code. Even tax preparers and accountants have difficulty keeping track of what is allowed. It has taken her about 3 years of persistent battling to get her $14,000+ deduction. She indicates that she had faced many bullies through this process saying of the judge, "But he wasn't a bully. I had met with the bullies before." Do we really want a tax system with bullying as a major component?

I think we would be much better off with the Fair Tax. Or I would even be in favor of a flat tax over the current system.

Go Swiss!

2010-01-06T10:57:00.003-06:00

Sometimes you have to hand it to the Swiss. Not too long ago, my husband sent me this video about their gun policy and why they have such a low crime rate.

Then today I read an interesting article by American Vision about a new Swiss ban on minarets being added to mosques. Here are a few snips from the article.

In a referendum, 57 percent of the voters and 22 out of 26 cantons voted in favor of a ban on building minarets to the mosques in the nation.

The Swiss did not ban the minarets just because they didn’t like them, or because they would go “against the traditions.” On the contrary, the referendum went under the definite statement that “Islam is a religion of intolerance and dictatorship.”

Our liberty and prosperity are based on our Christian religion, and they are a package deal. You can’t have the fruits without the roots. If you want the roots of a different religion, go back where you have the fruits of it as well.

We Are Back

2010-01-02T12:56:00.003-06:00

This is a brief run-down of our very cool vacation.

We left December 18th.

We stayed with my uncle near Shreveport, LA. It was nice to see him and his wife. I had not seen them since my dad's funeral 5 years ago.

On the 20th, we drove to Biloxi, MS and let the kids look for shells at the beach. They had been asking to see a beach for some time so we had a good time even though it was quite cold. That night we slept at the Moss Point Oaks Bed and Breakfast in Moss Point, MS. We had a nice stay here. The innkeeper even made us sack lunches for the next day for only a few dollars more.

The next day we saw the USS Alabama in Mobile. It was quite fascinating. My husband especially liked it. Beside the ship, there is a collection of airplanes and a submarine on display that you can tour for the cost of admission. We then drove a little farther to Pensacola, FL and visited the Creation Science Evangelism offices. They are the main carriers of my Creation for Little Sprouts DVD and it was nice to put faces with voices I had been talking to on the phone. That night we stayed at the Howard Johnson Express in Tallahassee, FL.

Our next big adventure was snorkeling with the manatees at Crystal River, FL. We got to see and touch lots of manatees on our 6 AM tour. I would recommend requesting a high visibility stop if you had kids. Our first stop was murky and it is a little disconcerting to see a giant manatee suddenly "appear" only a few feet in front of you. It is amazing to be in the water with these gentle giants. The night before we stayed at the lake house rented by the same people that run the tour. It was really nice and came with kayaks. We had a great time paddling up and down the river looking at birds and such.

After the manatee tour, we drove across Florida to my brother- and sister-in-law's house. We spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day there with my mother- and father-in-law. It was a very pleasant time. We went to the Brevard Zoo and even got to take a dip in the Atlantic Ocean.

We then spent two nights at the Anastasia Inn in St. Augustine, FL with my brother- and sister-in-law and their baby. The first day we went to the Castillo de San Marco. It is a fascinating fortress that was build in the late 1600's. The next day we went to the St. Augustine Alligator Farm. They have every species of crocodilian. We even got to have our family picture taken while holding a baby American Alligator. We also went to Anastasia State Park and found star fish and a mermaid's purse.

The next day, the in-laws went back home and we continued north to Cumberland Island, GA. We saw wild horses, armadillos, and turkeys. The animals have few if any predators so they weren't skittish at all. The ferry ride there and back was a new experience for the kids.

After spending the night in the very inexpensive, hideously decorated, clean Star Motel in Folkston, GA we went to the Okefenokee Swamp. We took the boat tour and saw a raccoon, alligator, and quite a few birds. We also walked the board walk to the observation tour. You got a real feel for what the swamp was like overall from up there.

We spent the night in a great little b&b in Tifton, GA called Shalom House. There was a pool table, goats to pet, a friendly family, and a great breakfast. We drove from there to Providence Canyon near the Alabama border. The trail from the visitor center was quite strenuous so we only went the quarter mile down to a little stream and back. We the canyon itself was very beautiful with very colorful layers.

We slept at the Jameson Inn in Selma, Alabama then it was up for a 6-7 hour drive to my uncle's house in Louisiana. That was New Year's Eve so we were glad to be off the road shortly after it got dark. We made it back to Fort Worth New Year's Day.

It was an awesome trip. I am already planning the next one. We are thinking about a tour of the Rocky Mountain states.

Farewell!

2009-12-16T12:15:00.003-06:00

This is farewell if only temporarily. We are leaving in a couple of days for a trip and won't be back for a while. I wish you all a blessed and Christ-centered Christmas.

I hope to post about our trip, but might not have much access to fast computers until we get back.

ICE! at the Gaylord Texan

2009-12-14T18:30:00.003-06:00

For my husband's Christmas office party we went on the ICE! tour at the Gaylord Texan. While the ice sculptures were impressive the thing that amazed me the most was the section on Jesus. Not only were there life-size nativity figures, but a narrator told a simple Gospel message. The message wasn't compromising and even called Jesus savior, king, and priest when it talked about the wise men. I thought that was pretty cool.

Why Do Black People like the Democrats?

2009-12-09T08:35:00.003-06:00

The Family Research Council has an interesting article about a Sen. Reid quote. In the quote, he alludes to what many people assume: that it was the Republicans that stood in the way of the 13th amendment and later against civil rights measurements. Then FRC follows it up with the facts.

Every vote against Lincoln 's Emancipation Proclamation was cast by a Democrat. In 1922, when Republicans tried to outlaw lynching, Senate Democrats filibustered the bill until it died and continued filibustering against it until it was approved in 1957. When the great Civil Rights Act of 1964 finally passed, Republicans in the Senate backed it 23-6, but Democrats in the majority approved by only 44-23. Without the Republican Party, it wouldn't have become the law of the land.

So my question is. . .
Why are so many African Americans so loyal to the Democrat party? I don't get it. Even today has the Democrat party really helped minorities or have they just been playing a smoke and mirrors game?

The Blind Side

2009-12-07T10:08:00.003-06:00

I am excited about this movie. I probably won't see it in the theaters because it is sooo expensive, but I am on the edge of my seat for the DVD to come out. One of the things that made me excited to see it was this article on One News Now. In it is this quote:

Bullock says thanks to the Tuohys [the family in the movie], who attend Grace Evangelical Church in Memphis, she now has "faith in those who say they represent a faith." Getting to know Leigh Anne Tuohy, says the actress, showed her that religious faith can be authentic. "She was so open and honest and forthright," Bullock shares, "and I said, wow, I finally met someone who practices but doesn't preach."

If you would like to see trailers or learn more about the movie, go to the official website here.

The Illegality of Making Ends Meet

2009-12-04T11:58:00.005-06:00

My kids and I watched the movie Kit Kittredge a few weeks ago. It is set in the Great Depression. The main character, Kit, comes from a wealthy family who suddenly has to make ends meet. It was a great movie for discussing many topics with the kids.

One thing that really struck me is how many of the ways they made ends meet would be illegal today.
1. Taking in boarders- unless you live somewhere zoned multi-residential this is usually illegal.
2. Keeping chickens in your back yard- In the suburb where we live, this is actually not illegal as long as you have less than 4 and less than 4 pets total and your neighbors don't complain of the noise. In many places though this would be illegal.
3. Selling eggs from your chickens to your neighbors- I am sure that you would need to be inspected by some official to be able to sell eggs.

The only thing that we could do without breaking a law or two would be sewing clothes and selling them. But you should probably fill out a DBA and get a sales tax number because you know the state would want its 8.25%.

It is striking how much less freedom people have here in the early 2000's to make ends meet.

Another comparison I can make is between here and now and Mexico in the 1990's (when I lived there). A great many Mexicans that I knew had transformed their garage or part of their house into a business of some kind. The lady on the corner had a mini grocery store. So did the man down the street. My host mother had two little apartments in her back yard that she rented out. These people did not keep records or give receipts. I am almost sure that they didn't report stuff to the government. And yet no one seemed to care.

Also, people often gave themselves made-up jobs. For example, there was an old man at the grocery store that had a "uniform" and a whistle. He was a self-proclaimed security guard. He lived off of tips from the shoppers. This would certainly be illegal here. Some people might be put off by these made up jobs, but I think it is healthier for people to do what they can instead of waiting for the government to give them a handout.

I am not saying that I would rather live in Mexico than here, but I am saying that they had more freedom to make ends meet than we do now.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-24T12:52:00.002-06:00

. . . thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. 2Corinthians 2:14 NIV

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Unity and Truth

2009-11-21T13:41:00.004-06:00

My mother and I have an ongoing conversation about unity and truth. It is obvious that unity among believers is a biblical principle. But unity has to be around something. Something more than being able to tolerate one another's company while listening to sermons. Unity has to do with a purpose. It would seem pretty obvious from scripture that the purpose would be the Great Commission: making disciples, baptizing them, and teaching them to observe Jesus' commands. All of these things involve truth. For people to work together in a unified way on these things, they have to agree on some basics. For example, you have to agree on either infant or believer baptism.

I think that many churches try to stand for as few truths as possible so that they can be unified with as many people as possible. They usually summarized them as Statements of Faith. This is a super-condensed version of my church's:

1. There is one true God having three persons (God the Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit).
2. God loved us so much that he sent his son, Jesus. Jesus was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, died, and was raised again. In his death, he took on the sins of the world so that God's justice and mercy could remain intact.
3. At the point of salvation, each Christian is physically indwelled by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit helps the Christian make righteous choices and transforms us into a new person.
4. The Bible is without error and full of truth. It is God-breathed.
5. We are created in the spiritual likeness or image of God, but he allows us to choose to love him and act according to his commands. The first man, Adam, chose to sin, and now every person lives in a marred creation with a marred spiritual nature. As a result, every person will eventually choose to sin and subsequently become separated from God.
6. Salvation is a gift of God and cannot be accomplished by works. When we decide to trust God, we obey Jesus' command being immersed in water and demonstrating Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection.
7. The church is the body of Christ and the family of believers. As such it is our duty to love others and share the Gospel to win as many as possible.
8. Those who follow Jesus will spend eternity in Heaven with him. Those who reject Jesus' will spend eternity in Hell without him.

While these eight things are all well and good, they don't address many issues. For example, can you tell from this if we have women elders or deacons? Can you tell what our position on evolution or do we even have one? The list could go on.

Some people would say that since these are not "salvation" issues that it isn't worth taking a firm stand on them. So that is my question. . . What is worth taking a stand over?

The Lutheran denomination is wrestling with this issue right now. Some congregations are separating from the ELCA because they believe that ordaining non-celibate gays and lesbians is something that they cannot be a party to. I agree with them. But some would say this is wrong because unity is more important.

And is separating from one another necessarily disunity? My mother pointed out that Paul and Barnabas separated over John Mark. But were they bringing about disunity? They basically went their own way and REMAINED FRIENDS. That is often lacking when congregations part ways.

I, for one, wish that my church would take a stronger stand on many things. For example, pro-life issues, the biblical role of government, and creationism. But if they did, many people would leave. Others might come. How important is staying in the same congregation? How important is standing for the truth? Any thoughts?

Kay Granger Fact Hunting

2009-11-20T09:34:00.003-06:00

I got this e-mail from my Representative, Kay Granger. I thought it was worth sharing with you.

Dear Friend,

As news reports continue to break about the flawed job numbers coming out of President Obama’s Recovery.gov stimulus website, I thought it would be interesting to see for myself how the government’s $18 million website is reporting the number of jobs “created or saved” in Texas from the trillion dollar stimulus that I voted against.

What I found was surprising:

According to Recovery.gov, $191,727,818 in stimulus money has been spent in the 12th district to “create or save” 625.5 jobs at a cost of $306,764 per job. But that’s not all. Recovery.gov also reports 30 jobs were “saved or created” in Texas’ 91^stcongressional district. 45 jobs were saved for $3,659,964 in district 58, and 1 job was saved in the 68th district for $310,963. The problem is there are only 32 congressional districts in Texas.

When asked to explain why the stimulus information listed congressional districts that don’t exist, Ed Pound, spokesman for Recovery.gov, said, “Who knows, man? Who really knows?”

How can we expect the administration to lead our economy into recovery when they take credit for spending $14,717,592 in congressional districts that don’t even exist?

Seriously?! $14.7 MILLION in a fictitious place?!! And how many other states have similar reports? Maybe not fictitious places, but they probably do have the $300,000+ per job. I would bet that there are loads of bull corn all over the place that most of the nation is ignoring. I am glad at least my Rep. is checking into these things.