Easter with the Family

We personally do not do egg hunts in our house, as Easter has nothing to do with eggs. The kids and I talked about the real meaning and the story of Easter and that we really treasure our time with family, so we go do those things, but those are fun things that really do not add to the importance of the holiday. It was really rather cute as we were going through the Easter story-I think I take for granted just how much a three year old can grasp. We were nearing the best part-where the apostles find the empty tomb-and Pony Gal was asking a lot of questions. I was trying to answer them without breaking the story up too much as Superboy was on the edge of his seat. I got to the part where Mary turns around and sees Jesus and Superboy jumps up and yells "Yay!" and claps his hands. He was pretty psyched that Jesus was alive :)

All that being said, we still do egg hunts with family. It is part of what they've always done, and we respect that. The kids enjoy themselves. We ended up doing one at Grandma G's church, then one at her house and one at

Pre-dinner entertainment-golfing with badminton rackets in Grandma G's front yard.

 

 

The hunt begins at Grandma G's. Dad and his brother Uncle D hid the eggs-sort of ;)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cousin C and Superboy comparing finds

 

 

 

Cousin C was calling this his "backpack" :)

 

 

 

 

Here the hunt begins at Grandma B's

 

 

 

 

 

 

Notice the arrow I am dodging...

 

Forgiveness

It seems to be such a fickle thing with some people. We try to make the choice to let go of something that someone has done that hurt us, but we still keep up this guard and hide when things start looking sticky again. The thing is, if we are to model ourselves after Christ, when we forgive we have to really move on. That means we may get hurt again. It also means we may not, and we've just re-opened a door for healthy relationships. When we hold hurt or grudges against someone we create barriers in all our relationships. We see small similarities between "that" person and someone we are trying to have a new relationship with and we can never fully enjoy it due to suspicion or hiding some of who we are. It is sad. Unfortunately, I am guilty of this, but really, really try to make a conscious effort to avoid being someone who hangs onto things. And I do have to deal with being hurt repeatedly. Being human wasn't meant to be easy, and being a Christian most certainly not so. We have hope given to us by an Amazing Savior, but that doesn't mean that our earthly relationships will be just as easy. I currently am in a good place-there really isn't anyone that I hold anything against. We ALL make mistakes. I have moved on. The real kicker to moving on, though, is remembering that on top of forgiving and getting past what happened, we are to love each other. There are those that I may not have good relationships with anymore, for whatever reason, but I still keep them in prayer and hope for the best for them and their families. It can be a difficult thing for some people to start doing, but we are called to love. That is one of the main things the Bible tells us, over and over and over again. It is easy to get caught up in single verses telling us that we can and can't do this or that, but in context we are really only called to love-to love God and to love each other, no matter how we may get perturbed with each other. It happens. We are all different and beautiful creations. Like our own children, God loves us for who we are and doesn't want us to be someone else, and we need to love each other for who we are and not try to change each other. Loving someone no matter what means forgiveness and moving on. It means that even though things have changed, you still pray for someone. I wouldn't wish anything harsh on anyone. Why carry that burden? I would much rather know I did my best to ask God to bless them and pray He has the same mercy on me.

1 Corinthians 12

 I love this passage. I know, I say that about a lot of the Bible, but I should, shouldn't I? I mean, I love my maps. This is my ultimate map. Anyway, I often run into those, especially in Pentecostal churches, who are obsessed with having or developing every spiritual gift ever thought up or discovered. Every one. You know what? If we contained every single gift, I don't think we'd any longer be considered human. We are all of the greatest import to God-that's the whole reason He sent His son to die for us. He loves us. No matter what, He wants the best for us. He created each of us to be who we are-we through our choices augment from that creation. He is the one who has endowed us each with our own special gifts: musicians, prophets, healers, apostles. 1 Cor 12 has Paul talking about these gifts. Apparently he was getting just as frustrated as I do in listening to everyone want to be the best or the most. The thing is, we are all supposed to be different, and we each play our own important part. Imagine life without one of your limbs, or an eye. This is the illustration Paul gives us to help us see that no matter how insignificant our role seems, it is of the utmost importance in the grand scheme of things. Not all of us are made to be able to heal others. Not all of us are made to be mothers. Not all of us are made to worship loud and extravagantly. Each of us has our talents, and we should help to grow what talents we have rather than yearning or trying to grow what isn't there. There are a couple verses that especially struck me to carry away today:

There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.  I Corinthians 12:4-6

So God is involved in us all, no matter what our gift or role is, and in that we should rejoice. It is this later verse that I was even more interested in:

On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty while our presentable parts need no special treatment. I Corinthians 12:22-24

 I like this for two reasons. First, we see that no matter how menial or weak we seem, we play a most important role in the grand scheme of things. We have purpose no matter what. We may grumble at having to change another diaper or miss the best part of the church service in the cry room, but in the grand scheme of things we are shaping another life. No matter how small that seems at the time, ultimately it is one of the most important roles we have. Spiritually, I may not be able to carry a tune, but can make anyone smile with a hug or kind gesture. I may feel left out because I cannot perform on the worship team, but in the grand scheme of things I made someones life just a little better, of what great import is that? Awesome.
Also seen in here is a secondary mention on modesty by Paul. He is talking about the church body, but also we see reference to how we are to treat our physical bodies. We should take care of every last part of it. In other parts of the Bible it is referred to as a temple-God's temple, which we should respect. The striking line is about the unpresentable being treated with special modesty. If you think really fast about that which *should* not be presented to the grand public, we see him giving a hint as to how we should keep in mind how we clothe ourselves. I am sure, looking at the way Paul writes in general, that this a deliberate reminder to keep our physical gifts in mind as much as our spiritual ones. Everything should be treated with the proper respect and admiration.
It is easy to fall into a worldly view of ourselves and our everyday, to see us as just one insignificant instead of a beautiful one with an ultimate purpose, but God sees us that way. To Him, we are each the most wonderful of his creations. We do not all have to possess all gifts. We do not have to posses the best (in our minds) gift or gifts. He loves us all equally. Only an omnipotent, omniscient, omnibenevolent Maker could do this, and He does, no matter what.

Romans 12

I read this passage today and was struck by just how much is here. Romans 12 could easily be considered a "quick start guide" to living a Christian life. If I were critiquing the writing, I'd say that the author needs to go into more detail, but in context of being a part of the entire Bible, it does a great job in introducing key ideals of the Christian life. I most likely won't do it full justice here, but wanted to just skim through a talk about what is being said.

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Romans 12:1-2 is our call to not be pulled into what the rest of the world sees as necessary and good. This is probably one of the hardest steps in following Christ's example. He angered other people because he didn't do things the way they believed they should be done. It is easy to start to fall into the pattern of worrying what others will think if we do or don't do something, to offend family when we disagree with their choice of entertainment, skip certain social gatherings in favor of worshiping and celebrating our Maker and his son. We are not called to fit in--we are called to live a life that reflects God and His perfect will for us. It may be uncomfortable, but in the end to make God happy is one of the most fulfilling things we can do. To be able to do all of this, though, we need to have a relationship with God and spend time in the Bible. The Scripture serves a guide as to how exactly a follower lives. It has all sorts of different writing styles to accomodate different learning types: poetry and songs, magnificent stories, history, drama and even some comedy if you are paying attention. It is beautiful and made to influence all aspects of your life. Can you imagine playing baseball without knowing the rules of the game? The chaos and constant feelings of failure as you mess up because you didn't know you were supposed to run to the bases, and then that you were supposed to run clockwise around them. Living life without knowing what is in the manual, the Bible, is like that. On top of all that, what it has to say is actually deeply personal. We all get the same manual, but what it says is to be seen through the light of a personal walk and relationship with Christ. It is through our prayer time that we are able to see what the Bible has to say. It is not the same for everyone (though some things are pretty universal, like, oh, I don't know, do not murder). That is why you have to read it, and cannot take what the church or TV or anybody else says without checking out their source for yourself. I have heard some pretty far-fetched interpretations of God's word. It is sad how many people do not take the time actually read what is there (which is also the case with so many other important documents, take the Constitution, for example). There is no easy way out of this test. So, in short, live the life God expects of you, not what is popular, necessarily.

For the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.

Verses 3-8 are more of my favorites. They are important, as it is easy to fall into that lemming role and just do whatever everyone else is doing, especially prevalent in churches. People see others crying, or yelling or jumping during worship and assume that they are doing something wrong if they aren't doing that also. Paul is very forth coming with the fact that we each are endowed with our own strengths, and that we should live according to those. We aren't all called to be missionaries. We aren't all called to prophecy. We aren't all called to be loud and rowdy or quiet and small in our worship. Like we love all our children for who they are, so God loves us. We are all different; He is okay with that. I get very frustrated when churches like to critque each other because they worhsip differently. This one is more "on fire' because of how loud they are or this one is more devout because of how many missionaries they have. Our call is to love, and we all love differently. We should love each other and God. How that plays out is up to how we were made. I love quiet, calm time when I worship and pray. I have siblings who like it loud and active. There is no problem with that. I attended a church for awhile where they felt that you were not actually "saved" if you could not or had not spoken in tongues. I have never felt like I needed to do so, and I think, frequently upset them that it was not important to me. It was not my strength. I sing. When I feel like I need to be close to God, I sing to him. Not everyone can carry a tune or has hymns stored up inside, but I do. I do not condemn others because of this or judge their walk on that truth. We are each made with different talents, and those talents we are to use for good. What is also being said here is something that our society has some serious trouble with. We need humility. It is easy to feel proud of ourselves for being able to do this or that, when, we can only do those things because God lets us. He can just easily take them away. I may be blessed with a certian amount of money right now, but tragedy can strike at any moment and it would be gone. I may be a fast runner (OR NOT) but I could be in a car accident and lose the ability to walk. I need to be thankful for what I have right now, using it to further His message, but not in such a manner that others feel lesser because of it. I also see some word on the need to make everyone feel equal in our society. God did not make us all the same, so to expect us all to be the best at everything is folly. We aren't all going tobe able to write well. We aren't all going to be the best ball players or actors, and yet our schools and many parents are making a point to not hurt anyone's feelings by not letting those weaknesses be pointed out. Everyone is awesome at everything without really trying is the message that gets sent out, when we should be highlighting strengths and not giving false hope. The repercussions of this are starting show in our issues with the economy as individuals think they do not have to work to be awesome. Awesomeness (or what is needed to live a satisfying life) is just there. It is a sad thing to watch happen.

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.  Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.  Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord."  On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Verses 9-20 are rather straightforward--love one another. Our worth is the same in God's eyes whether it is the same here in earthly standards or not. We are all His children. If evil is done to us, we should leave it to God to avenge. He knows what is truly good or evil and will make sure that justice is done. That does not mean that we should not have justice systems to help keep us safe, but in our day to day affairs to recognize what may be unpleasing to God, and avoid it. If we have a problem with something or someone, we need to pray for them. Not to have something bad happen to them, but rather that God would intervene in a situation and help those who do not understand that what they are doing is not okay. Part of practicing hospitality and giving to others is praying for them. Diligent prayer is awesome in how it works, and often that time spent in prayer opens our eyes to things we may not have seen about someone, and may soften our hearts to be more wiling to help with whatever the situation is. We are not supposed to focus on ourselves, but on helping others, whether it is encouraging words, prayer or a meal. Being a Christian is very much about relationships, both with God and with each other. Judging by what Paul was saying here there was some discord amongst the Roman church, and he was hoping to help them see that our worth in Christ is far more important than our worth amongst each other,and if we live according to that, a lot of what we worry about would be lifted.

Hello, Monday Morning!

I am putting the finishing touches on our one month meal plan, and will be posting it soon. I am working on adding tabs to the blog, as well, to make for easier access to recipes, farm specific material, possibly homeschooling and craftiness.

So, look out for all that, and in the meantime, I was in Romans 11 this AM, which ended on this note, and so shall I: 

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!

 How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! 

 Who has known the mind of the Lord? 

Or who has been his counselor? 

Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him? 

For from him and through him and to him are all things.

To him be the glory forever! Amen.

Isaiah 65, Continued

I felt like yesterday was getting lengthy, so I cut it off at a reasonable point. That being so, I did not finish talking about the rest of Isaiah 65, verses 17-25. It is here we see a glimpse of what the "new world" will be-what we call heaven, the place and time which will come when Jesus returns with the final judgement. These verses are some of my favorites in the Bible, because what they show is beautiful, but also thought provoking. We often have naiive ideas of what heaven will be. God gives us many glimpses throughout His word. This one gives a view of life similar to what we are living now-we aren't basking on long couches while angels fan and feed us grapes and harp music plays in the background. We aren't living our wildest dreams, swimming in golden pools and rich beyond our wildest imaginations. Rather, in this vision we build our *own* home, we work for ourselves, and we get to keep what we work for. If you look at what the model of life is now, we work for everyone else. Even those who are wealthy still end up toiling for others. We plant our own vineyards-so we still work to feed ourselves, but it is in perfect conditions; there is nothing but joy in what we do. We live forever, nobody dies too young. There is no anger or fighting. It sounds amazing. It is what we are supposed to build our hope on. God loves us, even when we mess up. This part of the chapter starts with God forgetting all our wrongs, forgiving us. How awesome is love?!

Will you be His Servant or left outside the gate?

I was reading Romans 10 this morning, and Paul was talking about some passages in Isaiah, namely Isaiah 65. I was interested in what all the text there said, as some of the phrases he quoted were very piercing. He was referring to Israel not coming to follow Jesus and continually leaving what is good in God's eyes, but reading those words I kept thinking about how God can be so upset with his "natural" children (Israel), how much more upset could he be with his adopted ones (Gentiles). He continually is trying to bless His family and they continually spit on what He does. It was a "wow" moment, and an eye opener, not that I wasn't already aware of that. I decided to flip back to Isaiah (I am going to be honest here: Paul, not my favorite guy in the Bible. I know, I know, he wrote a lot of the NT, or at least some scholars think he did, and being a Bible scholar myself, and having studied with someone who gave us various translations in Hebrew and Greek, it is believed some of those were probably not Paul, as the tone is terribly different. He was a serious trouble maker. I mean, Jesus stirred up some trouble, but Paul really likes to pick fights. Seriously. And he is rather redundant in his writing style. He says the same thing ten times in the same passage. Anyway, I appreciate his work; we need it, but I like the other NT guys a bit better. So, I can talk about that later) because I like to see what Paul is quoting and what was going on at the time. In this case, the Lord is talking about what He has done for His people, and what they have done in return, and it isn't pretty for quite some time:

I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me; I was found by those who did not seek me. To a nation that did not call on my name, I said, "Here am I, here am I." All day long I have held out my hands to an obstinate people, who walk in ways not good, pursuing their own imaginations-- a people who continually provoke me to my very face, offering sacrifices in gardens and burning incense on altars of brick; who sit among the graves and spend their nights keeping secret vigil; who eat the flesh of pigs, and whose pots hold broth of unclean meat; who say, "Keep away; don't come near me, for I am too sacred for you!" Such people are smoke in my nostrils, a fire that keeps burning all day. See, it stands written before me: I will not keep silent but will pay back in full; I will pay it back into their laps-- both your sins and the sins of your fathers, " says the Lord. "Because they burned sacrifices on the mountains and defied me on the hills, I will measure into their laps the full payment for their former deeds." Isaiah 65:1-7

Talk about heavy, right? God gave Himself to those who didn't ask, because He loved them enough to know they needed Him. He could leave us all floundering. It is what we (and Israel, I know this is an OT passage, but Isaiah is one of the most insightful prophets in the Bible. What he calls on as passing is amazing, and what he says about Israel is just as easily applied to Gentiles, and our current state of being here in America.) do in response that is just heart breaking. He is trying to give us a gift of a life of blessing that we can never fully grasp, life that goes beyond the grave, and we keep ignorning Him, and not just ignorning that gift, but taking what we know is important to Him and walking all over it. Worshipping other gods, whether actual religion or the gods of time and materialism. Intentionally straying away from Him for fear that He might change the place where we are and in a society where comfort is an idol, being uncomfortable is scary. And what is His reaction? Well, He tells us that He warned us and that He has every right to take vengeance on our actions. Can I just say that ticking off *GOD* is a very, very scary thought. Like, way scarier than being uncomfortable. Just ponder on that a moment, because if you think that mad leaders of countries with nuclear bombs are scary, just think of what someone who controls this life we live *and* the afterlife can do. It doesn't end when you're dead. Ouch.
So, the thing that gives us a glimpse of hope is the next passage:

This is what the Lord says: As when juice is still found in a cluster of grapes and men say, "Don't destroy it, there is yet some good in it," so will I do in behalf of my servants; I will not destroy them all. I will bring forth descendants from Jacob, and from Judah those who will possess my mountains; my chosen people will inherit them, and there will my servants live. Sharon will become a pasture for flocks, and the Valley of Achor a resting place for herds, for my people who seek me. Isaiah 65:8-10

Whew! Right? We have hope that He will not destroy everyone. He has mercy for those who are His servants, those who do their best to make a relationship and serve Him. He will not necessarily be so with those who blatantly run:

But as for you who forsake the Lord and forget my holy mountain, who spread a table for Fortune and fill bowls of mixed wine for Destiny, I will destine you for the sword, and you will all bend down for the slaughter; for I called but you did not answer, I spoke but you did not listen. You did evil in my sight and chose what displeases me. Isaiah 65:11-12

So, you can't keep turning away. You can't put things like fame, fortune and "fate" before God, or, like a lover you leave waiting while you play with someone else, things will get ugly. The worst part in all this is, He is ever forgiving if you just listen, unlike many of those in adulterous relationships here. Even before Jesus arrived He was promising to forget all our selfishness and foolishness if we just love, honor and obey. We still have our freedom, it is what we choose to do with that freedom that makes all the difference. There is so much talk about end times and the scary things that could happen in the media, and if we stop to see what God says about it, it is terribly comforting to know that He has it covered if we trust and love Him:

Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says:  "My servants will eat, but you will go hungry; my servants will drink, but you will go thirsty; my servants will rejoice, but you will be put to shame. My servants will sing out of the joy of their hearts, but you will cry out from anguish of heart and wail in brokenness of spirit. You will leave your name to my chosen ones as a curse; the Sovereign Lord will put you to death, but to His servants He will give another name. Whoever invokes a blessing in the land will do so by the God of truth; he who takes an oath in the land will swear by the God of truth. For the past troubles will be forgotten and hidden from My eyes.

So, if we live by Him, we can really live, and He will forgive what we've done in the past, so long as we trying to live the lives He wants us to. That doesn't mean that He pre-destines life for us, but rather, living by His guidelines, most of them coming back to loving Him and loving others, and not necessarily by the world's standard of love, but by His, a standard that is hard to fathom, but may be easiest to see in context of a parent and child. He calls us His servants, but He loves us like a parent loves their child. They build a good relationship with them when they are young, and eventually, as they grow, can let them go off on their own to build more *good* relationships, but always maintaining, relishing and honoring their original relationship with their Father. If we can't or won't honor that, then we are playing roulette with what will happen. God holds onto the promise that He can save us from a firey end, but only if we choose Him. If we don't, he makes very clear what will happen.
Now, put all of that passage into the context of how the world is behaving, especially America-a country founded on Christian ideals-today. We do not hold sacred what He tells us is important. The nation is very blatantly turning Him away, pushing Him out of everything so as to not offend others. The problem is that the others do not hold our life and afterlife in their hands. I would much rather offend them (though I do not aim to blatantly offend unless it has to do with my God) than a God who can manipulate the ultimate vengeance. All that aside, I know He loves me, and I love Him, and for that reason I want to please Him. This country no longer loves Him, and most certainly is behaving in a way that does not please Him. There is still time to turn back, like a prodigal son, and make Him cry out with joy. There is serious truth and thought provoking prophecy contained in the Bible that is easy to overlook or say is out of context in our "modern" world, which is a cop-out. If He is true and good always, then so is His word, and the warning is given; will you be a servant or left outside in the storm?

One Frosty Morning

A week and half or so ago, I awoke to the beauty that is winter in Iowa. 

Although certain tasks can be trying in winter weather, I still love that I get definite seasons in Iowa.

I love what each one brings, including winter. 

There is something exhilarating about snow and ice storms, and I somehow take them as personal challenges to prosper and push forward despite what they bring, like icy roads, thick mounds of snow, frigid cold and power outages. 

 I have always had way about me, aiming to prove someone, or thing, like strong winter weather, wrong that I have always enjoyed. 

Here God's creation made me stop and admire his amazing handiwork, and ever changing beauty that is the earth we all live on. 

I love living in this great country, and state, and can't imagine not waking up to beautiful winter morns such as this one was.

Good Stuff from Sarah (and Glenn Beck)

Sarah and I both listen to/watch/read Glenn, but apparently I missed this. It is where our family stands, as well.

Passing on a letter about voting this November

I received this email today from an Iowa group I follow and respect, the Iowa Family Policy Center Action. I do not expect everyone to hold my personal beliefs, but I encourage you to read this and think about what your vote will be in November. Whether you agree with certain beliefs or not, the issue that stands is that more and more judges are not ruling with the Constitution, either of the country or the state they serve, and no matter what their personal beliefs are, that one thing makes them unfit to serve as a judge. One matter that hits home is that of marriage. I am not passing this on because I agree or disagree with the ruling, but rather that in *many* matter the courts are no longer acting in a way that aligns with what our Constitutions say they should, but rather are interpreting in a way that acts more in accordance with personal belief rather than written word.

Dear Friends of IFPC Action,
Our friends at Family Research Council Action and the National Organization for Marriage are joining IFPC Action for a road trip here in Iowa!
Starting next Monday, October 25^th at 9:00 AM at the State Capitol, U.S. Rep. Steve King, FRC Action President Tony Perkins, IFPC Action President Chuck Hurley, and several other leaders will encourage voters across the State to vote “no retention” on activist judges who think One Man – One Woman Marriage is unconstitutional.
Go to www.judgebus.com for a list of stops closest to you. The tour will be hitting 45 of Iowa’s 99 counties. The last stop of the “Judge Bus” tour will be a rally on Thursday, October 28^th at 5:00 PM at the Iowa Supreme Court building.
Please pass this info on to your family and friends!

~~~

As the 2010 General Election absentee ballots are being sent out, many of you are calling us with questions about judges on the ballot.
By now, most Iowans are aware of the 3 Iowa Supreme Court judges who are on the ballot this November 2^nd. Those Iowa Supreme Court judges said last year that One Man – One Woman Marriage is unconstitutional, and are now asking We the People of Iowa to re-hire them for another term at over $1,400,000.00 each.
But what about the lower court judges who are up for retention as well? Are any of them worthy of retaining? Is there any information available on their judicial philosophy and method of interpretation?
Just speaking for myself, I will pray for righteous judges, and will be voting no on all of them, because:
1) I’ve not heard any of them repudiate what the Iowa Supreme Court judges did, and some are actively defending them.
2) When we sent questionnaires to judges in the past, they’ve followed the Iowa Supreme Court’s advice to not answer them. This leaves us with what the U.S. Supreme Court has called “state-imposed voter ignorance.” Since I am being asked whether to re-hire someone with my own tax dollars, I won’t hire him or her without knowledge of motivation, experience, and philosophy; especially when, as a group, judges have refused in the past to answer our respectful questions about those issues.
3) If some judges are defeated because of their ties to the Iowa Supreme Court judges, it will strengthen our ability to get them to answer future questionnaires on their judicial philosophies and methods of constitutional interpretation.
4) I don’t know any of them well enough personally to be sure that they hold to the original intent of the U.S. and Iowa Constitutions.
For other information on the judges or the retention races, you may want to check out www.iowaforfreedom.com or www.judgepedia.com
Thanks for standing with IFPC Action!
Encourage all of your friends and family to get informed and make their voices heard at the polls!
Sincerely,

Chuck Hurley, JD
President, Iowa Family Policy Center ACTION

Thoughts on Priorities

Something has been weighing heavily on me here lately. As I work my way through Acts I keep seeing a theme about changes. Many Christians believe that once we're saved, that we're good with God. We don't have to change a whole lot about who we are or the way we live. We can continue to lead life in a manner that relies more on what the world thinks is the way we should do things rather than what the Bible tells us. And more than just the Bible, but also our convictions, which should arise from time spent in prayer with God. Asking Jesus to be your Savior is just the first step. What Acts (and not just Acts, but that is where my time is being spent as of late) keeps talking about (and through various apostles-not just one) is how, after we make that first choice, our heart should start to change. That change includes wanting to do anything and everything to please our Lord, and often that means living in a manner very different from what the world views as normal. Different sects of Christianity, Protestant and Old World, have their own lists of what is okay and what isn't. I personally find it difficult to fit into any one group. I am just difficult that way. I just follow what the Bible and my time with God, as well as with respectable (read: they can actually write and make sense) Christian theologians and leaders' writings help me to understand. Thus, as I have delved back into my first Love as of late, I have found more and more that I want to be perfect (I know, I can't be perfect, but I can try, right?), nay, pleasing for my God. Most of what I find can be directly derived from Scripture.
I get frustrated when people talk about how the New Testament negates the Old Testament, that the OT is only there to know about the history of our Savior, to see the prophecies that speak of who He would be. The thing is, as you really read through the NT, you see God working to explain how all of Scripture is important. The Jewish brothers thought that any Gentile converts should follow all of their Hebrew rules, while Paul crashes onto the scene and starts arguing that that shouldn't be the case. Peter starts getting visions from God saying that you must do what you need to do to bring people to Him. One verse that sticks out, though (and I apologize, I do not have my Bible on me, but will try to get back here to post the exact passages later) has them starting to talk about welcoming people in, not pushing Hebrew law on them, but that they would eventually want to do things that would please God, and thus reordering some rules so that the most important ones (worship no other god or idol) were emphasized first, and if they chose to follow others, they could,and eventually should. This caused some confusion, and even today most churches talk about loving God and your neighbor, but often leave any other rules out. God wants more of us, though. The way we live should reflect who He is, and what we believe in a number of ways. The best way to find those, as they will differ from person to person (God made us all different, and loves us that way) is to make sure you make your number one priority spending time with God in prayer and in your Bible studying, asking Him to open our eyes to what He wants us to see. Little by little, I have started to feel tugs to do things differently. What you do won't necessarily make sense to your neighbor and vice verse. God will give you direction if you ask for it, though. He will grant you peace with even difficult choices, and through being willing to do things His way, you open doors for Him to bless you, even in the hard stuff.
Our first step in any of it, though, is prioritizing. God first, spouse next, children (amazing blessings in themselves) then the rest of family, friends and world.
I think the key here is that we should change once we begin the walk of a Christian, but that it looks different for everyone. Still, though, the Bible is clear that people should be able to tell we're Christians, and not just run of the mill I-say-I-am-or-I-was-born-into-this-or-Sunday-only Christians, but bonafide, my-heart-has-changed-so-my-life-should,-too, Christians. We should strive to want to be what please God. It should bring joy to us to bring joy to Him, and often that includes following rules or guidelines that He set out that make little sense to the rest of the world. We need to be careful to not fall prey to the "it was a different time and culture then" argument, as God is timeless and the rules set them are the same then, now and always.

Our plans this Halloween

Do not include costumes. They haven't for years. I don't believe it to be a holiday we want, as Christians, to be associated with, no matter how modern Christian groups try to sugar-coat or justify it.
This article is an interesting read: The Scariest Thing You Can Do This Halloween

It's A Good Morning...

Love that song that Chris Rice sings :) Not too long ago, Dad came forth with the fact that he had been stopping to buy coffee at Caseys each morning before work. He just couldn't bear to drink what they made at the shop (and I can't blame him). He asked where our coffeepot was, as he thought he'd start making it at home.  I have always owned a nice coffeepot, usually programmable, though we'd never use that feature. I have serious trouble dragging myself out of bed in the morning, being a night owl, so me getting up early to make coffee when he leaves, has never worked. It'll last maybe a week and then I fail from exhaustion.  A year or so ago our most recent pot died some sort of death and at that time I decided to start using a nice large french press my grandmother-in-law had left behind. We loved the flavor of it, so we didn't buy another pot. When this recent desire to just make coffee at home came up, though, we were left with a dilemma. Either I get up and make it, Dad makes it, or we get another programmable pot. That weekend we went out garage saling as well as making a trip to a local big box store for a few house necessities. In all of the pre-lunch running I had forgotten that I agreed to buy a coffee pot. As always, though, God smiled upon my forgetfulness, blessing me more fully than I had remembered. At the last garage sale we stopped at I stumbled upon the exact same coffeepot we used to own, only in white instead of black, for five dollars. This same pot would have cost nearly $100 had I purchased it new. The other bonus was already owning paper filters for it, as I never discarded the ones from the previous one, knowing more than coffee can be strained through them. I intend to use the money I saved to buy a nice reuseable gold filter for it. I still love my french press, but I am more joyed at the blessing of being able to help my husband feel remembered and loved each morning in walking out to the coffeepot to a freh pot of good coffee to start his day off with, as well as the blessing of it being ready for myself as well, when I finally get up each day. It seems like a small thing, but I think that is one of God's way of teaching us to trust him in the big things. Yes, I forgot the pot, but only briefly, and in being willing to do something Dad had requested, I opened a door to bless each of us.
Let this remind us to try to keep those little doors open, through acting in accordance with God's Word and plan for us, to have him bless and refine us. When the major things roll around it will be that much easier to trust him, even though it may be very difficult.

Thought for the Day

Simply what struck me as I was in my Bible this morning. This verse hit particularly close to home, as recent and not-so-recent events pushed me to the point where I had to take these very actions. I had been questioning my actions, as to whether I did the right thing, and I was at peace reading Paul's instructions. There comes a point where the best maneuver is to walk away, as one of the most destructive things to be associated with is someone who is out to divide. Someone who perpetuates fallacies, who hurts others with their own interpretations of the truth, rather than the truth. It happens all the time. And we are instructed to forgive, no matter what. I had forgiven, but questioned my actions. Should I have persisted in trying to mend a situation that was just getting worse, one that was alienating me from people I loved and cared for? Alienating me from people who were my Christian support system-family and friends who I could turn to when I felt like I couldn't hear what God was saying. I am confident in my decision now, though it was terribly painful. This verse simply spoke to me, and also reminded me to not be divisive or crude. It is amazing what a few days of Paul can do for someone, to remind them of who God wants us to be in Christ-the guidelines that are so simple--be a good person--yet so easy to push to the wayside when it is easier to complain or criticize.

Titus 3:1-11 (Emphasis added by me) 
Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men.
At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace , we might become heirs having hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.
 But avoid foolish controveries and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless. Warn a divisive person once, and then warn him a second time. After that, have nothing to do with him. You may be sure that such a man is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned.

New Sites in the Reading List

I am always on the hunt for worthy reading to put in my Reading List. This is the list of blogs I peruse on the internet, and yes, I read them all, though not necessarily everyday. I check what has been updated to see what piques my interest an go from there. I take out those that no longer seem to line up with where I am at any given time. I love my list, and it is frequently updated. That being said, I recently found a couple of goodies I wanted to point out for you mothers and ladies out there (though they are great for dads and gentlemen, too!): Raising Homemakers and Like A Warm Cup of Coffee. I stumbled upon them on another homeschooling site I read, and I have loved them so far. They are written from a Christian perspective and shoot for ideals I like to practice in my home. Now, do not take Raising Homemakers as just bringing girls up to be homebodies-rather they write about being girls up to be strong in the Lord, but also to know how to preserve lost arts in doing so. You can still work outside the home, if necessary, but you are aware of your priorities, and willing to make necessary sacrifices for them. That is important, and being lost at an alarming pace in modern society. I just wanted to point them out. They have been great reading since I stumbled upon them and I can't wait to keep reading them!

More thoughts on my belief system

I majored in religion in college-it was one thing that was the same throughout. I changed all my other majors numerous times (enviromental science, women's studies, english, sociology, psychology, social services) but it was always the constant. I was working towards most likely going to master in it and become a professor, but family came first, and so I ended up switching gears a mere 18 hours from graduating-18 hours of crap, might I add, that was not revealed to me early on. "Yes, you have to take 18 more hours outside your major(s) area, even though you are double majoring and that would mean a bunch of meaningless crap, and when did college start to act like highschool? Aren't we supposed to be mostly focusing on our end goal, and well, core credits that are diversified just don't do enough even though they take up the first year and half of your college career."
Grrr.
Anyway, that background with some=serious street cred. With those in the kinds of churches my husband prefers=bad. They see theology as a bad thing. I hate to break it to them (them being those who attend, and run the places, most of whom have no education or training to be leading a congregation) but theology is why they all end up in the same building week to week. I think worshipping the theology is bad. The theology itself, though, not so much. I love it, personally. There is so much to learn from the inner workings of those great Christian who came before us. It was those minds who were able to decipher or interpret a bit of what we believe today. I think many Christians do not fully know why they believe what the believe as far as doctrine. The relationship with Christ comes first, absolutely. It is the most important part of the deal; one of the actual things He told us to do-Love God, then love everybody else, too. Just about everything else is taken either from the Old Testament, which would be God speaking through prophets, and is an important learning tool, but also more of a "history of where we came from that is important to learn from but most of the rules are necessarily for a bunch of gentile-descended Christians to have to follow" and from the New Testament, which either was Jesus or Paul speaking for the most part. The stuff Jesus said is absolute. The things Paul said are subject to human fallacy. The word of God, but how often do we mess up what God tells us? Paul could have made mistakes or misinterpretations. That is a whole other post, though.
What I am getting at, is that those who chide theologians, or tradition, or people who aren't all out be at church all the time folks need to take a little time to learn where what they do orginated. It wasn't the Bible. Yes, there were gatherings of believers, but they also had to take care of themselves. They had to work. Because of the persecution that was mounting, they weren't meeting nearly as frequently as some places do today. Am I saying that meeting frequently is a bad thing? Absolutely not. Not all of us are mandated to do so, though. It is not our place to judge others for what they think they need to do, like attend a certain church. There is no right or wrong church. The only thing we are required to do is have a relationship with God. That means on our own time-prayer and meditation alone with our Father. During that time we send up our love and admiration, we ask for forgiveness of ourselves and others, we send up our worries and ask for his help and healing. You can do that in church, but it isn't necessary. It is the only thing He asks from us. If we are pursuing that, all the other things we think we need to "do" (that, also is another post) will fall into place. If we love God, and everyone else, we will feel compelled when the time is right, to do what is necessary to take care of them. (Yet another post).
The main thought for today, to not get too long winded here, is that the relationship is what is important, and that we shouldn't discount the massive amount of energy that exists in the theology that helped form what we believe today. It is not all just in the Bible. Great thinkers have been hashing things out for thousands of years, and what they have to say is incredible, and important, and biblically founded. The men (mostly men) who wrote these things that so many church leaders are trained in were tortured with ideas and wanted to know more so they wrote it down. They talked with God, and often with each other, to try and figure out what on earth He wants from us. I don't think we will ever figure it all out, but I do think He enlightened certain figures to certain things to help us through our time here on earth, which, by the way, is a GIFT. He doesn't expect us to spend every waking hour in a building somewhere, when we were created for relationships. Jesus loved and worshipped Him by spending time with all sorts of different people. He broke bread with them (also known as having a meal). He wandered around making friends, feeding people, teaching them. He just walked the walk. I think we often forget to live like He did means LIVING. By living, not necessarily preaching (dude, He told stories-how awesome is that?), we set an example that makes people wonder what's up. That opens up doors for us to profess our faith, and from personal experience, makes more folks want we've got than coming off as constantly busy at church, or pushing what we believe too hard at those who don't yet understand why we do. Live the life, but live your life. It is a gift, and like a talent, should not be wasted. In all things, love and pray to Him. It is simple. The hard stuff should not be discounted though, and it might be interesting for some of you to take a walk through some of the excellent theology out there. Try St. Augustine's Enchiridion. Beautiful. In fact, I might have to get that one out again here soon. It is deep -they were both theologians and philosophers, but it helps to see where our belief system was built. What we believe and do now has changed greatly from the original NT believers, and is very deeply influenced by the writings of many great thinkers before us.

Note: Sorry if that came out more as ramblings than coherent thought. I just had to get it out there. It is an issue very, very dear to me.

Fresh Brewed Life by Nicole Johnson

 I am currently reading this book- only a little each day, more devotional style, than actual in depth reading. The book is about refreshing our lives and our relationship with Christ. There are some great passages so far, that if nothing else, simply remind us to be a player in the life God has made for us. That being said, this passage resonated this morning as I read it.I concur completely; there have been so many times that I have prayed this prayer when I didn't know what else to ask for in a difficult situation, but I always ask for peace with His decision at the same time, as what He has planned isn't always going to be easy:

Jesus prayed, "Not My will, but Thine be done." That's the most terrifying prayer in all of Scripture. God asks some very hard things of us. He asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac; He let Lazarus die before Jesus raised him from the dead; He did not spare His own Son. God wastes nothing. Not our joys, not our sorrows--nothing. When we offer Him the whole-bean essence of ourselves and we submit to be finely ground, it will produce character in us. He knows the fragrance that comes from surrender. He knows firsthand the return from the grain of wheat that falls to the ground and dies.

And yes, I am reading a Christian based book that is written with gads and gads of coffee related terms. I am *that* in love with my coffee :)

Children and Church

Recently we have tried to attend church again, with some sort of frequency. That being, so, though I have been more stressed than usual. My thoughts on children and church are terribly, terribly different than those of most families who attend churches, apparently.
My parenting philiosphy is that I should teach and raise my children, and goes so far as to me keeping them home for their education. This extends to religious education, as well. Most families who attend church send their kids off to Sunday School, a nursery or children's church when the adult service starts. I don't believe in doing this. It is on the same level, in my eyes, as sending them to all day kindergarten. I don't want someone else teaching them about the love of Christ in a fashion not conducive to their learning style. I want to be there to answer their questions, and also to witness their growth as believers.
When Ponygal was will very little I read a book entitled Parenting in the Pew. I can't remember now who wrote it, but it spoke to me and my convictions. Those convictions started with the fact that Pony Gal was so premature. I kept her away from things because her safety and health depended on it. But, it also felt natural. My instincts were to protect and keep my baby with me. Not to send her to nursery during a church service, but to continue my nurturing there. As she grew, this conviction didn't change, and after reading that book, I found another mother who understood. One of the most striking things she said was that children are herded in Sunday school/children's church settings like they are in public school. They are maintained. They do not see what the adults are doing-how the pray and worship. We as parents do not see what or how they are being taught. Some think that the kids sitting through a service is somehow rude to others because a little noise is inevitable. I see it as signs that there is youth in the church-a necessity for growth. My children get to see how mom and dad act in that setting and can learn from that. Learn to sit and listen and be meditative on what is being taught or said. Learn hymns or worship songs that sit in their hearts and see adults be contemplative on them. Mimicking adults is one of the main ways most children start to learn to be adults themselves. It leads to questions that lead to discussions. Church should be a time for families to be together, not separated so that it is easier on certain individuals to concentrate. Yes, that does mean that sometimes I don't hear a sermon, because Superboy just can't sit still that Sunday. That really doesn't bother me. I download podcasts from several different churches. I listen to one that sounds like I need to hear it that week, and am fine. I surround myself with other believers. I get my fill. Right now, my primary role, other than being a follower and lover of Christ, is to be a mother. My children are young. As they grow, then I can spend more time focusing on me. They need me right now. Sending them off for someone else to care for them is counterintuitive. I have devotional time in the morning before they wake up. I surround myself with opportunities to commune with my Father, so I can parent them when they need parenting, and that includes during church. I think it has been one of my main reasons for not wanting to attend somewhere. I get tired of being told every Sunday that there is a nursery, or children's church. My reasons are not just that of trust-though that is one. No one can care for my child like I do. Not every one who goes to church is going to answer questions about faith the way I will. It is my responsibility as a parent to raise my child to believe. I take that very, very seriously. I do my best to impart those beliefs to my children, so they know from early on that Jesus loves them, and wants a relationship with them. I do not intend to use what I see more as, and I know this will anger some people, kid-watching programs to educate them, just like I do not intend to send them to school to be educated in situations where 2/3's of the time is spent on crowd control. We'll keep searching and trying, but we have yet to find somewhere that fully understands those convictions, and that both Dad and I like, though that is a whole other discussion. His idea and my idea of what church should be like are night and day.
Anyway, that's why I do what I do.

Biblical Submission Repost

Great post on a Christian wife's role versus her husband's by my friend Sarah.

New Year's Goals...

Not necessarily resolutions. Resolutions are that which we are "resolute" to do, whereas goals are things we are shooting for. Things we'd like to see happen, but if they don't there isn't a lot of disappointment. I know God works in different ways, and my goals may not line up with His, and therefor may not happen. But, this is what we want to work on here on the farm...
*Dad decided that it is time to start going to church regularly again. I have to be honest here, I am not that excited. Every church we end up at, I end up getting beaten to a pulp emotionally for one reason or another, and it bothers me to put myself in that position again. We are going to one that is larger than most we've been in, and going to an evening service, which may help with the kids. I need to be sure to be prepared with snacks and water bottles so the kids have a good chance at making it through the service happily. We'll see how this all goes. I am just as happy being a servant at home, but it may be that there is a reason for Dad pushing this.
*Momma is going to lose some serious weight. That's all there is to it. I have friends who are on the same road, so hopefully we can support each other and this will be the year I finally make it back down to pre-marriage size.
*In momma losing weight, we are taking more steps toward self-sufficiency in our lives, more of our food coming from our own work.
*A business plan, name and beginning of work for the business I am embarking on with dear friend Sarah so we can "open our doors" so to speak in 2011.
*House improvement so it flows, and we can better use the massive amount of space we have.
*Shelter built in the back so the sheep can be moved back there, and the flock grown, at the very least by a new breeding ram.
*Add a large tree for wind break (an addition to the line of small ones already out there)
*Add a couple nut trees, start paw paws (again)
*Two new grape vines for the vineyard
*Stain decks
*Remove chicken coop fire debris
*Shred through the paperwork leftover from Dad's father's death
*Move gardens closer to the house, and do specialized beds, rather than large multi-species plots
*Hoping Pony Gal starts reading
*Superboy pottytrained
I think those are the big ones for now...