beachbirdies_cove

AT&T Socks It To the Little People...Took My Money and Ran...

2011-08-17T21:29:00.000-07:00

I am so frustrated right now!

My daughter has had an AT&T prepaid cell phone for three years now. She pays for three months at a time most of the time, $25 bucks a hit.

She never used that much air time, it was an emergency phone, but to keep it alive you have to pay whether you use it or not.

This summer, in June, she received the notice that it was time to refill the phone. She waited until July to pay, and paid at the end of the month, thinking she was within the 60-day period in which the phone would not be canceled on her. She tried for a WEEK to make a payment, and the system gave her trouble, finally on July 30th she was able to get a payment into the system.

Well, they had killed her SIM card on July 29th according to one of the service reps. Yet, the system took her payment, and a text response to the phone said it was applied to her account.

What the heck is THAT all about?

So...

I called customer service and went through their automated system a couple of times, it couldn't find the wireless number and after advising me to "dial" 611 from the phone (can't...it's dead, you dolts!) the service hung up on me.

We went to a wireless store, they couldn't help either. But, they graciously allowed us to use their phone to call customer service AGAIN. Talked to a real person who couldn't help, said she'd connect me with someone who COULD. I told her fine, just don't put me in the automated system because it always hangs up.

I waited 20 minutes on hold, then got dumped into the automated system AGAIN.

I went home, and called customer service again. The person who answered could not help, could barely speak English, so I asked for a supervisor, preferably one with English as their first language. PUT ON HOLD AGAIN!

Finally, sympathetic person who spoke good English came on, asked me for all the information, then put me on hold AGAIN. Many minutes later, she comes back and says I need to talk to the payment center in order to get a refund.

I waited on hold AGAIN. Finally a pleasant young woman spoke with me for a bit, went and tried to process a refund. After a few MORE minutes on hold, she came back and told me she was very sorry, but AT&T has a "no-refund" policy and she couldn't process it through. The "system" wouldn't let her.

So. I was not asking for a "refund". I was asking for money that they took, and didn't give me service for. In fact, they took the money after I was, by their action, NO LONGER A CUSTOMER.

And they won't give it back.

Well, a lot of AT&T higher ups are going to hear from me. And, I will NEVER, EVER, EVER, EVER again be an AT&T customer.

Bunny Grab - The New Tyranny

2011-08-15T13:46:00.000-07:00

The idea that Americans are facing unaccustomed tyranny is uncomfortable. There are many events involving law enforcement that seem innocuous to the casual observer, but as we hear more and more of them we must begin to see these not-so-isolated events as something serious.

Recall with me the raw-milk raids on the Amish. Then think back recently to the massive fines threatened against a small family who sold a few to many bunnies.

Now there is the raid on a Colorado bunny farm in which a woman's life-work was stolen because of an anonymous telephone call to authorities by a group whose mission is similar to PETA...to liberate all animals to live "wild and free".

I got news for you animal rights wackos, "wild and free" is incredibly cruel. Watch a few nature documentaries and maybe you'll realize that captivity is a good thing.

Debe Bell of Six Bell's Farm has had her rabbits stolen from her by law enforcement, and those bunnies are now up for adoption at the Foothills Animal Shelter in Golden, Colorado. Ms. Bell has had no hearing, no trial, her property has simply been confiscated.

Wake up people! This cannot be allowed to stand! Does anyone care about freedom anymore?

Make some noise about this. It is simply wrong.

Thanks to Frugal Café Blog Zone and to Bob McCarty Writes for featuring this story. I haven't seen it anywhere else.

Go on now, MAKE SOME NOISE!

AHHH...JUST DISCOVERED...THERE IS A LEGAL DEFENSE FUND ESTABLISHED FOR MS. BELL:

donations can be sent to:

Responsible Animal Owners Defense Trust

c/o Joyce Holliday

PO Box 1287

Berthoud, CO 80513

Paypal donations can be sent here: Rabbitdefense@gmail.com

London Burns..

2011-08-10T10:29:00.000-07:00

Some good stuff at Blackfive today.

One of the better treatments of the rioting that is happening in UK.

Click here to read it. And get ready for it in the USA.

Stock up on essentials, if you know what I mean.

The republican Mother: Rick Perry - The Establishment's Ace in the Hole

2011-07-26T11:22:00.000-07:00

If you are even remotely thinking about supporting Texas governor Rick Perry for President of the United States, please think again. This man is dangerous to our sovereignty.

Yes, I think it is okay to love my country and want to keep my culture.

The Republican Mother has some excellent articles about Perry. Check them out: HERE and HERE and HERE and of course, HERE .

Check out the rest of The republican Mother blog. Great stuff there, she's become a regular on my rounds.

Pine Nuts From Costco Made My Taste Go Gross! Costco minimizes issue!

2011-07-19T13:23:00.000-07:00

A very unusual thing happened to me a couple of weeks ago. I was at my local Costco, Albany, Oregon, shopping for a few things. I passed one of Costco's notorious sample tables on which were arranged little cups of Kirkland Pine Nuts on a red tray.

"Oh," I thought to myself, "I love pine nuts! I haven't had any in quite a while, they are such a luxury! Maybe I'll get some!"

I helped myself to a cup containing about 8 or 10 little nuts. They were a little different than the usual version, stubbier and rounder, not long and thin like puffed rice or ant eggs.

"Mmmm..." I thought. "What a treat!"

I didn't buy the nuts. I've been reading Dave Ramsey's books on financial peace, and he often says "Live like no one else now so you can live like no one else later". I decided that pine nuts were still a luxury that I could do without and made a mental notation to put the $15.99 in my retirement bucket.

And of course simply forgot about the details of the day.

Two days later, I noticed something very strange. I got a horrid taste in my mouth every time I ate something. I first noticed it while eating some mixed nuts. I thought maybe the nuts had gone rancid. I ate some fruit, which tasted awful. I ate some cheddar cheese...tasted strange to me. I finally realized it wasn't the food that was bad, it was ME.

My tongue felt like it was coated with soap, and everything was metallic. I thought I was getting sick, so I googled "bitter taste in mouth after eating". Lo and behold, the Internet trail is littered with the bodies of others who googled the same thing; I came to the conclusion,

COSTCO PINE NUTS DID THIS TO ME!!!!

Known as "pine nut syndrome" or "pine nut mouth", I found out there is a scientific name for the phenomena of bitter tasting mouth; "metallogeusia". You won't find it in any of the online dictionaries, but google it and you'll find lots. The Wikipedia article on pine nuts gives a pretty good run down on where it comes from, and there is a young woman from Singapore who has been studying the issue and did a graduate thesis on it. She has a blog called "The Great Pinenut Mystery" (pinenutsyndrome.wordpress.com) in which she discusses the condition, the source, and the fact that retailers are dismissing the issue out of hand saying "we just aren't getting complaints about this".

That was my experience at Costco. I emailed customer service from the Costco website to let them know this happened to me. I received a prompt response informing me that my email had been forwarded to the proper department for further consideration. This afternoon I received a telephone call from a lovely young lady who asked about my experience, told me Costco takes customer complaints/experiences very seriously, and she would make a record of this complaint.

I asked her if Costco was going to let other customers know that this could happen to them, she just told me that any customer could take their pine nuts back for a refund if they have a problem.

I responded by saying "but, they won't know it was the pine nuts that did this to them! You should tell them!" I told her about all the stories I'd seen of people who spent a great deal of time and money going to doctors, having doctors misdiagnose their conditions and putting them on expensive medication. Nope, not going to put a notice out to their customers.

So, I told her I'd blog about it and let people know. I might write a letter to the local newspaper as well. I think people deserve to have as much knowledge as they can get about something like this. Many retailers are saying nothing because they aren't getting complaints. Well, I am here to say, no one is complaining because it takes two or three days for this condition to start, and by then no one equates it with pine nut consumption.

Man up, retailers. Costco, Trader Joe's, Albertson's, Kroger, and many many more. There is a comprehensive list on the Pine Nut Mystery blog.

Check it out. And make your voice heard with the retailers who are substituting cheap, crummy pine nuts for the good ones.

Well What Do You Know...

2011-06-29T11:34:00.000-07:00

I just got some blood test results back from my doctor. I've been wondering about some things affecting my family health, and one issue many family members seem to have is a bad reaction to wheat.

I have low levels of some celiac antibodies, and one of the lower-risk celiac genes. My kids probably got that gene and another from their dad. Studying up on it a little more.

Going to BEG for a gene test for my mom who has unexplained deficiencies in some vitamins, an unresponsive anemia, and hypoparathyroidism without any known cause.

I got trounced pretty hard for suggesting an 83-year old might be newly diagnosed with celiac disease. Not so unlikely now that she could have it. Then there is this. Not to mention the mouth ulcers she started having with the onset of her other problems. They didn't respond to any treatment, and lasted much longer than normal canker sores, and she was never one to have them anyway. Guess what? Looks like more celiac connections. Or at the very least, non-celiac gluten intolerance.

I'm praying her new doc (geriatric specialist) will dig in and do her best to help mom, not just write her off as an "old lady" and a "waste of time". If you are reading this, and a praying person, please, would you offer up a prayer for Mom? I will be in your debt.

Must See Video - Had Enough of Hope and Change???

2011-06-28T11:34:00.000-07:00

Keep this going. I've had enough, how about you?

Religion of Peace and Sharia

2011-06-21T13:13:00.000-07:00

I've been wandering around the Internet this morning, picking up tidbits of news here and there. One of the issues that rises to the top today is the proliferation of stories about "honor killing". For those who may not know, honor killing occurs mainly in that middle-eastern religion that...umm...I dare not name for fear of insulting it!

I'm guessing it's not the number of honor killings that is increasing, just the awareness. And America had better become aware before it's too late, because the radical Islamists are bringing it stealthily closer to us every day.

My point here is to call attention to one story, in which is seems obvious that the American legal system is caving in to this religion. Please read this story (***warning*** there are graphic pictures of a violently killed person) and also read this one. OH, and this one, about a 13-year old girl brutally attacked by her cousin.

It is happening over and over again, and the mainstream media simply will not report it. If they do, they gloss it over and blame emotion rather than ideology. It is the result of people who adhere to the ideas of sharia.

Then, please go read about the Sharia here. Then decide if you can really believe that allowing the incursion of sharia law into the United States is really something we want to do.

Reading Again

2011-06-16T14:26:00.000-07:00

I haven't read for pleasure in quite some time although the reading I have been doing for school is not altogether unpleasant. I am challenging myself to read more; not just read, but read with attention.

I have been inspired by my daughter, who loves to read and just completed her Bachelor's Degree in English. I am also inspired by my own literature course taken this past Spring. I read selections from a variety of authors, some of whom I liked and some of whom I didn't, but I enjoyed the analytical thought process I was forced to apply in order to get a grade. It is like exercise for the brain!

I didn't think I could do it at my age but I think there's some life left in my neurons, so now I am venturing out independently.

The first book of my new phase is Bleak House by Charles Dickens. My daughter studied that one in a literature class and recommended it as a first go at Dickens. Well, not really my first go, I did after all read Christmas Carol.

I'll get some reading under my belt and maybe I'll blog a little about it. So far it looks like a fun book.

The Cure That Kills

2011-04-16T10:05:00.000-07:00

After a couple of days on the Cipro/Flagyl combination (actually the generics for those name-brands) I am in pretty bad shape. Screaming headache, wiped out wanting to sleep all the time, not able to carry a lucid conversation, heart rhythms skipping all over the place. I hope there's an alternative medication, I can't go a week like this.

I felt a whole lot better when I simply had the 101° fever and abdominal pain/pressure of diverticulitis.

Makes it all the more tempting to call my doc and beg them to cut out the offending part. If one were to ask me today about Paul's "thorn in the flesh", I would say it has to be diverticulitis.

Long Time No Talk To

2011-04-14T10:54:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I wrote. I can't exactly say why, just very busy I suppose. Being a full-time student and trying to look after my house and my animals is a hand full for sure.

I am discouraged today because I am back on antibiotics for diverticulitis. I've managed well for 3 years, not had much in the way of trouble, this came out of the blue and I'm not sure why. So this now puts me in the tiniest percentile of those who have a second diverticulitis attack. Supposedly, it's only a tiny percentage of the ALREADY small percentage of those who have a FIRST attack.

Wow. I'm so fortunate! I think I'll go sink a bunch of money in the lottery.

Thinking I'll go see the gastroenterologist and find out about testing for celiac and wheat problems. My son has a terrible time with the blistery rash on his hands that looks like either dermatitis herpetiformis or dishydrotic eczema. Since he cannot afford to go to the doctor, I guess I'll be the lab rat. I get the rash too, though not as badly as he.

Anyway, I feel lousy, in pain, low energy, and I'm off for now.

Just thought I'd vent a little, though I can see no one actually reads here! I guess no one will come read if I don't write.

More About Beer...

2010-10-21T13:42:00.000-07:00

I heard a whisper somewhere on the Internet that Bard's Beer might be better than Red Bridge. I set off to find a six-pack of Bard's.

I found one, next to, in fact, the Red Bridge display at my local purveyor of Good Things to Eat and Drink.

The next step was to take a sip from the bottle. The step after that was to test the taste buds of the family beer gourmands.

The vote came in with all thumbs up. Bard's is an excellent gluten-free beer brewed from sorghum. It is a bit heavier than Red Bridge which is a much lighter beer somewhat like a pilsner.

I'm not a beer-snob, I only drink it once in a while, but I can recommend both Bard's and Red Bridge as tasty and refreshing alternatives to beers derived from barley.

Look for them in a beer cooler near you!

A Beer At The Bridge!

2010-09-29T15:21:00.000-07:00

Having made a choice to live gluten-free, there are a few things that I miss a lot. Hamburger and hot-dog buns are at the top of the list; beer is right up there too.

I stopped in at my local grocer on the way home from school this afternoon and after picking up my eggs at the back of the store I walked past the beer cooler. I peruse the cooler regularly for a gluten-free beer I'd heard about. Today I hit a double jackpot! I won $7 in the Powerball lottery, and nestled in the cooler among the micro-brews was Red Bridge gluten-free sorghum beer! I grabbed a six-pack and headed for the register.

Now most beer aficionados have said that none of the gluten-free beers are any good except this one, so I by-passed any attempt to find other brands. Upon opening Red Bridge and taking my first sip, I was greatly and pleasantly surprised; Red Bridge tastes like real beer!

So if you love beer, have no problems with alcohol and are living gluten-free, go and find yourself some Red Bridge. You'll be glad when you try it! Remember the rule: Drink responsibly, don't drink and drive!

I hope my store will keep this in stock forever!

Silver Linings

2010-09-16T00:06:00.000-07:00

Today we received some good news for my mom!

I wrote a note to the doctor in charge of mom's care. Now, keep in mind, this doc is not mom's doctor, he is simply a doctor assigned to review the case. He is not on staff at the care facility. He is rarely physically present. I had to pass the note to the nurse, who then relayed my questions by phone to the doctor. Bless her heart, she did ask!

I mentioned a couple of labwork details that have been brushed off by four different doctors now and asked if he thought them worthy of concern. He responded by doing a number of blood tests!

Well, the results of one test came in, and BINGO! We are getting a referral to a good endocrinologist!

The other panel won't be in for a few days. I am anxiously awaiting that, but thankfully this kind and observant doctor really sees something worth a closer look and did not brush aside our concerns just because mom is 83 years old. He is pursuing the details her personal physician ignored.

She's had a good three days. Very clear-headed and more like herself than I've seen her in a long time. The other good news is that she may be out of the care facility in a couple of days. I hope it happens! I am anxious to be in my own home (600 miles away) after spending 5 weeks at mom's , and I'm very anxious for things to improve for mom. This has been one hellish year for her.

Keep praying, anyone who is reading this!

It's Been A Long Time...

2010-09-12T23:27:00.000-07:00

I am a little weary tonight. I have now been at my mom's house, 600 miles from home, for a month. She has been in a "skilled nursing facility" for all this time, and we still do not have a good time-frame for her discharge.

I have been going over there every single day. I am often there from morning until bedtime, leaving only to take one family member home and bring another. My brother is here living in mom's house, and for a while my daughter (who is a certified nursing assistant) was with me; then my husband joined us and we all pitched in with the many needed tasks. I had the eerie thought that it took only one of mom to raise 4 kids, it is taking 4 people to care for one mom...(sigh). There must be something poetic in that. My sister is unable to be here, she lives and works in Pennsylvania.

My daughter left to go home last week, and my husband left this morning. It is back to my brother and me trying to look after mom and her house.

The nursing staff is overworked, there are not enough people to manage the needs of the residents. The food is gross. It has been difficult to find out where things are that would help us take care of mom, and what services are available. So, we have been doing a lot of her care ourselves.

She will need a lot of help when she gets home, and I would have moved her up with me but she has changed her mind and decided she wants to stay in her house. It will require at least a half-time person to attend her.

I am discouraged, depressed, home-sick. We could sure use the wisdom of Solomon right now! Sure wish mom had long-term care insurance.

Well, enough whining. I need to get some sleep so I can get up early and do mom's laundry before heading back to the rehab place. If anyone is reading this, please say a prayer for us! Our endurance is slipping.

Bad News, Not So Bad News

2010-08-05T19:34:00.000-07:00

My family received some bad news yesterday in parallel with some not-so-bad news. My mom has been struggling with some health issues for several months now (see my previous post). She has seen several different doctors, none of whom can find anything conclusive. One standout issue was her anemia, unusual because it was unrelated to nutritional deficiency; her nutritional status (iron, Vitamins D and B12), was very good.

Finally she landed in a hematologist's office. He did some bloodwork, did a bone marrow biopsy, and diagnosed "smoldering" multiple myeloma. "Smoldering" means "stable" or, not advancing. At this point there is nothing to treat, so she will be watched via lab tests every couple of months. If nothing develops after a year, she will be able to go longer between blood tests. Thankfully, the doctor was able to rule out lymphoma.

I am more anxious and scared than Mom is! She has great faith and optimism in spite of a very difficult life. She has known so much loss! Dear nieces and nephews, one of my brothers, my dad, all dying of unusual causes. We actually lost one other relative, mom's paternal aunt, to multiple myeloma. So we know a little about the disease and it makes it more scary to have already had one relative with it.

Mom grew up in the home of a single mother, a child of the Great Depression, before being a single mom was fashionable or acceptable. Her mom was not always gentle and kind. She was supposed to go to Stanford University but her mom didn't have money for college, so my mom ended up getting married without going to college. She is smart, loving, interesting, fun. My mom is the greatest and is a dear friend to me.

I am praying that the Integrative Medicine doc will be able to help her with the as yet unnamed issues that first took her to the doctor. Hopefully she will have a lot of fine years yet to be part of our lives.

One interesting thing that I have found, after some reading around the Internet, is that there is a very possible link between celiac disease and multiple myeloma. Also a link between celiac and Hashimoto's thyroiditis.

Seasons of Life

2010-07-12T23:48:00.000-07:00

The turning of the year 2010 brought unwelcome news to my life. My mom has been struggling for some time now with issues that severely impact her quality of life. Some health issues have overtaken her, and some cognitive issues as well. The memory and thought problems have robbed her of the ability to do a few things that she loves, and that give her peace and comfort. She has always loved reading, and it is difficult for her to comprehend what she reads, and impossible as well for her to work on the crossword puzzles that keep her mind exercised.

She was in the hospital a couple of months ago with a serious infection, actually a life-threatening bout with sepsis. A cascade of doctor visits and blood tests revealed anemia and other scary looking things.

Today was the latest in a chain of consultations, and the scariest of all. Something in her blood is a marker for cancer and they are needing to do still more tests. They also are going to do a CT scan because the hematologist thinks he knows what is causing the terrible edema in her legs. I think it is myxedema (warning...grossness alert).

I am angry that the doctors have, so far, blown off the fact that some of her hormones are extremely low, almost to the point of being out of the range of normal. When mine were like hers, I was very sick. I know that part of her problem could be easily helped but the docs won't listen. It is for this reason many people begin treating themselves, to the chagrin of their doctors. But what else can we do? I am also angry that it is taking them so long to get anything done. Mom has been having difficulty since last November. Now, halfway through July, the docs have made a lot of money off my mom, but she still has NO answers.

I shouldn't be afraid, but I am. I trust the Lord to keep His promises. Nonetheless, with all the struggles and pain my mom has endured in life, and faced bravely and full of faith in our great God, I had hoped that the latter years of her life would be peaceful and joyous. It doesn't look like that will be the case for her. If anyone is reading this, please offer up a prayer for my mom, and for her doctors.

Forgotten Rachels

2010-06-09T10:08:00.000-07:00

As I was taking my morning constitutional across the electronic pathways of Interwebville, I came across a lovely tribute to the "Forgotten Rachels". I'm going to leave the video up at the top for a while, and also embed in this post.

The lovers of death need to be stopped.

Trouble In Academia - Yank Your Kids Out Now!

2010-04-15T11:01:00.000-07:00

Let's begin with a short quotation from John Taylor Gatto, master educator:

School is a twelve-year jail sentence where bad habits are the only curriculum truly learned. I teach school and win awards doing it. I should know. --John Taylor Gatto

Thanks to Lonely Conservative for bringing up the subject of underfunded teacher pensions. The education system is a major hot-button for me. The teacher's unions have created a huge mess. If administrators try to change anything in the effort to stave off the coming crash of pensions, the teachers will howl and threaten. Well, the answer is, take away their power. Parents, pull your kids out of school. Don't let the unions use YOUR KIDS as pawns in this game.

We need to ditch the public school system and make parents responsible for educating their own children. The country was better off before Dewey and minions pushed assembly-line education on us (and before teacher's unions took control of everything). Everyone should read the book Dumbing Us Down by John Taylor Gatto. After that they should read here the online text version of Underground History of American Education.

One more book that looks like a good read is The Deliberate Dumbing Down of America. I haven't read it but based on a review by Samuel Blumenfeld it looks pretty good.

Lastly, check out The Fourth Purpose. It is a documentary in the works. Looks like it will be a great exposé of our public education system.

Go now and read all this stuff. You will not want to leave your kids one more day in these liberal/progressive indoctrination parlors the goal of which is to insure the cultural and academic illiteracy of your child while creating drones for the state

.

Jawa Report - Reflections on Right vs. Left

2010-04-03T10:40:00.000-07:00

The Jawa Report is one of the blogs on my daily must-read journey. This morning as I sipped my steamy cup of morning brew, I opened the link to this great and refreshing video. A lovely and articulate young man man shares some of the hate-mail he receives because he happens to be one of the most vile, despicable creatures to inhabit the earth...(gasp) a black conservative! He does a great job of dismantling the ideals espoused by the left-wing haters.

Quote of the Day

2010-03-30T06:00:00.000-07:00

I was out and about in the political sphere this morning and ran across this quote posted by anuts in the comment section of a Hot Air post. You can see the original Hot Air article by clicking the title of this post.

The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren’t enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws.

–Ayn Rand

I'd say we are certainly in that predicament in the USSA (United Socialist States of Amerika). The leftists have been busy for years creating thought crimes, diet crimes, philosophy crimes. They have been busy creating a divided society that has young against old, right against left, black against yellow against red against white.

Get the leftists out of the government.

Liar In Chief

2010-03-25T01:17:00.000-07:00

Great video documentary featuring the Prevaricator in Chief and highlighting all his broken promises. He and all his minions have to be removed from office and soon. Is this a slanderous post? I don't think so. His untruths and unseemly associations are well documented by eyewitnesses.

H/T Jawa Report

Is The President a US Citizen or Is He Not?

2010-03-24T11:25:00.000-07:00

Probably in the technical sense, but barely.

I was cruising around the Internet this morning, drinking my morning coffee, chatting with my daughter via instant messenger. Dear Daughter sent me a link to a blog titled "Do Not Tread On Us". I read the article my daughter had linked to, which describes why liberals don't do well in political arguments. I then poked around the blog to find out a little more about the writer. Buried was an older post about Barry ~~Obama~~ Soetero, our illustrious ~~president~~ dictator. This referenced the idea that a school in which Barry had been enrolled released documents in 2007 showing that indeed, Barry might NOT be a real citizen. I stepped into that pile of goo a little late! It's an idea that has been floating a long time, but I've ignored.

Well, I think the "birth" part has been debunked, he seems to have been born in Hawaii after all. But is a real American only that because of his place of birth? I think not. The American way, the American ideal, is an idea. And Barack Obama was NOT raised with any sense of love for this country, patirotism, loyalty.

I started this post with the idea of pondering the question of Barry's citizenship, but posted before I researched. I am re-posting without the "~~truther~~" CORRECTION: "birther" conspiracy.

I am thankful again to Atlas Shrugs for addressing this while I was still pondering. Go read the article there titled "Going Home: Obama in Indonesia, A Third World Presidency".

Nails it down pretty well for me.

The Youth Brigade is Here

2010-03-24T11:03:00.000-07:00

Every good dictator knows that if you start brainwashing people in childhood, they will never break from their psycho-grooming. You liberal socialist democrat types don't even know that you are not really free thinkers, you are the pets and tools of the left who, in their minds, exist solely to serve their whims.

Pamela Geller at Atlas Shrugs has posted one of the most frightening things I've seen in recent days. She relates how the Democrat Socialists of America have hosted a Young Democrat Socialist youth gathering in a New York public school. This stuff has no business in the public schools! And these people should not have access to American youth!

At the bottom of Pamela's article is a list of Democrat Socialists already in Congress. There are 75 of them. Scroll through the list, you will see a lot of familiar names. If your congressional representative is among them, it is time to drop what you are doing and go on the warpath against them. Also in her article is a side-by-side comparison of Hitler's Nazi goals and the goals of the Democrat Socialists. Yes, they are the same goals.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. We need to listen to the WWII generation who saw Hitler's march to power with their own eyes. They see that Obama is doing just what Hitler did. People who refuse to see that have their heads in the sand. Sugar-coating it doesn't make it go away.

This is real, it is now, and it is very scary stuff. Visit the DSA (linked above) website and you will see how far down the path we have already gone towards destruction of this once-great country.

Time to get them out, whatever it takes. Because they are trying to enslave us, however they can.

Hope and Change - Mantra of the Oppressors

2010-03-24T10:48:00.000-07:00

Guest blogger Val Prieto wrote the wonderful (but scary) article "Prevent or Lament" at Michelle Malkin.
Val's father is Cuban and saw the revolution in which Castro assumed (isn't that an understatement!) dictatorship of what was once an island paradise. The article shares a conversation he had with his dad. Blog commenter TooMuchTime relates what is a common Cuban sentiment:

On March 24th, 2010 at 12:36 pm, TooMuchTime said:

I read on a blog somewhere, before the 2008 election, the blogger was dining in Miami and noticed an older Cuban couple. When he spoke with them they told him they came to the U.S. in 1960.
The blogger said, “So you got out just after Castro took over.”
Without missing a beat, the Cuban man said, “Yes. We’ve seen hope and change before.”

Fidel Castro is responsible for tens of thousands of deaths. Go to that link, read the numbers, then scroll down and look at the pictures some of the commenters have posted. Then go to THIS LINK and scroll through the many articles posted there. The brutality of Castro is very evident. Don't think that President Obama is not of the same mindset.

Be warned people! Obama and all the other Socialist Democrats do not have your best interest in mind. They have THEIRS. Don't follow them off this cliff.

Rep Dingell Thinks He Should Control the American People?

2010-03-23T23:59:00.000-07:00

H/T to Lonely Conservative and American Thinker for this one.

Representative John Dingell (D-MI) claims 18,000 people a year are dying for lack of health insurance coverage.You can listen to Dingell speaking with Paul W. Smith of station WJR 760 AM, billed as "The Great Voice of the Great Lakes" in Detroit. The interview starts at about 1:24 on the timer. A new age of serfdom has arrived; Dingell speaks of his constituents as "my people". He offered this lovely little thought:

"Let me remind you this [Americans allegedly dying because of lack of universal health care] has been going on for years. We are bringing it to a halt. The harsh fact of the matter is when you’re going to pass legislation that will cover 300 [million] American people in different ways it takes a long time to do the necessary administrative steps that have to be taken to put the legislation together to control the people." (Emphasis added)

If 18,000 people a year are dying, why did they not get those people covered NOW instead of 4 years from now? Can the Democrats now take credit for 72,000 needless deaths because of their delay?

Health reform is not about helping people, it's about controlling people.

Unconscionable!

I Heard a Whisper...The Illustrious Senior Senator from Oregon Said...

2010-03-23T22:53:00.000-07:00

H/T to Hot Air for pointing out that one of Oregon's senators has apparently told the Huffington Post that he won't vote to bar sex offenders' access to Viagra. In their zeal to make sure their pet project doesn't get derailed in reconciliation, they are going to refuse even the most reasonable of amendments offered by Republicans.

“Democrats in the Senate are very unified that this is not going back to the House,” Sen. Wyden (D-Ore.) told the Huffington Post on Tuesday, minutes before the Coburn amendment was introduced.

What are the Democrats afraid of? Do they fear having to try re-stuffing this health care bill through the House of Representatives?

What a colossal bunch of losers. They will never do the right thing just for the sake of doing the right thing.

The Socialists Won A Battle; Now It is Our Turn

2010-03-22T23:55:00.000-07:00

The Socialists Won A Battle; Now It is Our Turn

This passionate article was written by Dana Loesch and posted at biggovernment. I offer a small quote here, please click the linked title and read the entire thing. It is well worth the time; I hope you will be inspired to act as I was.

How many men and women have shed blood for this country? How many patriots took to the streets to defend this country blessed by God? Don’t you dare give up, patriots. Don’t you dare make their sacrifices in vain because you’re afraid of battle. Take no prisoners, suffer no fools, never surrender.

What – you thought you get this land scott-free? Liberty is never fully paid off and to be deserving of it one must be willing to fight for it on the battlefield, in the halls of congress, by involving yourselves in your communities. Such a struggle is not a burden, it is a privilege.

How bad do you want liberty? I’ve received several emails from folks who’ve said that they’re ready to move, to leave the country, and give up. I received an email the other day from a woman named Melanie who confessed that she just “doesn’t have time to get involved.” During a conversation about precinct captains with a gentleman at a recent protest, I was told that the commitment “sounds like too much time.”

My reply:

Get out.

Get out of my country any freeloader who possesses such an attitude, you betrayers of conservatism, of liberty. How dare you claim the belief of self-sustenance and individualism while warming your hands by another patriot’s fire, living off the fat of another patriot’s blood, sweat, and tears. As I said on my radio program last week: any one who dares call themselves a patriot and refuses to commit to maintaining their country’s liberty can burn in hades with the socialists who’ve jeopardized our children’s futures.

Please click the link to read the entire thing; this article is a must-read. Amazing piece of writing, says what I wish I had the eloquence to say. If you read it there, you see my heart. Time to stand up and be counted, stand up and do something that counts.

Revolution is not easy. Revolution is painful. Generations of people have spilled their blood protecting the great gift of liberty that we have enjoyed. To let it slip away is to spit upon the sacrifices made in generations before us. It means something to me. I will be setting afoot for the Liberty Tree. Join me.

Colonel Allen West at AtlasShrugs

2010-03-21T22:40:00.001-07:00

Read this article at Atlasshrugs. It is encouraging and uplifting. Take heart, gird yourself, and head into the battle to defend our Constitutional republic. It's not over till we give up and say it's over.

ABORT STUPAK

2010-03-21T22:16:00.000-07:00

Time to help one bad turncoat move out of Congress and off to pasture. Get Bart Stupak out of office, support Dr. Dan Benishek for the House of Representatives. Stupak sold out. This Youtube video shows he planned to sell out all along. He had no intention of ever voting against this horrific bill.

Check out Hillbuzz.org for a huge list of major donors to Democratic candidates. Join in letting those donors know we know who they are, and we are not happy with them.

Boycott businesses who helped get people like Stupak (and Obama) in office. I know who some of them are in my town, and I will be letting them know they've lost my business.

They Really Did It...

2010-03-21T21:04:00.000-07:00

I feel like I did the night ~~Barack~~ Barry Obama was elected president. I do not want to get up and watch the gloat-fests in the mainstream media. Losing the health care fight is a very depressing defeat in the short-term, but payback will be sweet.

I will join in the efforts to throw every Democrat bum out of office who is up for election this November. First on my hit list? Bart ~~Stupak~~ Sellout.

The founding fathers of the United States of America pledged their lives, their fortunes, their sacred honor. Should we do less than that? How much does our liberty mean to us?

I don't want to think that my loved ones who have sacrificed their lives, spilled their blood for this country, did so in vain. I don't want to go through life knowing that a bunch of radical Marxists spit on the graves of my dear ones to make this country into another Marxist paradise.

Anyone who thinks Marxism is so wonderful ought to go read blogs that come out of Cuba. It is easy to see that no revolutionary promises every come to fruition. They are lies given in order to manipulate the populace. The USA is a nation filled with people who think that somehow they have a right to "something for nothing".

What a sham. As Margaret Thatcher (former Prime Minister of Britain) is credited with saying, "Sooner or later you run out of other people's money".

No one has the right to put their hands in MY pocket and take the fruits of MY labor for someone else's wish list.

I will be agitating politically to keep all Alinsky-ite hands out of my pockets.

Latest Political Meme...

2010-03-16T16:50:00.000-07:00

Or soon to become one...

Attributed to blogger Kathleen McKinley, who says "We've moved from passing bills without reading them to passing bills without voting on them".

This quote also appears on Michelle Malkin's blog.

Pass it on Call your legislators. Congress is no longer governing by the consent of the governed, they have become Hugo Chavez.

I LOVE My Water Heater (NOT!)

2010-03-16T00:26:00.000-07:00

Today begins week two of the newest family adventure with plumbing. Last week we got up Monday morning to take showers and prepare for school, only to discover that the pilot light on our water heater had gone out. Couldn't get it to stay on.

I called a plumber to look at it as my resident plumbing expert, my husband, was out of town. The plumber thought the gas valve was bad, and offered to change it for $397.00. That is not small change! I can buy a NEW water heater for that kind of money! The plumber offered to install a new water heater for roughly $900.00. I politely declined saying I needed to speak with my husband before making a decision.

Unfortunately my husband was not due back in town until Thursday night.

We took a few cold showers last week, not fun!

Dear husband got home Thursday night, went right out to the garage and tried to light the pilot. The darned thing fired right up and stayed on all weekend!

Well, my husband took off on Sunday and when I got home from taking him to the airport I prepared to get into the shower. No hot water. The pilot was out again. And has been out since, it will NOT stay lit. Go figure.

We have a repair kit from the Whirlpool company (not the refrigerator people, but a division of AO Smith I am told) because there was a class action lawsuit and worldwide recall of these heaters for this very problem. We won't get the new part installed until next weekend.

In the meantime, more cold showers. Brrrrr....

Oregon Stupidity Multiplied

2010-01-28T00:33:00.000-08:00

Oregon voters passed two measures this week that will increase taxes on business and so-called "rich" people. "Rich" is not limited to those making over $250,000, the number bandied about by supporters. The tax on people at that level is 11%, and the tax on people making $125,000 is going to be 10.8%. That is not statistically significant enough to say only the rich got smacked!

Class warfare is alive and well in the Beaver state.

What stupidity. I am ashamed to admit that I live in this wretched state. Where do these morons think businesses are going to get the money to pay the taxes? They are either going to cut their expenses (lay off workers), raise their prices or move out of state.

Will Oregon's new tax laws really generate the $733 million dollars everyone seems to think it will? Not if the targets get out of the line of fire they won't.

In another move of Oregon stupidity, the beloved governor has now been emboldened to seek ways to insure that Oregonians don't get any more "kicker" checks. The "kicker" is a rebate given to taxpayers when General Fund revenues exceed forecast by 2%. The governor is not satisfied with the big new taxes we just gave him, now he wants even more!

I don't see any hope of Tea Party type activism in Oregon. Time for us to flee while we can still get out of here. Time to flee before the state levies an exit tax.

Helping Haiti

2010-01-18T12:00:00.000-08:00

The Anchoress over at the FirstThings blog has assembled a lovely list of organizations that are helping victims of the deadly, destructive earthquake that recently struck Haiti. I recognize many of them, and will support one or two of them. I will NOT support the Red Cross, I like others better.

It is always good to look at the finances of any organization you might consider supporting; one that sends most of it's funds right to their work is a good bet. Organizations with high fund-raising costs are not organizations I will support. It is also important to me that an organization's financial information be easily accessible to donors and potential donors.

I would add a couple of organizations (see below) to the Anchoress' list. A heads-up for Baptist Haiti Mission, they are primarily a Christian Education mission but look like they will be accountable to use earthquake relief funds for earthquake relief and they are already there in Haiti. I have included links to the financial pages for these groups, all post detailed reports and some have links to their federal form 990 if you really want to look them over.

Medical Teams International (LOW overhead at only 2.66%)

Baptist Haiti Mission (programs 90%, operations 10%)

Samaritan's Purse (overhead/fundraising 11%)

"It's The People's Seat!"

2010-01-18T11:13:00.001-08:00

Go, Scott, Go!

Massachusetts is the place to watch this week, with two candidates fighting for the opportunity to fill the US Senate seat recently left vacant by the death of Senator Kennedy.

Contrast the two videos immediately following; one an empty phone bank that should have been filled with people trying to get people out and voting for Democratic candidate Martha Coakley, the other a rally held January 17 for Republican Candidate Scott Brown.

May the true Constitutionalist win!

H/T to HotAir and Urban Infidel, a Hotair Commenter. Another to Sister Toldjah

Obama Lies and More Lies

2010-01-07T12:40:00.000-08:00

There is a website out there that is tracking the long list of lies and broken promises offered by Obama political machine. Check it out at ConservativeAmerican.org:

Obama Administration Lies, Broken Promises, Flip-Flops & Scandals - List Hits 900!

Unbelievable to see so much all in one place. Spread the word.

H/T to the Frugal Café Blogzone!

Sweet Runty; R.I.P.

2009-09-20T14:09:00.001-07:00

We lost a couple of little battles this week. Earlier this summer we had a couple of surprises in the chicken yard when one of our little Old English Game hens hid in a wall with some eggs and managed to hatch them. We got two adorable little chicks, but didn't get any pictures of them. This week one became paralyzed in her legs and we had to have her euthanized.

Last year another Old English hen hid with some eggs, and brought forth the little brood you see in the accompanying picture. Most of them were roosters, but one little girl who did not develop fully, we named Runty. She was tiny and delicate, but sweet and personable as are most Old English Game chickens. We looked out for her carefully as she was so much smaller than the other birds and could easily get beat up on or trampled. She got sick earlier this year, but pulled through okay, then last week she got sick again. This time we lost her. In spite of all our best efforts our sweet, innocent little Runty went over the Rainbow Bridge. She was strong and held on for quite a while, but finally let go on Friday night. I cried a lot. She did not deserve this ugly, lingering end. In retrospect I wish I had taken her to the vet as well. I hate death but it is a sad fact that we live in a broken world and it will not be better on this side of Heaven.

After euthanizing the first chick earlier this week, the vet suggested we might want a necropsy (autopsy) done. We concurred and signed the consent papers. Yesterday I spoke to the vet and he did not yet have the results of the histopathology but the person performing the necropsy saw nerve swelling suggestive of Marek's disease, one of the more dreaded things your flock can contract. I am very sad. We used to have a clean and healthy flock, Marek's is forever. I feel tainted, like we have the plague and should be ostracized from polite (and disease-free) society.

We'll miss you Runty.

Take My Poll...Who Should the Democrats Put Up in 2012?

2009-09-10T13:38:00.000-07:00

Check out my poll on the sidebar, let me know who you think the Democrats should run for President in 2012.

I have a guess it WON'T be The One.

POLL IS CLOSED

British Death-Care; Coming Soon to a Hospital Near You

2009-09-03T00:50:00.000-07:00

It seems that I am spending most of my blog time trying to raise awareness about the political absurdities currently swirling around us. Here's another; though Obama's cronies are trying to downplay the idea of "Death Panels" associated with the health care plan under congressional consideration, one must not take their objections seriously.

It has come to light in Britain that sick people are being placed with great regularity on the "fast track" toward death. Wasn't it former senator Tom Daschle (among others) who made headlines by saying it was the duty of old people to get out of the way and die?

They are trying to put nice, sweet euphemisms in place of what they are really doing. They are killing people before their time. What kind of monsters have we become?

The GovernmentCan! Awesome Video!

2009-09-01T23:19:00.000-07:00

This is a great one I saw at Frugal Café Blog Zone; more words are not needed! Watch and enjoy, spread it around!

It's Not America Anymore

2009-09-01T20:46:00.000-07:00

This is a must-see video. A police officer in Reston, Virginia, tells a protester to get rid of his anti-Obama poster. When the man tries to assert his Constitutionally protected right to free speech, and reminds the officer that "this is the United States of America", the officer responds "it ain't anymore".

We are in seriously frightening times in this country. The political actions we are seeing mirror what the Nazis did before World War II in Germany; I have it on good authority from one who was a young adult at the time. The sun is setting on our freedoms and there is a huge contingent of wack-job socialists who think it's a good idea.

PASS IT ON, PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THIS!

Clarity On Kennedy

2009-08-28T10:17:00.000-07:00

The editors over at National Review have captured the political life and legacy of Ted Kennedy in a well-laid-out, non-emotional piece.

Check it out; the Mainstream Media is certainly NOT going to be truthful about the late Senator.

Confusion Abounds

2009-08-27T21:03:00.001-07:00

There are a lot of rumors floating around the Internet regarding the shortage of natural thyroid medication.

Some who have been in contact with the FDA say it is due to past problems with a heparin compound that was recalled because it contained ingredients manufactured in China and contaminated with the same melamine that became known for killing countless thousands of pets back in 2007.

Some say the shortage is due to FDA halting production until such time as the drugs can go through the FDA approval process, even though (as others say) the drugs are supposed to be grandfathered.

I sure hope someone gets with the program and puts an end to all of this. Bottom line is, a lot of us are going to get sick. If this is even a shadow of how things will be under Obamacare, we all need to be afraid.

Thank You, Defenders of Freedom

2009-08-26T20:43:00.000-07:00

I ran across this video today at the Sister Toldjah blog; moved me to tears, and as the parent of an American Infantryman (just out of the military) I appreciate the call to express our gratitude to those who do the hard work of defending our freedoms. 'Nuf said.

I Thought I Hit The End...Then...

2009-08-26T11:50:00.000-07:00

I was sitting in my chair this morning with the obligatory second cup of coffee. I love my morning coffee ritual; it is soothing and comforting, especially when my husband is out of town as he is today. I pondered the Internet and checked all my RSS feeds, nothing new. I looked at Google News, nothing new. I checked out Fox News, nada over there either.

Then my daughter sent me the most amazing link. I wondered how I had survived more than 15 years of Internet without seeing THIS IS WHY YOURE FAT. Be sure to go through all the pages, lots of creative stuff there.

If all that fatty, awful food grossed you out, get over it with a visit to CUTE OVERLOAD !

How Can They Do This? May I Scream Now?

2009-08-19T16:56:00.000-07:00

RANT WARNING!

I am in utter disbelief. The companies HERE and HERE that make my thyroid medication will not be able to get it into my pharmacy until 3 months from now. Do they have any idea what is going to happen to thyroid patients all over the USA? It is outrageous that they can play with our lives and health this way.

It took me YEARS of struggle and experimentation before I finally started feeling reasonably well after contracting thyroid disease. Doctors drag their feet diagnosing it, and don't do a very good job addressing treatment.

This is why I would suggest (and I don't know if it's legal or not) that thyroid patients everywhere stockpile at least a 3-month supply AT ALL TIMES.

For more information on the problem you can read HERE. Mary Shomon has done a great job staying on top of the problem.

Seriously. Would they do this to diabetics? If a diabetic cannot get insulin they will be dead VERY QUICKLY. Is this what the brave new world of health care is coming to?

End of rant.

Obama! Hope and Change Are Here!

2009-08-17T15:26:00.000-07:00

A great Obama video here:

Death Panels? Did Someone Mention Death Panels?

2009-08-09T17:57:00.000-07:00

Michelle Malkin has a great discussion of the death panels that are supposedly not in the healthcare bill. Check it out.

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

A Doctor Discusses the Health Care Bill

2009-08-09T17:32:00.000-07:00

Be sure to check out this website where a doctor has given a brief, but clear-headed discussion of healthcare bill highlights.

This is the most far-reaching, freedom-destroying legislation we have ever faced in this country. If we get this jammed down our throats, our freedom is all but dead.

My relatives did not shed their blood on many foreign lands to defend the likes of this.

Operation Go Flag Yourself

2009-08-08T19:07:00.000-07:00

The government has asked citizens to rat out their neighbors, friends, and internet places they frequent. The government wants to go after people engaging in free speech as they protest the coming healthcare legislation.

Let's save or friends the trouble and rat on ourselves. Send your confession to the government box at flag@whitehouse.gov .

Scary Mobs Coming to a Town-Hall Near You

2009-08-08T14:21:00.001-07:00

Oh boy, the democrats are making a big deal out of the scary hooligans who are disrupting discussion on their proposed health care plan.

You can see them here if you didn't click on the post title.

There are outrageous things going on in this country that are dismantling our Constitution. Why is the outrage buried by the Main-Stream Media?

American Thinker Blog: Obama's birth certificate and the real issues

2009-08-08T13:54:00.001-07:00

This link American Thinker Blog: Obama's birth certificate and the real issues is a must-read in these difficult political times, as is this one American Thinker Blog: Obama's revealing body language (updated and expanded)).

This country is in big trouble.

Shared via AddThis

Yikerooni!

2009-07-07T00:14:00.000-07:00

As I was checking out my hit counter I noticed my Christmas countdown. Only 170 days left until Christmas!

Being without income we didn't do gifts last Christmas; I made pajamas for everyone though. We had a lot of fun even without presents! Maybe I'll skip the Christmas shopping this year too! At least it will be a choice and not because I have to.

It's Been So Long...

2009-07-07T00:02:00.000-07:00

It's been a very long time since I've posted here, and I don't really know why I haven't written. So, here I am. I guess I left off with the great plumbing leak of '09, that was all resolved.

The big exciting news today is that my dear hubby's first paycheck in over NINE MONTHS just went into the bank tonight. I did not think it would be a big deal but it was an emotional moment for me to see that deposit in the account history. I can't believe I sat in front of my computer monitor and CRIED! Silly me.

I am grateful for the grace of God who gave us peace through this scary time. We learned we can say "if the Lord intends for us to lose everything, so be it" and we can really mean it.

That's all I'm going to say for tonight, it's way past time for sleep!

Collateral Thinking

2009-01-14T12:28:00.000-08:00

An amazing thing happened this morning. Most of the world would probably laugh derisively that I assign any importance to this, but to me it is an almost imperceptible sign that in the midst of our struggle to make wise decisions as our financial security wanes, (among other issues!)the Lord is at work keeping His promise to meet our needs.

Around mid-morning I busied myself in the kitchen wiping crumbs, stacking dirty dishes in anticipation of later having 20 minutes of running water, and making a fluffy pureé out of canned cat food. No, we have not been reduced to eating cat food; I do this for our dear little cat whose teeth no longer allow her to chew.

As I worked, I was thinking about the problems we are working, and acknowledging that our struggles are nowhere near the struggles of others. The thought also came to me that there is nothing I could suffer that is in any way as awful as what our Savior went through just before He went to the cross; in my minds eye I pictured Him kneeling in Gethsemane praying to the Father..."And he said, 'Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will'."

Close to noon my husband broke away from the computer where he had spent the morning searching and applying for jobs. We assembled a small lunch and sat down at the table to eat. Before turning off the television news, he watched tape of the morning's opening at the stock market accompanied by discussion of the current economic crises. He turned to me and said (I kid you not) "I just had an interesting thought this morning...I was thinking about whether there was anyone in the world I'd trade places with right now, and there really isn't anyone. All of our struggles could be lifted in a moment. There are so many people whose pain can't be fixed in this world; there are so many people suffering so much worse than we are...then I thought about Jesus in the garden praying... we aren't facing anything like that."

Let the world laugh, between the two of us we had a misty-eyed moment and felt the comfort of the Lord being nearby. I need nothing more than that for this day!

The End Of The Internet

2009-01-14T10:35:00.000-08:00

This morning I sat down at the computer. Newly poured cup of steaming, aromatic coffee at my elbow and tiny space heater at my feet, I settled in and prepared to surf.

Clicking to my first stop, I caught up on the latest news in the post-post-evangelical world. I moved on to some wonderfully inspirational blogs, checked out what's new in Indian cooking, then went into the job-seeking routine. Craigslist, newspaper want-ads, local employer websites and the state unemployment department yielded nothing today so I wondered what to look at next.

I could think of nothing else I wanted to read. Did you ever feel that strange sense of realization that there might actually be an end to the Internet? That, considering the endless supply of websites out there, it might actually be possible to run out of things to read?

Maybe it's just my frame of mind this morning. Maybe it's spring fever. The rare-for-Oregon stretch of dry days we have right now are turning my mind to the garden. I think I have time to go outdoors and prune roses, grapes, apple and pear trees.

I'm on my way!

Descent of Man and Boy...

2009-01-10T22:28:00.000-08:00

Today the men in my life braved the dark, cramped space under our house in search of the elusive water leak. It took them some time but they finally found it. They tried to close the hole with solder but couldn't do it so we still do not have running water. My son says the space is to cramped for my husband to get to, so we're not quite sure what we're going to do now.

We cannot afford the hundreds of dollars it would take to have a professional make repairs, so it looks like we're going to have at least another week of water rationing.

Situations like this sure make one appreciate the simple pleasure of brushing teeth or washing hands thoroughly. The same for laundry and dishes.

And I am starting to feel like some unseen, sinister force is working to make my life increasingly uncomfortable. I have hurt myself in the most unimaginably strange ways this last week or so! I want to crawl into my bed and hide under the covers till the siege is over.

I still say, "Be Ye Glad!" Here are the lyrics I promised (and another link to the video in case you didn't catch my post from yesterday):

Be Ye Glad

Words and Music by M.K.Blanchard
© Gotz Music/Benson
(860) 673-5100

In these days of confused situations.
In these nights of a restless remorse,
When the heart and the soul of the nation,
lay wounded and cold as a corpse.
From the grave of the innocent Adam,
comes a song bringing joy to the sad.
Oh your cry has been heard and the ransom,
has been paid up in full, Be Ye Glad.

(Chorus)

Oh, Be Ye Glad, Be Ye Glad,
Every debt that you ever had
Has been paid up in full by the grace of the Lord,
Be Ye Glad, Be Ye Glad, Be Ye Glad.

From the dungeon a rumor is stirring.
You have heard it again and again.
But this time the cell keys are turning,
and outside there are faces of friends.
And though your body lay weary from wasting,
and your eyes show the sorrow they've had.
Oh the love that your heart is now tasting
has opened the gate, Be Ye Glad.

(Chorus)

So be like lights on the rim of the water,
giving hope in a storm sea of night.
Be a refuge amidst the slaughter,
for these fugitives in their flight.
For you are timeless and part of a puzzle.
You are winsome and young as a lad.
And there is no disease or no struggle,
that can pull you from God, Be Ye Glad.

(Chorus)

Waterless Woes

2009-01-10T09:21:00.000-08:00

My house is a mess. My halls are lined with 5-gallon water jugs, storage boxes and other assorted debris. Everywhere we go we trip over something. What happened?

I opened my water bill the other day and was unpleasantly surprised by the balance owing. Why had my winter usage increased significantly from summer? We are not maintaining a garden, we are taking fewer showers, our household has decreased by one member. It doesn't make sense!

Not long after viewing the bill, dear offspring number 4 reported that she heard noise in the walls as if someone had left a hose on. Granted, I sometimes do leave the hose running after filling my chicken waterers, but after examining the faucets we determined there were none open. "There's a leak somewhere" said my husband. "The water meter is spinning like crazy and there are no water outlets turned on."

We scoured the house searching for puddles or stains but found nothing. We did discovered a "rushing" sound emanating from the floor vent in our kitchen. "Got to be a pipe under the house" said my husband. "I'm going down to look." To reach the access door we had to empty our bedroom's walk-in closet of storage boxes, bags of clothing, piles of shoes, old kids' toys, a stack of unframed posters, stuffed animals, the huge box containing my wedding dress. That done, Les went into the abyss.

Thirty minutes later his dust-covered body emerged, grunting, from the crawl-space. He said he saw nothing but that he did not get as far as the kitchen. The crawl-space access is at the opposite end of the house from the kitchen and the space under our house is very confining. We would need to send our wraith-like son down there if we wanted to see more. Dear son no longer lives with us and we would have to wait a couple of days till it was convenient for him to get here.

Recalling a leak outside near the water meter several years ago that cost us plenty, Les decided to dig a trench and check the repair. After opening a 4-foot deep by 4-foot long trench he found the old repair holding but a root had punctured another section of pipe. We turned off the water at the street and shlepped over to the local home improvement emporium for a couple of parts. At 6:30 PM the store was devoid of customers, but we encountered sales people at every turn asking "Can I help you?" I sized them up one after the other...too big, too young, too old. "Nope," I think to myself, "you can't get under my house." It was dark by the time we got home; the leak could not be fixed till the next day, but we figured we could do without water for one night.

Next morning my dear husband went out and battled stiff and uncooperative pipes. "I hate plumbing!" he declared, repeating a mantra developed over 32 years of home ownership. Despite the negative sentiments he persevered to completion. We confidently turned the water back on at the meter and watched. The repair was holding! We looked at the meter and saw it spinning; we returned to the kitchen floor vent where the sound of rushing water met our anxious ears.

Suspicion turned to the valves under the kitchen sink and pipes feeding the dishwasher. We've had mysterious water there before. Investigation proved the 20-year old dishwasher to be leaking badly, and the wood underneath it beginning to rot. We decided the dishwasher was not worth repairing and yanked it out.

We are on our third day with no running water, we can only turn it on at the meter long enough to fill jugs; then off it goes again. In our fourth month of unemployment we have no money for plumbers, no idea where the leak is, and now a gaping hole where my dishwasher used to be.

I am reminded that I am to be thankful in all things. If we look for them, we can find things for which we ought to be thankful in spite of difficult circumstances. I have much for which I can give thanks.

I have a song ringing in my head right now; it is another song from that wonderful ensemble, Glad. The title of the song is "Be Ye Glad".

I'll post the words in another blogpost but here is a link to the Youtube video:

2008-12-23T22:06:00.000-08:00

Here is one of my other favorite songs from the Glad "A Capella Christmas" album. Follow along and enjoy this one too! Glory to God in the Highest!

GLORY TO GOD
by Bob Kauflin

Glory to God in the highest!
Glory to God in the highest!
Glory to God! Glory to God!

Glory to God in the highest!
Peace on the earth to men.

With whom He is pleased.
With whom He is pleased.
Glory to God in the highest!

For unto you is born this day
A Savior who is Christ the Lord.
Unto you is born this day
A Savior who is Christ the Lord.

2008-12-23T22:03:00.001-08:00

Here is a great one for Christmas from my favorite group called Glad. Enjoy! Follow along with the lyrics, published below the video link. Awesome.

In the first light of a new day
No one knew He had arrived
Things continued as they had been
While a newborn softly cried

But the heavens wrapped in wonder
Knew the meaning of His birth
In the weakness of a baby
They knew God had come to earth

As His mother held Him closely
It was hard to understand
That her baby not yet speaking
Was the Word of God to man

He would tell them of His Kingdom
But their hearts would not believe
They would hate Him and in anger
They would nail Him to a Tree

But the sadness would be broken
As the Song of Life arose
And the Firstborn of Creation
Would ascend and take His Throne

He had left it to redeem us
But before His life began
He knew He'd come back
Not as a baby but as
The Lord of every man

Hear the Angels as they're singing
On the morning of His birth
But how much greater will their song be
When He comes again, when He comes again

Hear the Angels as they're singing
On the morning of His birth
But how much greater will their song be
When He comes again to Earth

When He comes, When He comes
When He comes to rule the earth

When He comes back
When He comes back
To Rule the earth

Still Looking...

2008-11-26T12:22:00.000-08:00

We are still looking, striking out everywhere we go. This is a bad time for the rebellion.

Honestly, there are a lot of people out of work right now and the competition is quite fierce. I am thankful that though we live in very humble circumstances, we don't owe anyone except our mortgagor.

Wishing anyone who reads here today a very warm and peaceful Thanksgiving time. Though times are tough, we have so much for which to be thankful!

I thank God for my loving family, a roof over my head, and food on the table. Even if it's beans and rice, every vegetarian knows that combination offers all the essential amino acids! I am also thankful to be part of the family of God. In the end, that is all that really matters.

Job-Hunting

2008-11-10T22:00:00.000-08:00

Well, if anyone is reading here and knows of anyone looking for a broken-down old home school mom who is good on the computer and has a smattering of bookkeeping knowledge, please let me know!

We became totally unemployed in September and the entire family is now looking for work to keep the bills paid and the youngest in college.

Say a prayer for us, please!

How Many Sleeps Till Christmas...

2008-10-13T00:23:00.000-07:00

I was poking around the Internet tonight looking for inspiring ideas for the holidays when I came across several websites featuring widgets that count the days, hours and minutes until Christmas.

I was distressed to see there are, at this writing, only 72 days left until Christmas. I am not ready for this. This year has been somewhat chaotic in my life. I thought 2007 was bad, 2008 is worse! Sickness, lots of travel, kids moving out, husband leaving job. I'm just not ready for Christmas!

I am, however, ready to annoy all my friends and family with it by placing countdown widgets on my blog. Not that the world will notice; in over a year I've had only 239 visitors and most of those views were probably generated by my incessant previewing after placing new items in the sidebar.

That's about all I have to say for now. I'm tired and ready for sleep. I have a big day tomorrow, getting the house ready for a sitter and getting ready for my big airplane trip.

Good-night everyone!

Good night
Sleep Tight
Don't let the
Bed bugs bite

And if they do
Take your Shoe
Beat 'em till
They're black and blue.

Emptying The Nest

2008-09-24T21:20:00.000-07:00

The house is empty tonight except for my husband and me. All four of my children are spending the night at the new home of the oldest two. I am colliding inescapably with one of the brutal truths of motherhood. After 28 years as a mom, my home will soon be nearly empty. We had a taste of that change when our firstborn marched off to war 4 years ago; today our oldest daughter makes *her* first flight into a new life. I thought I was ready, however I am unprepared for the conflicting emotion with which I now sit. (How am I doing, English-major daughter?)

I am crying at the drop of a hat. Where does that come from? I should be rejoicing that my children are finding their way into the world! Dear daughter number three will not be far behind number two. I feel such emptiness anticipating that thought!

There will be three of us left at home, but of course the youngest will be off at school much of the time, and off with her young sweetheart as often as possible as well.

Who will eat my cooking experiments? Who cares if I even cook? Can I keep my vegetarian ways when the other two are meat-a-saurs? Who will help me choose my hair and cheek colors? Who will tell me the glasses I am considering are actually awfully dorky and I should look at a different style? Who will help me remember where I parked the car when I am finished shopping at Costco?

In the "before-times" I wore tans and blues; everything in my closet was tones of neutral. My children encouraged color. They encouraged me to be bright and bold. Do I go back into browns?

All these years of loving and teaching, I thought I was building them. I find that they have also built so much into me.

I know, it's a natural and necessary change. I am proud of the people my children have become and want them to be happy and independent. For the first time I understand fully the tearful smiles and the wistful, lingering looks I received from my parents as they left me at my college dormitory when I was 18 years old. For them, an adventure was ending; for me it was just beginning.

So, I prayerfully enter this next phase of my life with some sadness, but I know the Lord is with me and will not allow me to wallow long in my self-pity!

This probably sounds really dumb, but it's how I'm feeling right now and it's my blog...so I'm posting it and will probably have updates soon!

Young Mom Needs Help

2008-09-03T12:48:00.000-07:00

Of the many blogs I read, one that has been especially fun for me is called Cooking 4 All Seasons . This blog by a young woman named Srivalli is about Indian cooking. My family has developed a love of Indian food prompted by my husband's close working relationship with some wonderful people from India, and I have learned so much reading Srivalli's blog!

I'm writing this little post to support Srivalli's effort to help the young mom who works in her home. What a blessing it would be to help this young mom get the heart surgery she so desperately needs. If anyone is actually reading here, please say a prayer for Lakshmi and her family, and if you are so moved maybe you can send a little help her way. Just click the link in the little box at the top left of my page.

(Edit added October 12, 2008: I've removed the link, the fundraiser now over. About half the needed funds were collected.)

Fiber Isn't Just for Geriatrics

2008-07-20T12:51:00.000-07:00

You've heard all the jokes about old people and prune juice. But I want to drive home the point that if you take care of yourself when you are younger, you have a good chance of protecting yourself from some of the degenerative problems that plague older people. Take care of your colon!

I repeat what the professionals are saying: get your colonoscopies and eat lots of fiber; you need a minimum of 25-30 grams daily, most people probably don't get half that amount. Drink lots of water. Get some exercise. These will help contribute to a happy colon! Believe me, when your colon ain't happy neither are you.

Check out this list showing the fiber content of common foods. Measure your diet against it, print it and carry it with you. It is surprising how challenging it is to get enough fiber from diet alone especially if you are of low metabolism like me and must eat many fewer calories than most normal people.

If you have bowel issues, be sure to check out Heather's Help for IBS website. Even if you don't have IBS, she has some great info on bowel health. It's really important to think about!

I was standing in the laxative aisle yesterday to pick up some fiber (aside: am I the only one to see the irony in selling laxatives in the incontinence aisle?) , and there were some young women standing there looking puzzled (and uncomfortable abou being in that aisle), poring over the laxatives. I wanted to shake them and tell them to get fiber instead! Laxatives are a short-term solution to an immediate problem, and shouldn't be used continuously. Fiber will keep you going (under most normal circumstances of course)!

Looking over the array of available fiber supplements can be daunting; I've found few that I like the look of. It is difficult to find supplements that aren't loaded with calories from sugar, or loaded with artificial sweeteners, colors and flavors. There are two types of fiber and we need both. Insoluble is found in whole grains; wheat and rice bran, flaxseed, vegetables. Insoluble fiber provides the laxative effect; it speeds things through your colon. Soluble fiber is found in fruits, oats, beans. There is soluble fiber in Fibersure or Heather's organic Acacia Tummy Fiber. Citrucel (methylcellulose) is also soluble. Metamucil contains both soluble and insoluble but some folks just don't like the texture; it doesn't bother me and I use it. Metamucil has the advantage of feeding your intestinal flora.

There are some chewables out there that look pretty good. FiberChoice sugar free looks nice, not sweetened with sugar nor with artificial sweeteners (though it does contain some coloring). It's a great one to tuck into your purse or pocket, easy to travel with if you don't want to cart powders halfway around the world with you.

OH! I almost forgot Unifiber, a new one on the market that does not have to be kept apart from your other medicines. That is a great feature! The only place I found it around here was Walgreen's.

Feel free to mix and match as long as your total daily dosage ends up being the one that's right for you. I use the clear-mixing powder in my morning smoothie, take the caplets with lunch, toss back a Metamucil chaser with dinner. I'll be carrying some chewables in my purse in case I'm eating out or traveling and away from my regular products. Not easy to mix that tall drink while sitting in an airplane. And as always, I will eat my fresh fruits, veggies, and whole grains.

Not a subject we like to talk about over lunch, maybe that should change!

DISCLAIMER: I am not a doctor or medical professional, remember these are the observations of someone who is finding things that are helping ME. I cannot make personal recommendations for you, be sure to discuss these issues with your own doctor. I have not been paid to plug any particular products, just telling people what *I* like.

I Almost Forgot!

2008-07-20T11:46:00.000-07:00

After finalizing my colonoscopy post, I realize I forgot to tell you...sounds like there is nothing too bad going on in there. No polyps or cancer, no ulcers, just a few diverticula and some scarring where the diverticulitis infection was. Doc says that's what's causing me to have continued pain, he thinks it should fade by 6 months time. I hope so.

You Know He Love You When...

2008-07-17T09:01:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week I experienced one of the "rites of passage" to senior citizenry. People are urged at the age of 50 years to submit themselves to a colonoscopy. Many delay it, others choose to avoid it completely. I was in the latter group (ignorance is bliss, right?) until my painful diverticulitis attack in May.

I won't chronicle the scientific details or give a play-by-play of my own event. You can watch a video at the Mayo clinic link in the previous paragraph, or any of many entertaining videos on YouTube. Information abounds on the Internet, as well as horror stories.

I was very nervous for many days before this test. I am a control freak, and the idea that I do not have consciousness of what is happening to me (and thus do not have input to any decisions made *about* me) is difficult to accept. For the five days before the test I followed the doctor's instruction sheet to the letter, and more; no nuts or foods with whole seeds, no lettuce, no cabbage, no spinach. No popcorn, my favorite snack! I totally gave up eating for three days (not just one, as recommended) so I would be nice and empty before using the "clean-out" solution. This, on top of eating so little the last two months I have now lost 30 pounds. Believe me, I was hungry and very thirsty when I arrived at the endoscopy center! How stressed was I? My blood pressure was 150/100. I'm usually 120/70.

The sweetest thing about the whole thing is that my dear husband got up at 4:00 in the morning so he could take care of his demanding clients before my 8:00 AM appointment. The test is only about 30 minutes in good circumstances, but there is a good bit of waiting before it starts and a bit after it's over. He spent 3 hours just waiting with me. While we were in the pre-procedure waiting mode, I sitting on the hospital bed in hospital gown and tied to IV and patient husband nearby, he reached into his laptop case and pulled out (insert shocked gasp here) A KING-SIZE SNICKER BAR!

"How dare you bring that here!" I exclaimed. "How dare you even SHOW that thing to me in my current state of starvation!" He teased me with it for a bit of time, then tucked it into the sheet folded at my feet. He said, "Emergency rations for you." Bless his heart, he brought it for me!

The nice people let it stay on the bed with me while I was carted into the exam room, they placed it with my clothing on a little shelf built in to the underside of the bed while doing the procedure, and retrieved it for me when I was awake. They wheeled me to the recovery area and brought my husband from the waiting room. He immediately opened that Snicker bar and gave me the first bite.

I am blessed to have this man as my husband and my friend. He looks out for me, loves me when I am least lovable, makes me laugh. He calms me when I am afraid, helps me solve problematic issues practically when I would run on pure emotion, keeps me from obsessing on things that just don't matter. He reminds me that God is in control when I get angry at the things I can NOT control. The Bible says husbands are to "love their wives as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it..." My husband lives this out every day. I am thankful for this precious gift.

Feeling Very Old...

2008-05-20T08:44:00.000-07:00

For anyone reading who wants to read neither an organ recital nor a rant about an organ recital, please skip this post!

As the title says, I feel very old right now. I know, I should feel old. I AM old. When will I get that through my head? I'm over 50 and should expect all this decay to be catching up with me. Up to now I've always had lots of drive, energy and endurance able to hold out against kids much younger than I. Always able to do the "big jobs" with energy to spare. Between thyroid crashes, that is!

Until recently. I've had more bouts with sickness in the last six months than I think I've had in the last six years. Every cold bug that's gone around town, I've managed to catch. And not bounce back from. I've lost almost 10 days every time. When that norovirus outbreak hit nearby? I think I had that too, and I wasn't back to full speed for a full two weeks! I thought I'd never been so sick in my life.

Then two weeks ago, another bug. Or so I thought. You know the drill, aches and pains and fever that send you to bed. Then came the worst cramps I ever had. Well, they tell me it's diverticulitis. That it is allegedly a "lifestyle" disease. It is supposed to happen to people who live on white bread, fast food, no fresh fruits and vegetables. Did anyone tell this disease that I am working on living a more vegetarian lifestyle full of all the recommended whole grains, fruits, veggies, and legumes? I don't drink soda pop. I rarely do fast food (less than once a month!). I don't eat from the Costco freezer much anymore either. I'm a good girl and take vitamins, minerals, and fish oil.

The cure is as bad as the disease! The antibiotics make me nauseous and keep me wide awake at night, the pain killer (Vicodin, no less!) gives me a headache and doesn't kill pain. Then there's the liquid diet. I've been doing liquids for 5 days now.

I guess I'll be living on Metamucil for the rest of my life. I don't ever want to go through this again!

The real insult? I've been struggling to lose some extra pounds added over the last couple of years. After a week of minimal eating, and almost another week of water, tea, broth and gelatin, how does my body repay me? Not an ounce has come off. (sigh)

This is going to be a real spiritual struggle for me. I want to think I deserve to do as well as my mom who, at 81, has no health issues outside of glaucoma and macular degeneration (both well controlled, thankfully!). But in truth, what do any of us deserve?

We deserve the complete and utter wrath of God (the wages of sin) . It is only by His mercy and grace that we have anything good in our lives, and the wiser choice is to be grateful for what He has done and that He has withheld from us what we really deserve.

End of rant!

Check out this great quote on Christian growth from the team at Pyromaniacs.

A Strong Call for Homeschooling

2008-04-25T06:49:00.000-07:00

I read a number of blogs on a regular basis; Ingrid Schlueter's "Hope In Laodicea" is one of my favorites. In this morning's blog post Ingrid shared the story of a little 7-year old boy who has been violently bullied at his school several times over the last year.

Sadly these events are no longer rare occurrences, they have become part of the normal environment for far too many schoolchildren. This is criminal!!! If a child had come to school after receiving at home the kind of injuries this little boy suffered at the hands of other children, child protective services would have invaded his home and removed him to foster care!

What is it going to take to get parents to yank their kids out of the schools and protect them from this? The schools won't do it, their hands are tied by government regulations! The educational establishment is so intent on trying to offend no one that they are willing to sacrifice precious children to this kind of abuse.

Homeschooling is not the great mystery many of my friends thought it was. I did it with my 4 children and I am here to tell you that if I in all my weaknesses could do it, any loving parent can do it. Was it easy? No. But the difficulties were NOT in the educating. The difficulties came from the challenges of living within the means of one income. It was incredibly hard to live in a tiny house (the best we could afford on one income) with 4 active little ones. It was difficult doing without a lot of the things that other families have and do (fast food restaurants, large wardrobes, nice furniture, even top-notch curriculum packages).

Blogger and author Tim Challies wrote a book review that addresses nicely the issue of covetousness. I struggled with this as a homeschool mom! In retrospect, I would not change a thing. The Lord has been so gracious to us and met our needs all along the way. Isn't that all He promised us?

I strongly challenge all parents (especially Christian parents!) to seriously consider homeschooling. It is time to take our children back from an educational establishment that actively works against everything we believe in, and stands aside while children are brutalized. There are some great books out there that can be helpful in making the homeschooling decision. Check out:

Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling (read an excerpt here)

Who Owns the Children?: Compulsory Education and the Dilemma of Ultimate Authority

For the Children's Sake: Foundations of Education for Home and School

There are plenty of veteran homeschoolers who would be happy and willing to help out any family desiring to take the plunge into educating their children; I certainly would offer my help and encouragement. I realize there are exceptions, but in general the schools are no more than government brain-washing camps. It is high time to stop giving them public schools a free pass while we still can, they have much to answer for.

Sin & Temptation Chapter 7

2008-01-04T21:12:00.000-08:00

I tried writing a brilliant response then lost everything I wrote to a sudden power outage. It must not have been brilliant at all and I will be thankful to be spared any embarrassment.

I enjoyed this chapter perhaps more than all those already discussed. Though the main point is simple, it brings to mind so many things most of which are already covered here by others.

When Owen talked about unregenerate people who try to kill sin, one immediate thought was about some of my children’s Christian friends. They demand that their associates cease all their worldly behaviors because they feel as Christians they should not have to be exposed to cursing, etc. They are demanding that the “unregenerate” behave as “regenerate” not for the sake of the sinners, but simply for the comfort of the “saved”. I know Blackaby’s “Knowing God” is in some disfavor among Reformed types, but I took one thought away from that that had great meaning for me; we should not be cursing the darkness for doing what it is supposed to do…being dark! Rather it is our job to be salt and light, to proclaim Christ wherever and whenever we can.

One more thought. I was reading recently at Slice where Ingrid shared a quote from Paris Reidhead out of the book Getting Evangelicals Saved. Paris was a notable preacher from the mid 20th century and he called for a one to two-year moratorium on preaching the “plan of salvation”. He said:

“Then I would call on everyone who has use of the airways and the pulpits to preach the holiness of God, the righteousness of God and the law of God, until sinners would cry out, ‘What must we do to be saved?’

Since beginning to read this book I have developed a deep grief for all those who will be lost because the church has designed itself to be inoffensive to the world. I understand now more than ever how hard it is to get into the kingdom. In Matthew 7:13-14 Jesus said , “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”

I pray the church in America will wake up and stop following after fads. Everything we need is in the Word of God.

Warfare

2007-12-21T07:47:00.000-08:00

Our hardy band of readers has finished Chapter 6 in "Overcoming Sin and Temptation: of the Mortification of Sin in Believers."

This chapter was so rich I’m not sure where to focus!

Loren, I loved your “sin as ticking time-bomb” picture. I got the same feeling but would not have been able to describe it as well.

One of my great moments in this chapter was in the chapter sub-heading, “Mortification Consists in a Habitual Weakening of Sin.”

In this section I understood why I have failed to overcome some troubling sins; seeking them out and killing them has not been a habit. Perhaps because I’ve never had a good sense of just how dangerous, destructive and sneaky even the smallest of sins are; of course any sin is abhorrent to God but I, like many, tend to compare my sins to the sins of others and think “I’m not so bad”.

I’m sure I represent a large body of believers who live our lives as if the sins which plague us are something we do not think about until one jumps up in surprise attack. I know how often I have walked through my days in a sort of “ignorant bliss” when I think I am doing well; then how hard I fall when the serpent strikes! I then feel betrayed because I have mistaken sin’s inactivity for sin’s death.

Reading this book has forced me to be thinking about sin on a daily basis. I like this! I realize how our comfortable lives in North America distract us from the important work of rooting out sin.

I appreciate war analogies when considering this subject. I have many military members in my family including my son who spent a year in one of the most dangerous places in Iraq. In war it is most important to study the enemy; the better one knows one’s enemy, the greater chance one has for success because his moves can be anticipated and crushed before he makes them. My son lived in a state of constant alertness. He and his fellow soldiers could not even go to the bathroom without donning their full body armor. Things we take for granted and pass by without thinking (such as roadside litter) were objects of danger for these soldiers; a plastic bag could kill.

I often feel like Don, as if I were the one on the cross struggling and growing weaker; at times I feel like such a failure and just want to give up the fight.

This chapter has spurred me to get back to memorizing scripture. When Satan was allowed to tempt Jesus in the desert, our Lord answered “It is written…” I’m very sure the more scripture we carry in our heads the more weapons we have in our arsenal against our particular sins. For me, because my quick tongue is a huge problem, I’m going to attempt the book of James!

I’ve loved reading everyone’s thoughts. I wish you all a wonderful Christmas.

Killing Sin: Our Own Power, Or God's Power?

2007-12-13T09:16:00.000-08:00

My thoughts for chapter 5 of "Overcoming Sin & Temptation" are very short. The whole of Psalm 78 is filled with history of God's people rebelling, receiving punishment and returning to God. Owen quotes verses 32-37, a good summary of the Psalm.

I think the verses that follow Owen's quote (vs. 38-42) add important meaning:

We will never successfully mortify any sin in our lives unless we have a good sense of the holiness of God against which to contrast our sinful nature. Without that we done as Owen's sinner;

"...to his former iniquity he has added cursed hypocrisy, and is now on a safer path to hell than he was before. He has got another heart than he had, that is more cunning; not a new heart, that is more holy".

Sin and Temptation Chapter 4

2007-12-07T11:44:00.000-08:00

I started this chapter several times before I began to get understanding of it. I was only able to complete my reading this morning after putting all my real-life distractions to rest.

As one who maintains a large garden, I appreciated Owen's gardening analogy and have used that in the past though not as richly as Owen. I think of this year in particular when I was called to my mom's home to assist her after a fall which left her with a severely broken arm. After 4 weeks away from home, I returned to a garden in which I literally could not find half of the food-bearing plants! Though my husband was applying water he was unable to attend to the unwanted plants, thus only half the job was done. Weeds grow faster than fruiting plants and move in quickly for the kill. How like the sin in our lives; it is much harder work to kill the sin than to fill ourselves on the richness of God's word to make ourselves feel spiritual. And how quickly sin will choke out true spiritual fruit.

I chose this quote as a highlight of the week's reading: "Men that are sick and wounded under the power of lust make many applications for help; they cry to God when the perplexity of their thoughts overwhelms them, even to God do they cry, but are not delivered; in vain do they use many remedies--" How often do we hear of believers crying out to God for relief of sin's consequences without doing any work to destroy the sin in themselves? They attend church and Bible studies. They read self-help books, they seek counseling, they join support groups and may even take medication; joy and peace still elude them. In Psalm 66 the writer speaks of praising God for His great deeds; in verse 18 we read, "If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened."

This week's concept seems to come back to the simple statement "Be killing sin or it will be killing you."

Overcomers Indeed!

2007-11-30T08:05:00.000-08:00

I said I was going to post thoughts about my reading and haven't managed to get back here to do that. Writing takes work and I've been avoiding the effort in favor of easier activities; not to mention that my husband has been working from home a lot and it's harder to get at the computer during those times. That said, I have a bit to say after reading chapter 3 in "Overcoming Sin and Temptation".

This chapter was much slower reading than the first two, and I also spent time catching up with the forewords and introductions which slowed me down a little more. I read the first two chapters out of a different edition while waiting for my copy of this version from Amazon. I am glad to note the suggestion that reading aloud might be helpful; I am finding this to be true and am reading aloud at times, or slowly and silently while applying vocal inflections in my head.

Encouraging and instructive are two words that describe the effect of this chapter. I appreciate Owen's discussion of works as means to mortification and his discussion of why the Spirit does not do all the work, summed up when he says "He does not so work our mortification in us as not to keep it still an act of our obedience."

Though Owen is mainly pointing out errors in Catholic traditions and I am not Catholic (husband is ex-C), he enlightened me as to why I spent so many of my early Christian years in defeat and discouragement! I grew up in a non-denominational Bible church with teachings similar to Baptist churches. As a young Christian, I tried to do all the "duties" suggested in church. I tried having "quiet time" and keeping a journal. I joined discussion/self-help groups to try erasing self-defeating behaviors (and overcome a childhood trauma), went to "Bible Studies", read numerous books, used many devotional tools. I followed the instructions in a popular pamphlet suggesting we simply needed to pray daily to be "filled with the Spirit" and waited passively for it to happen. All these efforts were fruitless.

In those times I was not engaging in true obedience to the Lord; I was trying to copy other believers, please others, and put on the outward behaviors of a good Christian without knowing how to effect inward change. When I began teaching in a children's Bible-memory program in which my kids were enrolled, I began to study the Word itself.

In my terror of causing a little one (I know this applies not just to children, but to anyone young in the faith) to stumble, I studied hard so as to convey the best possible understanding to the children in my care. As a home-school mom, I also wanted to give the best I could to my own children. In that study, and in the memorization I began alongside my kids, the Lord worked a miracle in my heart. I began to *know Him* rather than simply *knowing about Him*. How simple it seems now!

As parents our job is to mold mature adults capable of independent living. To that end my husband and I applied the axiom "never do for your kids what they can do for themselves." Nonetheless, we needed to make sure they had good understanding of the required task as well as the tools for accomplishment. In this same way the Holy Spirit will not kill our sin for us while we passively await His intervention, but He will help us as we work to recognize our sin and then set about killing it from the roots up.

I am looking forward to reading the rest of this book. I'm going to see Mannheim Steamroller in their Christmas concert tonight and will have some wonderful "down-time" in our hotel room. I'm going to spend time mulling over more of this book!

Willow Creek Hosting Mystical Youth Conference?

2007-10-31T11:24:00.000-07:00

Watcher's Lamp: Willow Creek's Emergent & Mystical Youth Conference

This event reveals the disturbing influence of "emergent" thought upon the church (meaning the "body of Christ on earth"). Brian McLaren will be a keynote speaker at the conference, a man who seems to side-step the substitutionary atonement of Christ and instead espouses a gospel of works.

I hope anyone reading this little blog will do a little research and find out for themselves just what McLaren, Rob Bell, and others are really teaching.

Why on earth is the church accepting Eastern mysticism in its midst? Why are such notables as Bill Hybels welcoming this move? Don't they remember the warnings to the early Christians? Check out 2 Corinthians 6:13-15.

Is Anyone Out There?

2007-10-05T12:22:00.001-07:00

Hey...

If there is anyone actually reading here, I'd love it if you post a comment and tell me so.

Reading Christian Classics

2007-10-02T13:32:00.000-07:00

In response to this suggestion I have joined a group reading "Holiness: Its Nature, Hindrances, Difficulties, and Roots" by Dr. J.C. Ryle. I am a good ways behind the others who started at the end of August. I am looking forward to this adventure and hope others might read here and join in. I'll post thoughts here and there as I make my way through the book.

In Christ Alone Worship Video with Lyrics

2007-09-26T15:05:00.001-07:00

There are some nice versions of this "out there", I just randomly snagged this one because it includes visual of lyrics...one of my favorites.

Drive-through church

2007-09-18T12:48:00.001-07:00

Sadly, as funny as this is, there is a lot of truth in it. Too many churchgoers want fast-food church...

The Lame Blogger

2007-06-18T18:11:00.000-07:00

Wow. I can't believe it's been 9 months since I last made an entry to this blog.

It has been so long I couldn't remember my login name! Then I find out it has been changed to a google feature. Fancy that.

Hopefully I'll have something more intelligent to say at some point, I'm feeling a little like I'm lost in the desert after leaving a wonderful "job" (well, ministry really) at my church.

I'm always torn in situations like this...between wondering if I'm having to give it up because I failed the Lord in some way, or if instead it's because He has something else He wants me to move on to. LOL, my dear husband has been after me to stay home since last winter. Part of me wonders if the stumbles of the last couple of months were allowed into my life because I kept a stiff neck and tried too hard to hold on to something that wasn't really mine.

Guess I can ruminate on that some more later. Time to get some supper on the table! (For all you left-coasters, "supper" is mid-west talk for "dinner").

2006-09-29T21:34:00.000-07:00

Hello? Do I really have a blog? I'm new at this.

beachbirdies_cove

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How Can They Do This? May I Scream Now?

Obama! Hope and Change Are Here!

Death Panels? Did Someone Mention Death Panels?

A Doctor Discusses the Health Care Bill

Operation Go Flag Yourself

Scary Mobs Coming to a Town-Hall Near You

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Yikerooni!

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Collateral Thinking

The End Of The Internet

Descent of Man and Boy...

Waterless Woes

Still Looking...

Job-Hunting

How Many Sleeps Till Christmas...

Emptying The Nest

Young Mom Needs Help

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I Almost Forgot!

You Know He Love You When...

Feeling Very Old...

A Strong Call for Homeschooling

Sin & Temptation Chapter 7

Warfare

Killing Sin: Our Own Power, Or God's Power?

Sin and Temptation Chapter 4

Overcomers Indeed!

Willow Creek Hosting Mystical Youth Conference?

Is Anyone Out There?

Reading Christian Classics

In Christ Alone Worship Video with Lyrics

I LOVE My Water Heater (NOT!)