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Tuesday, November 22, 2005

Snow fall softly

Snow fall softly now. I am ready for your fluffiness to envelop me. Wind, rain and the gray colors of winter are here. I suppose the trees are still lookin' a bit spiffy but let's ignore that, I'm in a poetic mood. I want fluffy snow. That being said...Thanksgiving is almost here. We had a meal at my parent's house last Saturday with my parents, Travis, Erin and Herb. Our turkey and it's accesories were scrumptious. It's nice to enjoy and remember how our country began back with that first meal in 1621. God has done wonderful things for our country but how fast we forget them.

It's interesting to note that the Pilgrims did not like the Church of England. Thus, they left it and became the separatists. Whatever the reason, be it right or wrong, they were independent thinkers, people who were guided by their convictions and desire to live a life in the world but not a life that was of the word.

People have so many misconceptions about Pilgrims (puritans). We think for instance that they wore drab, unfashionable, boring clothes. We think that the puritans were against sex. The list goes on and on but I just picked out these two things. I think it's easy for Christians today to forget what the puritans stood for and really lived out. We like to put on our pietistic faces, dress in ultra-conservative or unfashionable clothes, look down on others sins and think how righteous we are in these works. The puritans were anything but unfashionable. Granted, the women's bellies and boosoms were probably not falling out of their clothes but they were fashionable and well dressed. They didn't go around in drab black clothing, that was just for Sundays. They dressed in the clothes and styles that were popular then: colorful clothes, powdered wigs, fancy coats and shoes. How about the Puritans and their view of sex? An influential Puritan leader said that sex was "one of the most proper and essential acts of marriage". There was a case of a Puritan woman complaining to her pastor and then to the whole congregation that her husband was neglecting their sex life and the church proceeded to excommunicate the man! Thomas Hooker wrote: " The man whose heart is endeared to the woman he loves...dreams of her in the night, hath her in his eye and apprehension when he awakes, museth on her as he sits at the table, walks with her when he travels...She lies in his bosom, and his heart trusts in her, which forceth all to confess that the stream of his affection, like a mighty current, runs with full tide and strength."

So, let's be like the Puritans..let's live in the world. On the surface the Puritans looked like anyone else you may see walking around (um, except for the Indians, and for the fact that they were in the wilderness of America alone.) but talk with them and look at their families, their way of living, their ordering in the home, the way they educated their children, their Sunday activities and you would see a stark contrast between them and the world they lived in. Oh, and most of this stuff I brought up is from a fantastic book: WORLDLY SAINTS: The Puritans As They Really Were by Leland Ryken. It's a fantastic book sure to inspire and encourage everyone in their faith while living in this world.

Thursday, November 10, 2005

ah, the chillins

I will say, learning is so much fun. When do kids loose that attitude? Anna certainly isn't coming even close to loosing it. When a little one begs you to read to them and teach them their lessons, it just sends a little spark shooting through your whole being. We are trying phonics again and it's going quite well. It's so awesome to see them sounding their sounds and first words out. She's taking a Science class at the Cottage School and has made some wonderfull things like the Body Book..pictures of bones, organs and muscles..and yesterday she made a nerve necklace. When she got into the car she was proud to inform me that nerves talk to each other. I took her to the Chiropractor the other day and she drew a cute little spine, with a head, hip bones and 2 legs!!! The artist has arrived. That seems to be her big thing she LOVES.
Caleb is fascinated by 2 things: talking and moving around. Does that sound familiar?? He loves to walk to the vitamin drawer first thing in the morning and point saying: "viiimeen, viimeen!!" I think he likes the Vitamin C's. Then he walks to the fridge and says"apo, apo!" (apple for those of you not fluent in baby-eese) then he likes to go and say "cheero, cheero" (cheerio)
Let's see, some other words he's been jabbin' for a while are: mamma, dadda, ball, milk, juice, "anna!!", no no, mine, down, c'mon, doggy, sasa (salsa), thank you, please, more, book, bible, and amen. I don't remember seeing kids talk so much so young, it's probably because Anna talks at him so much along with everyone else. He is the biggest ham in the world though and thinks he can get away with anything cause of his looks. HA!

Wednesday, November 09, 2005

blog about schools

Well, I'm already falling behind on my blogging. Now with a new schedule it should be a bit easier to keep it up.I have an hour or so of free quiet time in the morning now! Josh has decided to leave at 6:30 a.m for work every day to beat the traffic....which brings me to my blogging subject today. You see, we have a problem with traffic in Northern VA. Lots of development, lots of change. Now, there are those who wish to stop/curtail/restrict development mostly because of the congestion and a need for increasing public services..and this of course raises taxes. Wait!!! Did I say a need for increasing government services? What might these services entail? Government Education. We CANNOT have children learning in crowded classrooms or in *gasp* trailers!!!!!!!!!!!!! Nevermind that our Founding Fathers who were well-educated, principled, hardworking statesmen didn't have nice brick school houses with state of the art equipment, atriums and giant football fields. I guess it is because in 2005 education has everything to do with WHERE something is taught and not HOW it is taught. The schools in Loudoun county are very good...just look at them, they are nicer than my house! I'm sure they must be providing fantastic education to their customers.
Let's remember-MORE MONEY DOES NOT EQUAL A BETTER EDUCATION. Contact me and I can get you figures. Moreover, why should I have to pay for people to educate their children the way they want, I would certainly never expect them to pay for educating my children in the manner in which I choose.
A side issue to all this is that this monster, known as Public School, is growing and demanding so much money, it is affecting God's people carrying out the dominion mandate. Taxes are out of control. When do you think Republicans will stand up to that challenge?? Probably not.
As Martin Luther said: "I am afraid that the schools will prove to be the very gates of hell, unless they diligently labor in explaining the Holy Scriptures and engraving them in the hearts of the youth". Why can't our representatives in the political arena grasp these words and stand up to make a change?...hundreds of dollars a month in taxes for government schools is unacceptable.

Sunday, November 06, 2005

blog it up

blog it up

Blog It Up!

Hum, well here goes my first attempt at blogging. I don't really understand the point of blogging, especially if you aren't a well known, well respected person. Who really cares what I think? Maybe this is a result of our country's overly-fat sef-esteem issue. We think everyone wants to read what we have to say so we blog it up as if the whole word is waiting to read our opinion. Probably not. It may seem as though I am rather negative when it comes to blogging but here I am participating fully. Seems rather hypocrytical don't you think?

Truth be told, this is a great way to journal. I will admit, I can say more outrageous things because I can type much more than I can write in the same amount of time. This too provides ample incentive to Blog it Up.

Josh is at a Redskins game this evening. When children come along it's amazing how much you can enjoy quiet afternoons and evenings and not care if it's just you, a guitar, a piano, and a new blogspot. So, stay around, this will be the most exciting and fascinating blogspot you could ever lay your desperate little eyes on. And when you are done here check out www.worldnetdaily.com for your daily dose of what's REALLY going on in America.