License to have children

So random thought: I just wonder why you have to have a license to drive, to get married, to hunt, even to fish but anyone can have kids!
I realize all the politics involved in taking away someones rights to have children. Really, it would only be suspending their rights until they are proven fit (mentally, financially stable).
But seriously:

Police: Mother Stabbed 2 Young Daughters, Herself at Their Home

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

WESTMINSTER, Calif. — Police say they suspect a mother stabbed her two young daughters and then herself at an Orange County home.
Commander Bill Lewis says 911 calls sent officers to the home shortly before 7 a.m. Wednesday in Westminster and found a woman and her two daughters, ages 3 and 5, had been stabbed.
All three were hospitalized. Lewis says one of the daughters is in critical condition while the injuries of the mother and the other girl are not considered life-threatening.
Lewis says several knives were recovered from the home.
There's no immediate word on what might have prompted the attack.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,550801,00.html?test=latestnews

Just the latest in MANY! License to have children...I'm just sayin!

God Comes First

I am a few days late! If you read my column on the Take Root and Write site, they post every other Friday. Here is my column from 9/11/09.

Our pastor has been teaching a series about things. When we hear the number one commandment, "You shall have no other gods before or besides Me" (Exodus 20:3 AMP) we usually think about things. We think about little gold images, or money. I have never before thought about activities or time. I have learned that anything you love more than God, can become your god. Even people! I never thought about this before. Our families can take the place of God in our lives. We have to be careful not to seat our children on the throne of our hearts where God should be.

This is a tricky one. Most people can say without hesitation they love their children with every fiber of their being. We want what's best for them, and usually always want better for them than we had for ourselves. How do you keep into perspective they are blessings given to us by God, for God, not to replace God? The story of Abraham and Isaac is a worship story to learn so that you can come back to it if you ever start feeling like you love your children above all else.

Abraham was very old when God blessed him with a son Isaac. He started to love his son more than, and place him above God. God saw this and tested Abraham. God said, "Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region or Moriah; and offer him there as a burnt offering upon one of the mountains of which I will tell you (Genesis 22:2 AMP). Can you imagine? God knew He was being replaced in Abraham's heart. Abraham had to choose who was on the seat of his heart, God, or his son.

Do we allow our children to skip church, or even make us skip church for any reason? Do they have practice for their team? Are they too tired to go? Do they want to go hang out with friends instead? Are you just trying to keep the peace all the time by giving in to them instead of parenting them? Believe me I know all about wanting to keep the peace in a house with a teenager! You have to ask yourself what price you are willing to pay for that. Is that one argument worth your soul?

In this day and age we are all too busy. We are over scheduled and over worked. Even our kids. I will admit I am one of the parents who put their kids into activities to keep them out of trouble, and sometimes it seems like all it did was keep me from ever being home. However they know church is not something we have to pencil in, it is a given. Just as matter of factually as we can say it is Wednesday, we can say it's church day. Things have to be planned around church.

Playing team sports makes this difficult. I can't tell you how many times we have had to get up to attend the early service just to make a soccer tournament later in the day. Being the last morning person on earth, this is difficult for me. I just know it's something I have got to do. Is it hard? Very, but my rewards in heaven will out weigh any minor inconvenience. I know the world will never change the way it runs things for me, a Christian. After all, that has become a bad word. Yes, I am usually the only one with a problem on Wednesday nights.

God should come before everything. If you have a good church, it should not matter how long it takes you to drive there when you move across town. Don't get caught up in convenience. If you really want to eat at the new restaurant, do you ever talk yourself out of it because it's too far? Do you always find time to watch your favorite show, but are too tired to make mid week service? What lessons are you teaching your kids? God comes first except when...

Teaching kids God comes first should be just like teaching them to read and write their ABC's and 123's. It needs to go hand in hand with everything else you tell them. The enemy is working overtime to tell them different. You don't even have to watch questionable shows now to know that; it's all over the commercials now too! No, we can't save our children. They have to make that decision on their own. It is up to us to guide them and lead by example. Yes there will be days when you are sick. Yes there will be family vacations and emergencies. There just can't be excuses. We can't let our children grow up to think God only comes first when its convenient.

Black List Abercrombie & Fitch

Not that many of you shop there anyway, but maybe your teens do. If you are involved in a youth groupf of any kind pass it on. You can email them and let them know you are not shopping there until they clean up their act.

Abercrombie & Fitch pitches new trashy T-shirts to America's youth:

Abercrombie & Fitch (A&F) continues its pattern of pushing pornographic-themed material into mainstream America. Abercrombie & Fitch (A&F) has just begun offering their "New College" line of T-shirts.

The first A&F t-shirt pictures a young girl opening her blouse - exposing herself. A&F titles the image: "Show the Twins".The second picture is of a female running nude. A&F titles it: "Female streaking encouraged."The next Abercrombie & Fitch T-shirt is entitled: "Female Students Wanted for Sexual Research"

Abercrombie & Fitch does not merely sell a popular line of clothing – they sell a lifestyle. And because A&F clothing is popular among teens and college kids, the influence of their sex-as-recreation lifestyle is widespread.The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention reports that Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) remain a major public health challenge in the United States. CDC estimates that approximately 19 million new infections occur each year— almost half of them among young people 15 to 24 years of age.

You can send them an email here: https://secure.afa.net/afa/activism/TakeAction.asp?id=358

Additional information:

Michael Jeffries, Chairman Abercrombie

6301 Fitch PathNew Albany, OH 43054

Phone: 888-856-4480, opt. 2 or: 614-283-6500

Fax: 614-577-6710

E-Mail: Michael Jeffries, at abercrombie@abercrombie.com

Tantrums

So yes I know I am way behind in my blogging. I am in the process of reorganizing my life so stay tuned. Here is my recent article for the amazing digital magazine Take Root and Write:


Have you ever been in a store and seen a child throwing a tantrum? Have you ever seen one get so out of control over nonsense, and it seems their parents are not going to do a darn thing so you want to go over there and take care of it yourself? I have! I bet you're not surprised I would say that. Manner-less kids drive me nuts! That might not be a very Christian thing to say but it's true.
This last weekend I went to a graduation full of manner-less kids. I know it is a sign of the times but that does not excuse the behavior or make it any better. When I was a kid, if you were at a wedding, funeral, graduation, or even church, and you were being loud, you were taken outside. Period. The adult you were with did not sit there and tell you to be quiet a hundred times. You were taken out, and if you made a scene out the door you were spanked. It was not even necessarily by your own parent either!
This graduation ceremony was an important day for those who were receiving their diplomas. I am sure they wanted to hear their name called when it was their turn to go up. As I sat in the back trying to listen, I observed kids running up an down the isles, screaming, talking, I even saw a few adults talking and carrying on. If it was distracting for me, I can just imagine what the professors trying to talk up there were feeling. I sat there thinking to myself, "I can't believe this! How rude."
And of course I can't really get mad at the kids because they had to learn that behavior was acceptable from somewhere. Someone let the boundaries go when the children were testing the waters. Where did all the discipline go? I know I would never throw a fit in a store when I was little because I did not want to be taken to the bathroom to get spanked. Now I see kids in stores who tell their parents a slew of bad things loud enough for all to hear! It's crazy. What a spoiled generation we have become.
One of our guest pastors told us a story about how his dad took him and all his brothers around their neighborhood and knocked on all the doors. He introduced them to all the people in the neighborhood and told them they were allowed to spank his boys and tell on them if they ever did anything wrong. Talk about accountability! When all adults held authority, kids were more in line. There was none of this "You're not my mom, what are you gonna do about it?"
There is a huge difference between spanking your kids and abusing them. The enemy knows this. He also knows we are suppose to correct our children, to teach them right from wrong. "Withhold not discipline from the child; for if you strike and punish him with the rod, he will not die. You shall whip him with the rod and deliver his life from Sheol" (Proverbs 23:13-14 AMP). It makes sense this would be distorted because the devil does not want well behaved people running around. That would ruin his plans!
I heard somewhere that the new generation was going to be called Generation I; because of things like the I-Pod and I-Phone. I think it is an appropriate name not because of all the gadgets we have, but because of the attitude we have adopted as a society. Generation I because it's all about me. What do I want? What can I get from this? When we made our lives all about ourselves instead of all about Him, the rudeness began.
It takes too much time and effort to think about others. If we stop to do that, what they want or need might interfere with our wants and needs then what do we do? We throw tantrums. I think some adults can even do it better than children can. They've already perfected it. So what can we as parents do about this me-me-me generation? Obviously we have to start at home. Let your kids know every time they are blessed it is because of a past action. The whole "what goes around comes around" scenario. It works!
I think we have lost what's known as common courtesy. In movie previews they now have to tell you to silence your cell phone and not to text during the movie. Shouldn't that already be a given? When did doing mean things like throwing your gum on the ground for someone to step on become fun? How does being annoying make you cool? How do you really feel when the tables are turned on you? Someone needs to be asking our kids these questions. If we don't, no one else will.
The "treat others as you want to be treated" generation can't all be gone yet. We've just been silent for a while. We need to rise up and start turning our kids around. There is still hope for the future. We just each have to do our part. "Use hospitality one to another without grudging" (1 Peter 4:9 NKJV).

God Answers Prayer!

I am terrible. I am. There is no excuse for neglecting my blog. I did not forget about it, just not around a computer when I think of something I want to say.

Anyway yes it has been another two weeks. I am so blessed to be able to write for Take Root And Write! Check it out if you have not. I still think it's so cool the way you just click and the magazine turns the page for you lol! Here is my latest contribution, enjoy!

I will admit something to you all that I am not very proud of. I am not a patient person. I try. I try very hard. Sometimes I think God gave me children to in fact teach me patience. After fourteen years, I do not think I am any closer to being a patient person. The funny thing is, it is through prayer and patience that we are blessed. In this day and age of instant gratification, sometimes that's hard to grasp. "For ye have need of patience, that after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise" (Hebrews 10:36 NKJV).

God is however so patient with me. He constantly reminds me I need to be patient. Even recently when I was blessed to see Beth Moore with Shona, her message touched on patience! She talked about Hannah who waited year after year for her child. And He does remind me that patience is faith. You have to have faith that God will answer your prayer. Even if He tells you no, or takes longer than you want Him to, He will answer you. "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength" (Isaiah 40:31 NKJV).

I once even went so far as to look up how many times the word patience is mentioned in the Bible. It is in there thirty three times! And the word long-suffering which means the same thing is in there seventeen. So I don't know about you but when something is mentioned fifty times, I think we should pay attention! Yes the microwave is one of my favorite inventions but in this day and age of instant gratification, I can't be the only one who struggles with this. I am here to say waiting on your prayers to be answered is hard!

Well, today I am going to tell you about my answered prayers. It took three long (and I mean long) years, but finally, my prayers have been answered! You may remember me writing a little bit here and there about my struggles with my teenage son. If not, I will give you a brief little run down on the situation. Let's put it mildly and say once he hit middle school, he morphed into a completely different child! One I was not happy with. His teachers were not happy with him, and I don't think he was even happy with himself! My once honor roll student went to straight failing everything. I will also admit I wanted to smack him more than I wanted to hug him.

His dad was not any help. My guy friends who talked to him were not helping. The counselor the school referred him to see did not help at all. They just wanted to blame all his problems on the divorce. I know that if I did not believe God would help me, I would have given up on him. What a sad thing for a mother to say. I think so many children today have been given up on. And while I use to think it was barbaric for people to give up on their kids I now know how it can happen. I pray for those parents who do not have God in their lives to help raise their children.

Our road to healing and our miracle came when I was finally at the end of my rope with him. I was ready to send him to the D home. One day I went to the youth pastor and told him my son needed counseling. I remember I could not even finish my talk with him without the tears flowing. He said he would agree to meet with him after he had attended three sessions of one eighty. One eighty is our teenage service. Before then he had just been attending regular service with me.

He went to three one eighty teen services and we scheduled his first session with Pastor Matt. He went to two alone before we had a family session. This all started in September 2008. Pastor Matt was moving at the end of October, so we saw him once a week until he left. Even though he has moved, he and Dominic are now My-space friends, and Dominic credits him with bringing him into the kingdom. Before he left, Matt introduced Dominic to the pastors who would be taking over, someone he could talk to, and to the guy who does the teen boys Bible study. At first he wanted nothing to do with them. I am pretty sure I made him go to Bible study the first few months. Now, he wants to live there!

Not only has my son made wonderful friends through the church, so have we. All these people have been such blessings to us in so many ways. Little by little he has gotten more involved in the church and is also now in drama there. AND here's the kicker: the kid who was on the waiting list for the D home, the kid who use to physically fight with me, the kid who "ran away" twice, now wants to be the next youth pastor! Really! He even told the current youth pastor that he was going to take his place one day. They're great friends now so he told my son he would help him with that.

So if anyone ever tells you miracles don't happen anymore, or God does not answer prayer, send them my way. I'd be happy to convince them otherwise!

American Family Letter

By Ben Stein

We've Figured Him Out

Why is President Barack Obama in such a hurry to get his socialized medicine bill passed?
Because he and his cunning circle realize some basic truths:

The American people in their unimaginable kindness and trust voted for a pig in a poke in 2008. They wanted so much to believe Barack Obama was somehow better and different from other ultra-leftists that they simply took him on faith.They ignored his anti-white writings in his books. They ignored his quiet acceptance of hysterical anti-American diatribes by his minister, Jeremiah Wright.

They ignored his refusal to explain years at a time of his life as a student. They ignored his ultra-left record as a "community organizer," Illinois state legislator, and Senator.
The American people ignored his total zero of an academic record as a student and teacher, his complete lack of scholarship when he was being touted as a scholar.

Now, the American people are starting to wake up to the truth. Barack Obama is a super likeable super leftist, not a fan of this country, way, way too cozy with the terrorist leaders in the Middle East, way beyond naïveté, all the way into active destruction of our interests and our allies and our future.

The American people have already awakened to the truth that the stimulus bill -- a great idea in theory -- was really an immense bribe to Democrat interest groups, and in no way an effort to help all Americans.
Now, Americans are waking up to the truth that ObamaCare basically means that every time you are sick or injured, you will have a clerk from the Department of Motor Vehicles telling your doctor what he can and cannot do.

The American people already know that Mr. Obama's plan to lower health costs while expanding coverage and bureaucracy is a myth, a promise of something that never was and never will be -- a bureaucracy lowering costs in a free society. Either the costs go up or the free society goes away.

These are perilous times. Mrs. Hillary Clinton, our Secretary of State, has given Iran the go-ahead to have nuclear weapons, an unqualified betrayal of the nation. Now, we face a devastating loss of freedom at home in health care. It will be joined by controls on our lives to "protect us" from global warming, itself largely a fraud if believed to be caused by man.
Mr. Obama knows Americans are getting wise and will stop him if he delays at all in taking away our freedoms.

There is his urgency and our opportunity. Once freedom is lost, America is lost. Wake up, beloved America.

Truth Shopping

If you are not yet reading the Digital Magazine from Take Root and Write you are missing out! We have made it to 1,000 readers some all the way from China!!

And the Women's Group that goes with it has reached 700 members! Can you imagine putting in a prayer request and having that many women pray for you? Awesome! JOIN!!



Here is my latest column:

This weekend I spent an insane amount of time shopping for a dress to wear to a wedding. Everything I liked was black, or was mostly black with a little bit of color in it. I have always been taught though that black is for funerals. You don't want to show up mourning the union of people in love. Unless of course you are in love with one of them but that's a whole other issue.

I went from store to store to store trying on dress after dress but nothing seemed quite right or did not fit my budget no matter how much I liked it. Hours and hurting feet later I finally decided on one. Then I began to see how all of this dress shopping was just like my life as a Christian and as a single mom. I had to find the truth for myself no matter what I had always been taught. I tried out a whole bunch of "truths" even if they did not seem quite right. And as a Christian mom some guys just don't fit no matter how much I like them.

I think I got the idea of the dresses being worldly from my ten year old who came with me. She made me laugh because if a dress showed too much cleavage, she called it a desperate dress. All the ones that seemed to catch my eye were black with just enough bright, beautiful color to make you go... wow! Isn't that how a lot of things in the world are today? They are dark with secrets and sin with just enough light to make you think they're not so bad. Don't get me wrong I am not saying your little black dress is evil. In fact I have one. It is just not appropriate to wear to a wedding just as a swim suit is not appropriate to wear to church.

Black is a staple in the fashion world. Why? Because we have all been told it's slimming right? Sin is a staple in the fallen world because we have all been told, if it makes you happy it's can't be that bad. The world wants us to believe we can all have our own truths. Satan wants us to think we can all let the little sins like lying slide as long as we don't do the big ones like murder. There are many false prophets out there who claim to be telling you the truth. How do you know if they are, or if they are leading the sheep to slaughter? You need to be sure what you are teaching your children is the truth and not something they can find fault with later.

How do you do this? You have to read and study the bible for yourself. Just like I had to try on all those dresses myself and could not just rely on the size on the label to tell me if it would fit. Yes it is time consuming, but it is the only way to guarantee a happy outcome. "Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial) a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skillfully teaching] the Word of Truth" (2 Timothy 2:15 AMP).

You want your children to know if it can not be found in the scriptures, it's wrong. Just as my daughter learned this weekend, just because it is hanging on the sale rack does not mean it's on sale! Satan may have beautiful things he can dangle in front of us that we may think we can't wait to get our hands on but we always better be watching for that price tag. Sure someone else may be able to afford a more expensive dress than we can here on earth, but have they stored up any treasure in Heaven? I know personally I would rather have my robe in Heaven washed white by the blood of the Lamb than have the prettiest dress at any wedding!

Spending within your budget is also a very important lesson to teach your children even if you're not single. Credit card debt is out of control in the world today. We think we just have to have the latest thing. Will it bring us joy? Maybe. Is Jesus and eternity with Him worth more than anything we could ever buy here? You bet! Not wasting money on things you don't need so your family does not have to go without is a wonderful way to show them how much you love them.

Going shopping every once in a while is fun as long as you know your boundaries. Know your weaknesses. Know where Satan can and will temp you to spend more than you wish. "All of you must keep awake, be cautious and active, and watch and pray, that you may not come into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak (Matthew 26:41 AMP). I am proud to say I did not go in one shoe store for myself this weekend! I kept shoes in mind to make sure the dress I got could go with shoes I already have! Yup, I did good!

Hello friends~

I am such a bad blogger. I have not written anything for a long time. I don't know where the days go anymore. The last couple of days I have been on myspace since my son got an account and I am now a monitor even though he is only friends with people from church so far I am still gonna have to get on there to monitor every now and then. Then he went to church camp and they shaved their hair into mohawks (no kidding). They did this the day before they left not at Desperation. Then soccer has started back up and it will be a LONG tryout week then school starts again. It seems like it just ended. I feel like I am wasting my life because every time I turn around its another month! Anyway I hope you are all well. Still reading everyone from my phone but can't blog more than a few sentences. OH! went to Beth Moore on the 10th and she was awesome! She is pretty funny. She taught on Hannah and how she waited year after year after year to have a baby then when she finally got up and did something God answered her prayers. What are you waiting on? Get up!

“Ordinary or Excellent?”

I just love our pastor!:

Thomas Edison once said, “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” To get ahead in this life, we must be willing to work at it. Most successful people will say they did whatever was needed to succeed.

People with a mindset of mediocrity will only do what is necessary to get by. Whether it’s work, church or marriage, mediocrity breeds frustration, not success. The word mediocrity is defined as: “neither very good nor very bad; not good enough or inferior.” But for those people who live this way, they are always upset about the results. It’s interesting to note that no one can really do the work for you.

You’ll have to reap what you sow, so why not sow excellence and to leave behind the victim mentality. We have to live with our attitude. Start today. Turn things around, make a commitment and do the work.

Just a thought, God bless.PSS

It's Official and It's not good!

I know we are not suppose to be shocked by anything that happens in these last days but once in a while I still get angry even though the bible tells us these things will be so.

The National Education Association has thrown its full support behind homosexual "marriage."

The NEA recently held its annual convention in San Diego, California, where members voted on two issues of importance to those involved in the culture war. One of those issues was whether the union would support same-gender marriage. According to Jeralee Smith, co-founder of the Conservative Educators Caucus, the resolution passed by roughly a two-thirds majority. "There are quite a few items where the NEA absolutely puts its political muscle behind taking down any legislation in any state that they consider to be discriminatory to homosexuals," says Smith. "And some of the language in the resolution also hints that the NEA will try to take down the Defense of Marriage Act [DOMA] on the federal level."

Smith told Baptist Press that when a representative of the Conservative Caucus spoke against the resolution and mentioned the words "marriage should be between a man and a woman," the speaker was booed. Also up for a vote was a resolution for the NEA to take a "no position" stance on the issue of abortion. That proposal was voted down 61 percent to 39 percent.

During the meeting, the organization's retiring general counsel, Bob Chanin, complained that "conservative and right-wing bastards" are after the NEA and its state affiliates. Smith called that statement "refreshing honesty" on Chanin's part about how he feels about conservatives. (See related article from LifeSiteNews.com)

Summer Switch

Summer is here again. Long, warm days and staying up way too late because it doesn't get dark until bedtime! I love summer. I hate to be cold. Summer also gives kids vacation from school. That is so unfair that the whole world does not take vacation too don't ya think? Sometimes it is so hard and expensive to keep them entertained! It is summer time that makes me wish I would have become a teacher all those years ago.

For single parents summer sometimes also means sending the kids to the other parent for a part or maybe even all of the summer. Every family situation is different and each custody situation brings about its own joys and hardships. One of my best friends in the world has been fighting with her ex for nine years. He did not want to be a part of his daughters life until she was two and since then, he has not wanted anything more than to make her mother's life miserable. So much so she had to pay an insane amount of money to an attorney for her daughter to attend her own wedding! Sounds crazy right? Sadly this is an all too familiar reality. While it is great he is now in her life, what price is she paying for it?

I am blessed enough to say my ex does not cause these problems for the kids and I. His mentality is if the kids don't want to be with him, they are just going to be miserable while they are there so why make them come? Of course this is also an easy out on his part. That's okay. I love having my kiddos around all the time. Okay, Okay, most of the time! I do make them go up once in a while for grandma's sake. They also need to develop their own relationship with their dad even if it's not the greatest.

I am sure most of us remember the movie The Parent Trap. If you have not seen the original I am sure you have seen a remake. These girls were so desperate to meet the parent they never knew they switched places. At summer camp! Of course that had a fairy tale ending of the parents falling back in love when they come to switch the kids back. Well, I have heard of couples getting remarried after getting divorced! I am sure the kids always have a huge role to play in those situations. They are possible! "With God All things are possible" (Mark 10:27 KJV).

My youngest is with her dad all this week. At first she was okay with going then once she got there she was not too excited to stay. I convinced her she would have fun and she only shed a few tears this year. She is not into camps or things like that because she does not like being forced to do activities she does not like. My son on the other hand has a lot of things going on. Then again he is older. So her days were being spent either at home watching television with her brother or coming to work with me. She needed a change of scenery. So while I miss her, it is a much needed break for both of us.

I spoke to a coworker who remembered having to go to her father's house for the summer. She said it was horrible because she missed her mom so much she just did not want to be there and as you can imagine did not make family life peaceful for the step mom. She said she could remember coming back home and everything seemed so different. I felt so bad for her as I was listening to her talk about it. She hated being cut off from her friends to live a whole new life for three months. I would be so emotional and stressed I can't even imagine what our kids feel like!

Not only does the loss of the two biological parent household put stress on the kids, it can wreak havoc on us adults as well. I know when I send both kids off at the same time I get lonely. If I am not careful I get the urge to go shopping with money I don't have. For other parents I know with spouses, these feelings of anger, or loneliness, can cause fights with the new family. Yet others develop physical conditions from stress such as ulcers. Praying for peace is the only thing I know to do when the situation gets tough. "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28 KJV).

Summer is suppose to be a time of peace and relaxation, vacation and fun. No matter how long you have your kids in the summer you can always find time to do something memorable with them. Even if you don't have a lot of money or time, make the most of what you do have. Anything you can do to show them how much you love them is worth its weight in gold.

Beth Moore

I am off to go see Beth Moore with my good friend and editor of TRW Shona!! Woo hoo should be so much fun. Pics to come!

False Prophet?

WASHINGTON, DC – Defying some of his fellow conservative Christian critics, one of the most prominent religious leaders in the country told several thousand American Muslims on Saturday that "the two largest faiths on the planet" must work together to combat stereotypes and solve global problems.

"Some problems are so big you have to team tackle them," evangelical megachurch pastor Rick Warren addressed the annual convention of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA).

Warren said Muslims and Christians should be partners in working to end what he calls "the five global giants" of war, poverty, corruption, disease, and illiteracy.

Warren, founder of Saddleback Community Church in Orange County, California, is the author of The Purpose Driven Life, which has sold more than 30 million copies worldwide. His willingness to show support for U.S. Muslims is a huge gain for the community, which has endured intense scrutiny since 9/11.

A Southern Baptist, Warren has a record of upsetting fellow Christian conservatives by calling old-guard evangelical activists too partisan and narrowly focused. Ahead of his speech Saturday, bloggers who follow Warren had already denounced his appearance at the convention as cozying up to extremists.

Warren acknowledged the controversy during his 20-minute speech.

"It's easier to be an extremist of any kind because then you only have one group of people mad at you," he said. "But if you actually try to build relationships — like invite an evangelical pastor to your gathering — you'll get criticized for it. So will I."

In his speech, Warren also urged Muslims and Christians to speak out against stereotyping of any group and to respect each other even while disagreeing. Addressing Muslims who "have been in America for many generations now," he urged them to help "the newcomers learn what it means to be American."

Based in Plainfield, Indiana, ISNA is an umbrella organization for Muslim groups across the country. The annual convention, now in its 46th year, regularly draws more than 30,000 people for lectures, prayer, and socializing.

Many in the crowd were drawn to the session by prominent Muslim scholars such as Sheik Hamza Yusuf of the Zaytuna Institute in Berkeley, California.

Ann Zahra, 42, said she had never heard of Warren before Saturday but agreed with much of his speech. "The basics are the same," said Zahra, of McLean, Va. "No religion teaches cruelty or disrespect or hatred."

But aren't the Muslims the ones who teach their children to chant "Death to America" as soon as they can talk??? Plus last time I checked, they did not worship the same God.

Happy Birthday TRW!!

Take Root and Write is one this month! I am so excited to be part of such an amazing ministry. I just found out our digital magazine is read in Pakistan, China, Iran, and Indonesia!! How cool is that! I need to way step up my game!

You can get the digital magazine sent directly to your email or you can just go to the site and click on the columns the "old fashioned" way ;)

CWO

I am so sad CWO will be no more. I love going there!

http://www.christianwomenonline.net/issue/

Fifteen

Happy Monday! Here is my latest column that came out in yesterday's issue of Take Root and Write digital magazine. If you have not signed up to receive it, I encourage you to do so. We have some amazing writers!

So just as I start to get use to having peace as a house guest, another little fear rings the doorbell. I get up from the couch hummin a happy tune and bam! There at my door is 15. Yes, five months early but still staring me in the face with drivers ed in hand. Oh my goodness gracious! I am not upset at 15 like I am at high school for reminding me how old I am getting. I am angry at 15 because it is coming to take my baby out onto the road with a whole bunch of crazy people! Yes I know all those crazy people are on the road with me while he is a passenger but we still have some false sense of control when we are behind the wheel don't we? The purpose of my column this week is selfish indeed. I need words of encouragement from other mothers who have been there, done that, and can guide me through this life passage.

I am so happy about this new graduated license program we now have. I would have hated it as a kid but as a parent I am singin Hallelujah! You can still enroll in drivers education when you are 15, but you can not get your license right away any more like we did when I was 15. You now have a gradual process, which now that I look back makes so much sense. As dumb as we all acted when we were young, okay speaking for myself, as dumb as I acted back then how in the world did they let me loose with a car? Cars can kill people! God had a purpose for all of us that lived. Some of our classmates were not so lucky.

Now you have a permit for six months. This allows you to drive with a driver over the age of 21. You also have to log 50 hours of driving time and a parent signs off on that. I am so beyond grateful his bible study teacher has offered to do that for me. I think it is usually the dad that does this because they are not as emotional as we mothers are. If all goes well in those six months, you then get a provisional license. With this you can only drive between 5 am and midnight. How awesome is that?! I can't tell you how many times I drove after midnight when I was sixteen and as you can guess not doing good things.

Also one of the best things, is you can only have one other person under 21 in the car with you! I can remember a very scary drive where there were two of us sharing the seat belt in the front seat, and five others jammed in the back of my car. To top that off we had a crazy driver behind the wheel on an icy road. He was not thinking he held seven other lives in his hands but how fun it was to swerve at a high speed. God was holding us in His hands that day even if we did not realize it at the time or ask Him to. "He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings shalt thou trust" (Psalm 91:4 NKJV).

Even with all these new safety measures put into place, teens are the largest percentage of drivers involved in auto accidents. Now not only do you have to worry about drunk driving you have to worry about text driving. This one is huge. I think even non believers pray when their teenagers hit the road. Isn't that funny, they want God to protect their kids when they have done nothing for Him.

It's hard to remember our children belong to God and He has only let us borrow them. When we are fearful for their safety, we sometimes forget He loves our children way more than we do. His love is so much bigger than ours. God does not want harm to come to our children either. God also does not want to see us suffer because we are His children and He loves us more than we can imagine too. When bad things happen, it is part of a plan we can not even begin to understand because we can not see all the pieces.

There are so many firsts our children experience that can be fearful for parents. When they take their first steps we worry they will hurt their heads. On the first day of school we worry they won't be accepted. We worry about broken bones when we first take off their training wheels. And yet, almost every book in the bible has a "fear not" in it. Fear is one of the greatest tools Satan has. Turning faith into fear is one of his biggest delights. I can't tell you how to overcome your fears when it comes to your children because I work on that every day that I wake up. I ask God to forgive me for not seeing Him there in every step they take. "But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear Not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows" (Luke 12:7 KJV).

So even though I have a while to prepare, I can still bet I will need some Valium when my son starts driving. And in two years I will be looking to purchase an indestructible tank!

Michael Jackson

OK so I have to go there. I just wanted to say his passing is sad. Yes he was a very talented person. He was also very tormented. I like to believe the best in people. I always liked to think he was just a big kid and did not do the things he was accused of. I always like to think he was a target because they would pay families millions just to make it go away and a lot of people knew that. He worked from the time he was probably 3 or 4 in training to be the star he emerged to be at what 6?! He did not have a childhood. Heck I know guys who have not grown up and did not work as kids or have all that pressure on them! He was the star. He was the bread and butter of the family probably. Can you imagine that pressure on a 6 year old??? Plus there had to be resentment toward him from his older brothers. Then there is the rumor he changed his face because he did not want to look like his dad. His mother confirmed his fathers bad treatment to Michael years ago. Only God knew his private torment, his heart, and the truth. I think his fame destroyed him. He had talked early on how alone he was and he could not relate to real people. Now they are looking for the doctor who lived with him, as it is said he injected him with something before his heart stopped. There were so many around him more interested in enabling his problems than trying to help him with them. Then despite making so much money they are now saying he could have been 400 MILLION in debt! How does one person handle that?
Remember all these things when you think stars have it all. Are they selling their souls for it? I pray for his kids. Who knows where or with whom they will end up.

Taking A Stand

What a person believes and why they believe it is very important to them, their families and for society. Society, as a whole, has cast off all restraints to the point where there is no right or wrong. It’s about doing what you feel is right and don’t concern yourself with how it affects anyone else.

To live life with no rules is treacherous. Just imagine driving on our streets and highways with absolutely no rules at all. It would be complete chaos and risky. Well, it’s no different for our society at large. We are trying to live with no rules of morality or ethics and look where it has landed us.

We now live in a society that has tossed aside any limits and are now living in utter chaos. Anything goes. Has it made us any better or worse as a people? Think about it. Is it any wonder that our country is in such an economic mess?

Today, people call good evil and evil good. We need to get back to basics and call it like it is: good or evil. If we don’t stand for something, we’ll fall for anything. Stop believing a lie and stand up for what is right, stand up for morality and stand up for truth!

Just a thought,
God bless.
PSS

Hate Crimes Bill

The Obama administration has signaled that it plans to secure passage of S.909, the "Hate Crimes" bill, this week.

Punishing wrong beliefs about homosexuality is its sole purpose.

The House has already passed and the Senate is expected to vote this week on legislation that would create a new class of crimes based on the victim's "actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity." Even more troubling is that S.909 could create special protections for pedophiles. Democrats voted down an amendment to the bill that would have excluded pedophilia and other "sexual orientations" from the definition of "sexual orientation."

"If a mother hears that their child has been raped, and she slaps the assailant with her purse, she is now gone after as a hate criminal because this is a protected class," said Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas. She could and probably would go to jail for it!!

For years, AFA and other pro-family groups have issued warnings about federal Hate Crimes legislation. The reality is that the purpose of this bill is to silence those who speak out against homosexuality. If the legislation passes, pastors could be prosecuted under the federal inducement statute for preaching the biblical view of homosexuality.

For example, a person could commit an act of violence against a homosexual individual and blame it on the pastor's sermon. Similar laws have been used to prosecute religious speech in the U.S. at the state level and abroad. Then the pastor could go to jail!!

We already saw what happened to Miss California. I am unaware what events she did not attend. However after her pro marriage comment we knew it was only a matter of time before they ousted her for something.

Just another thing obama is doing at warp speed to ruin the country.

Harder for mom to let go....?

Sierra, Emily, and me

Emily has to take a picture by herself too ya know. Here she is posing on a rock in Vail Colorado.

Best friends.

So in the last few months I have noticed Sierra not dragging Emily everywhere she goes anymore. I have also noticed she does not sleep with her every night either. Emily, has been her best friend for almost 4 years now. She still has to sleep with her blanket but Emily is no longer the other MUST have. I know she is growing up but it still makes me a little sad. (Can't you just hear my eyes swelling with tears?)

Lead the Lost Children

Hello ladies! Here is my column from yesterdays edition of Take Root and Write Digital Magazine:

I have heard it said that Hitler commented that if he could get the children to follow him before they were five, he would have them for the rest of their lives. Even though I believe he said it, I have not been able to find that but I did find this quote from him in an undated letter encouraging children to join the Hitler Youth; "I begin with the young. We older ones are used up but my magnificent youngsters! Are there finer ones anywhere in the world? Look at these men and boys! What material! You and I can make a new world." God knew he would say that. That is why He left us with a specific command. "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it" (Proverbs 22:16 NKJV).

He called them material. They are like clay you can easily sculpt and mold. If you have ever been around little children you know how true that is! Kids are human sponges! They are born so innocent and trusting and trainable! So why are so many lost? Why are the kids today not being trained in what is right then allowed to make up their own minds when they are older? Where did the mentality get flipped? I hear it all too often that parents don't want to push their religion on their kids so they let them just drift until they are old enough to choose for themselves. WHAT?! Where did that come from?

Small children like to follow. For example they love to play Simon Says. Now how many adults do you know that like to do that? They get great joy in mimicking your every movement and sometimes words. So why as parents are we not asking them to follow us into church? Why don't we have them follow us to worship? Why are we not leading them in praise? Parents are given great responsibility and I believe we will be held accountable for those trusted to us. "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words which I command thee this day shall be in thine heart; and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down and when thou risest up" (Deuteronomy 6:5-7 NKJV).

We are told to teach them diligently. We are told to talk about the commands all day no matter what we are doing. So again I ask where did the idea to back off and let them find their own way come from? Why would anyone who has even an ounce of common sense, want their children to learn from the world? Sadly I think it is because so many parents today are lost themselves and think the world can do a better job than they can. As Christian parents I think we are called to step in whenever and wherever we can. I think we need to start leading kids to Christ even if they are not our own.

I think Hitler was on to something. He knew if he could gain a child's trust early on, it would be harder for anyone else to sway that child another way. It may be hard to help a child so young unless they are related to you. My son's friends that have it bad at home are already in their teens and think I am a crazy Jesus freak and don't really care what I have to say but they like coming to church for the games before and after service. I tell them as long as they behave during service I will bring them any time they want to come. Yes even if they are going for the wrong reasons, Jesus can touch them while they are there. Plus for some of them it is often a great escape from what is going on at home even if they won't admit it. I am horrified at some of the things my son has told me.

My daughter has a friend who I feel so sorry for. Her mother has more than two children all from different dads and moves them every time she gets a new boyfriend. They move around a lot. Every time I see this mother, she tells me how much God has done for her and how much He looks out for them. I don't think she knows her daughter shares their home life with mine and my daughter in turn shares with me. This little girl loves to go to church with us but her mother won't always let her. She uses the excuse she has no gas to bring her to our house and won't give her daughter directions for me to go pick her up. Since they move so much the little girl has no idea where she lives! In recent months this ten year old has started using inappropriate words and wearing inappropriate clothes as well. Sometimes I too am at a loss for what more I can do. All I know is we can't let the wolves have our lambs without a fight!

Guess I'm taking a longer blogcation than I thought. I hope you all are well.

Teacher satisfaction: Public vs. private education

This is kind of an old story but I thought it was interesting:

A new study shows that despite a much lower salary, private school teachers are happier than their public school counterparts.

The study was conducted by the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice and utilized the most recent data available from the U.S. Department of Education's Schools and Staffing survey. Christian D'Andrea worked on the study. "As we went through, we found out that public school teachers on average make about 50 percent more [in salary] than private school teachers do," he points out. "

But as far as career satisfaction goes, the private school teachers are much more satisfied with their careers -- and even more satisfied with their salaries, despite the huge disparity in pay." D'Andrea notes private school teachers had to deal with fewer disciplinary problems and threats of violence than did public school teachers. He adds that public school teachers also experienced a higher level of burnout and were unlikely to teach past retirement age. According to D'Andrea, private school teachers are also more satisfied with their jobs because they typically have to contend with fewer bureaucratic restrictions.

Less bureaucratic restrictions....hmmm

You can find this on One News Now

Do all Dogs Go To Heaven 2?

Thanks Tracy for pointing me to:

Passage Ecclesiastes 3:19-21:
19For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity.
20All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.
21Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?

But I still don't get it 100% lol! I always need everything explained.

Do all Dogs Go To Heaven?

So I just read the cutest little article on the Internet cafe about cats going to heaven. This is something I think about a lot too because I hear it debated a lot. Some people say animals don't have souls and therefore will not go to heaven. Others say all creation praises his name so in the end they will. Why would God create animals that show us such love then not take them with us? I think this is such an interesting topic and would love to hear your thoughts and be pointed to scripture about it.

(this is a pic of my friends dog enjoying her last sunset before she passed on)