Isn't this lovely?

It's been a very challenging day, to say the least. Then I logged on and saw that Sallie and her husband David created this lovely graphic for ALL the nominees in her 2005 Blogs of Beauty Awards. So as a nominee, I'm more than pleased to put this pretty graphic on my blog, in a permanent place on the side bar. Thank you so much for this Sallie, you've blessed a lot of people.

2005 Blogs of Beauty - Finalists

Hey - in case you haven't heard yet, Sallie at Two Talent Living has the finalists up for her 2005 Blogs of Beauty Awards. Thank you to whoever nominated this blog for Best Variety! I didn't make the final cut, but there are SO MANY blogs to go and vote for, so what are you waiting for, get on over there and vote!

OH, and it's SNOWING at Sallie's place! (that was too cute!!!)

A Season of Real Joy

In three days, all my girls (and Samuel!) will be here, and we will celebrate my birthday. Even though my birthday is actually on the 12th, due to Kev's work schedule we have to plan for it early. Kev will cook, someone will make or bring a cake, someone else will clean, and I will feel at the same time, guilty and lazy for not doing any of the above. Birthdays are MY days to do all the cooking and baking - it's weird not to be the one doing it on my own birthday.

As the Christmas holiday and my birthday approaches I can't help but think back to the way things were as a kid, and compare them to the way things are now. In some ways it's exactly the same, but in other ways it's SO different. Once upon a time I turned 6, had cool shoes, and got a dolly stroller JUST like the one I saw on tv! Life was good.

35 years later, I have WalMart shoes, have gone through countless real strollers for my real dollies, and life is even better than good. (no matter how much I tend to complain at times).

When I was growing up, my birthdays were THE best days of the entire year. Grandma would make my favorite dinner: pot roast with potatos and carmelized carrots, gravy, coleslaw, and her homemade biscuits (still my favorite dinner in the whole world)
my favorite cake: chocolate with chocolate frosting (still my favorite)
and serve it with my favotire ice cream: peppermint stick (still my favorite)

I'd open presents at gma & gpa's house, then we'd go home to hot chocolate, and one or two of the best Christmas shows, Frosty or Rudolph. Sometimes they were both on, on the night of my birthday. Sometimes they still are, like this year.

After that, mom would let us help her get out the tree (we had a fake tree growing up) and all the old ornaments. The delicate, hand blown glass kind, with the glitter that stuck to your fingers when you touched them. Mom would let us stay up just long enough to get the tree started, then it was time for bed. I always had a hard time deciding what was more exciting, decorating the tree or playing with my new toys. I still have a hard time with that.

Birthdays now, are almost exactly like they were when I was little. All my favorite people in the whole world come to celebrate with me. Kev makes whatever I want for dinner (he can't make a pot roast, poor man) and there's cake, ice cream, and presents. It's a "mom's birthday tradition" that I get for my birthday something new each year to add to my miniature Christmas village. It's grown so much since I started collecting pieces in 1992, that it barely fits on the 4'x8' plywood table top I have it on.

The birthday traditions I've enjoyed since as far back as I can remember, also still include the Christmas tree on my birthday. This year, since we celebrate early, the actual date of my birthday is the day we're hoping to go get our tree. We like the HUGE ones that accomdate our 12 foot living room ceiling, so everyone is pitching in this year for the perfect tree. While we're at the tree farm, we'll do the same thing we do every year after we pick out "the" tree. We'll hurry into the barn, out of the snow and wind, and we'll enjoy browsing the gift shop while sipping complimentary hot apple cider and gingerbread cookies. I think I look forward to that trip every year just as much as the kids do. The year Jennifer and Jessica stuffed handfuls of free cookies into every pocket they had, has become the family-fun-story that someone brings up every year. Last year, I asked Jessica if I should check her pockets before we left. She was the only one who didn't think that was funny. I took her on her word and didn't check her pockets.

As the girls get older (only them, I'm not really getting any older) things change, and I'm not exactly happy about it. Caryn hasn't gone with us for the last 3 years when we went to get the tree. She did meet us out there two years ago, but it's not the same. Jennifer didn't go with us last year, and neither of them will be going this year. It's hard for me to adjust to family traditions that change. I'm not big on "change" and adapting to it isn't something I look forward to. Besides, Caryn can't be turning 23 soon, I'm not old enough to have a 23 yr old child!

So while some things do change, some things are still the same. I'm grateful for the things that are still the same, it's comfortable.

I love December, and always have. December means school is out for a few weeks (we officially begin Christmas vacation at the Rolfe Academy on the 16th, and resume the first Monday in January), my birthday, the tree, egg nog, candy canes, fudge, Christmas lights, and then of course, the huge Christmas Eve dinner, and Christmas morning. Everyone will have fun, no one will get into a goofy "family-holiday-argument" (I don't allow them in my home, those are for other families), and everyone will eat too much, laugh too much, and shuffle through the house in their slippers, and dip into the fudge as they make their way through the kitchen.

As I sit here and think about how blessed I am to have what I have, and as tears started to spill down my cheeks, I turned to look out the window and saw it has just begun to snow. As much as I might complain at times about all the things we don't have (and we do without a lot), I am so incredibly grateful that I have 7 beautiful, healthy kids, a husband who works hard to keep us all in line, and laughing, and this opportunity to tell the world, that I am so blessed by God.

I'm really looking forward to Saturday.

A Sick Reflection of our Times

If this doesn't break your heart, you don't have one.
If it doesn't send you to your knees in prayer, there is something wrong.

Of Mice and Me

I wasn't going to write about this, but now I have to. If small furry critters give you the creepies, you might want to skip this entry.

A few weeks ago, Marla blogged about a mouse in her house. I commented there, since we have mice in our house too. Until recently, it wasn't really that big of a deal.

I can hear them in the walls, and the cats
Wishbone and Titus tend to usually catch them as soon as they come out from hiding. Sometimes they even play a game of keep away from each other, with said mouse. I felt bad the last time they did that so I rescued the poor thing and tossed him outside. I think they ate him that same night.

At any rate, it wasn't really an issue until lately.

One night about 2 weeks ago, I heard a lot of mousey-type activity in the bedroom. Skittery feet across the hardwood floor. In the dark. In the same room I was in. I thought "no, this simply will NOT do". So the next day I went to the hardware store and bought 2 glue traps. they don't kill the mice, they just stick them to the traps, so you can (allegedly) safely take them outside and set them free. Mmmhmmm.

Nearly 2 weeks went by, and I checked the traps every day. Nothing. Not even a track. Well, nothing except for 2 flies, but I wasn't trying to catch them. Added bonus I guess.

A few nights ago, in the middle of the night, I woke up to a very strange sound. Clack, clackity-clack, clack. It was the unmistakable sound of plastic, tapping on the hardwood floor. I thought YES, the mouse is finally in the trap! I made a mental note to gather the little bugger up the next morning, then I fell back asleep.

I got up the next morning and went to get the mouse in his glue. The trap was gone. I looked under the dresser, behind it, under the other dresser, under the bed... it was just GONE! I couldn't figure out where in the world that mouse took that trap, but it was nowhere I looked. I gave up and came downstairs for a coffee. Just a few minutes later I hear one of the girls say "mom! there's a little mousy in the bathroom upstairs!". I discounted the idea that it was the same mouse I heard in the trap the night before. Impossible. No way in the world that he could have got all the way from the bedroom, stuck to the trap, into the bathroom. But I figured I better go up and check.

As soon as I stepped into the bathroom (in my barefeet) I knew it was Glue Mouse. I stepped right into the residue he'd left on the tile floor. I was NOT prepared to see what I saw, cowering behind the trashcan in the corner. This poor thing was covered in glue, nose to tailtip, and trying so hard to run, but could barely move. The glue trap was no where to be seen. I started to cry. I felt like a sick freak. How could I have done that to this poor little thing!? I had to put him out of his misery quickly. I flushed him. Then cried again. Now, not only was I a sick freak, I was also a murderer.

I had to go into the bedroom and close the door. I sat down on the bed and felt sorry for the poor stupid little mouse, and cried. As soon as I got it together, I started looking for the trap again. It HAD to be in there somewhere, so I kept looking until I found it. Finally, I did find it on TOP of the dresser. The patch of glue had deep gouges and tracks through it. Somewhere in the back of my mind I heard Alex from CSI Miami telling Horatio "this poor baby fought for her life, H". Then I cried again.

When Kev got home that night, I had to tell him what I had done. It wasn't easy, and I started crying when I told him. Crying over a dead mouse? Yes, I must be a girl.

So I thought it was all over. One bad mouse-episode marked in the halls of Carla's Memory Banks. WRONG!

Everywhere I've gone in the past few days, I see pictures of mice. THEY'RE EVERYWHERE. Then today I was at the hardware store for tape and what do my wondering eyes land on? A display of mousetraps. I pretended I didn't see them.


So I come home, do some chores and then sit down here at my blog. Only to learn that the ecosystem has changed it's ranking system. Big deal, you say? Who cares, you ask? Well, I wouldn't care less, except for one thing. They shuffled the ranking system and now it says "You're an Adorable Little Rodent" in TTLB Ecosystem". I'm convinced at this point, it's a conspiracy to make me go out and buy those electronic devices you plug in, to deter mice from coming inside your house. I know they work, because Kev's dad used to have them up at the cabin and they NEVER had mice in the house there.

Now, I must go make dinner, and pretend I never thought about that poor little mouse at all, today.

Anti-intellectualism?

(I started this yesterday morning but as usual, was severely sidetracked with other things, throughout the day)

The internet is a very strange place. It can be both a blessing and a curse all in one, and even within moments of each other. You can be reading an article someone posted, and have your socks blessed clean off one moment, then click a link to another article and read a critique of yourself that leaves you feeling like the wind was just knocked out of your sails. Even if the critique, or the critic, wasn't even writing about you specifically.

This yesterday morning, like I do every morning, I read Tim's A La Carte. I enjoy the links he puts up, and nearly always find them interesting. I like reading like-minded thinkers, so this little feature of his site is good for me. Except today.

Tim quotes Laura:

"Du Jour: Laura writes about blogging the ninth commandment. "So one of the challenges to blogging to the glory of God, if you will (and you'd better), is applying, among others, the 9th commandment."

So I went to read what Laura had to say about blogging the 9th commandment. It's a very intriguing piece, and I really enjoyed it until I got to this part:

"You must know that I abhor both anti-intellectualism and rationalism equally, and hope, somehow or another, to dedicate my life to freeing the Church from the influence of either."

The only real reason my enjoyment of this piece ended there, was because of the phrase she used: anti-intellectualism. I confess, I have/had no idea what it meant. Well okay that's only partially true, I did have some idea, but not a real good understanding of it. I don't know Laura, and have no reason to believe she meant anything hurtful with this statement, so please don't misunderstand what I'm saying here. It's a very good piece and I recommend you read it.

However, it occured to me that my constant suggestion to others about self-examination is a suggestion I haven't taken myself, in far too long. It's not a pleasant thing to do, much of the time. The end result is taking an honest look at where you fall short, where you need prayer and grace, and a purposeful diligence to work on those areas. It's not easy to admit "I'm an idiot, please use simple language for me so I'll understand".

I know I'm not really an idiot, but I sure feel like one sometimes. Especially when I read something about anti-intellectualism. Even moreso when I read what wikipedia had to say about it. I won't quote the whole article here but suffice it to say the way they describe this sounds an awful lot like me. That bothers me.

The second paragraph of the article begins this way "Anti-intellectuals often seek to frame themselves as champions of the self-styled 'ordinary people'". While I'm certainly no champion of anything other than God's grace, I am in fact an "ordinary person". I read some incredibly intelligent people, and most of the time I have to get a dictionary to look up words they've used that I just do not understand. I am not college or university educated, and I spend my days surrounded by very short people that are just now learning diagraphs, blends, dipthongs, and the basic structure of the English language. The recent critique of my own lack of mastery of proper grammar has really made me question if I dare consider myself qualified to even read the text book cover to them - let alone teach them the contents. But that's another blog entry all together.

One of the signs of anti-intellectualism, according to wikipedia is this:

"critics argue from a perception that educated people form a social class by virtue of their education: that members of this social class tend to talk chiefly to one another, and as such are remote from other points of view, and also that members of this social class tend to dominate political discourse about social and other issues."

Either this is a testimony to my own ignorance, or something is seriously wrong with this definition. Like-minded people do form a social class by virtue of their like-mindedness and talk chiefly to one another. That's a perfectly normal thing to do. Whether it is Biblical doctrine, or highly educated people, Trekkies, or quilters. It doesn't matter what the common interest is, if I meet up with 2 groups of people, and one is totally into the science behind plastic fabrication, and the other is an avid birdwatching group, I'm going to be far more "at home" with the birdwatchers, and have far more to discuss with them, than the plastic people.

I do think intellectuals tend to dominate the political landscape when it comes to social issues. Does that mean I'm either a. just a moron, b. ignorant of the way things really are or c. anti-intellectual? I don't know, maybe a combination of the above? Maybe none of the above?

Another definition of being an anti-intellectual, was the tell-tale sign that you value a strong work ethic or practicality over and above the pursuit of academia. The article used the character in Forest Gump to portray what some people would consider an anti-intellectual example.

Well color me anti-intellectual then, I guess. I come from a long line of men and women who have all had an extremely high view of pulling up your socks and doing the work at hand. To my knowledge, except for my brother, none of my family has ever been college or university educated. None of them could afford it. Instead they went to work (most at a young age) and graduated at the top of their class (most of them) at the U of Life, learning as they went. Most of them are also avid readers, and are able to carry on very fascinating conversations about world politics, religion, philosophy, science, and any number of other topics. However to them, the practical things (like hard work) come before other things. (For whatever reason I think of the principle found in 2Thes. 3:10 most appropriate here).

Does the above statement prove the point wikipedia makes, and render me a "champion of ordinary people"? Maybe it does. Maybe being ordinary isn't so bad? Was Jesus seen as an ordinary man, in the eyes of other men? Isaiah sure described Him that way:

Isa 53:2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him,there is no beauty that we should desire him. 3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

I'm not sure why I really have an issue with this term. Another quote from the wikipedia article:

"The term 'intellectual' implies knowledge, wisdom, and intelligence, and thus to be called 'anti-intellectual' can often be perceived as meaning one favours ignorance or stupidity."

Maybe that's why I have such an issue with this term? Maybe it's because I know I am in many ways ignorant, and do value a strong work ethic? Maybe I'm not really anti-intellectual at all, but just find the definition far too general?

I don't know. Maybe I read into the whole thing and it doesn't really matter one way or the other.

Either way...

Seven Sevens

I've seen this at a few different blogs but the most recent was at Marla's. She didn't tag me, she left it open, the same way I'll do. My answers might even resemble Marla's - we tend to think a lot alike in many areas. Must be the 'arla' in our names. Could be the goofy husbands, too.

Seven things to do before I die:

1. Write the book that blesses, inspires, and draws someone closer to Christ.
2. Get paid for my writing on a regular basis.
3. See my store become a successful venture, so Kev can quit his horrible job.
4. Go to Scotland to see where gpa's clan was from.
5. Spoil many grandchildren.
6. Visit a tropical island.
7. Come into a boatload of money and set my mom up for the rest of her life.

Seven things I cannot do:

1. Juggle
2. Scuba dive
3. Yodel
4. The spock sign with my hand
5. Drink green tea
6. Work with other people's children
7. Be mistaken for a social butterfly

Seven things that attract me to my husband:

1. His passion for the deep things of the word
2. His humility
3. His sidesplitting sense of humor
4. His ability to listen to anything I say, and really hear me
5. His work ethic - even though he can't operate a hand tool to save his life
6. The spare change in his couch (very few will get that inside joke)
7. His eyes

Seven things I say most often:

1. "I said hang on a minute..."
2. "I have no idea"
3. "Where is.... (insert item)"
4. "How many times do I have to tell you... (insert wisdom)"
5. "Time to eat" (or Aww Duh Deet - the way Ruth used to say it)
6. "GREAT job, pick your sticker!"
7. "Pay attention"

Seven books (or series) I love:

1. The Sovereignty of God (AW Pink)
(I drew a complete blank on any others - it's been too long since I've been able to consume books like I did when I was sans 50 kids)

Seven movies I would watch over and over again:

1. A Christmas Carol with Alistair Sim
2. The Wizard of Oz
3. We Were Soldiers
4. Patriot
5. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
(couldn't think of 2 others)

Seven people I want to join in, too:

1. Kim
2. Steph
3. Frank (pfft, as if)
4. Loki
5. you
6. you
7. you
________

*UPDATE, all 4 of my tagged blogger pals played along with this one - go read them, they're great!

And you thought you missed it!

Happy Cyber Monday everyone.

I don't know where everyone else is shopping, but for great Christian gear, you should be shopping here today. Free shipping on any single order over 50 bucks, and oodles of products to choose from, for ANYONE on your list.

Consider this my grovelling plug for my store, for the day.

Understanding a trend

Last night I did some surfing through my favorite blogs, and a few new ones. I noticed something that I've been noticing more and more often over the last few months. I notice what appears to be more common all the time: blogcumenism.

Now this is probably going to get me wiped off the rolls of a few bloggers, and dumped off the daily reads of a few more. It's not PC to say what I'm about to say. It's also not new, as I wrote about it here last month and it went over like a lead balloon.

Not that I'm saying this purposely for the controversy it will stir (or be totally ignored, which is more often the case), but rather I'm saying it because I guess I just don't understand the seeming contradictory nature of it.

What am I talking about specifically?

Well, let's say you're at Bob The Reformer's site. Bob's got great material, solid resources on his sidebar, excellent recommendations, so on and so forth. You like Bob, he makes you laugh, makes you think, makes you nod in affirmation when you read his blog every day. Suddenly one day you visit over at Bob's place and you see a list of links that make you fall out of your chair. Bob's now linking to Ed the Liberal, Frank the Potty Mouth, Susie the Woman Pastor, John the Rabid Romanist, and Buddy the Emergent Apologist.

Why did Bob do that? Why are these sites being endorsed on Bob's site? What's the attraction to linking to sites that you clearly (based on your own confession or creed or personal conviction or whatever) disagree with their theology? I don't mean slight disagreements here or there in non-salvific or non-foundational, petty issues, but in GI-NORMA-GANTIC ways, disagree.

I just don't get it. I re-read the comments in the post from last month, to try and understand the reasons so many Christian sites do this, and something is still missing for me.

Someone help me understand the logic behind linking to pages filled with theology that you disagree with?

A hard day's work

Today I was blessed with some real hard work waiting for me. I say blessed, because I believe hard work is good for you! :-) Long before I had 900 kids, and even when the older ones were young, I worked a wide variety of jobs that (for the most part) included heavy, physical labor. Landscaping, maintenance, painting, cleaning, you name it I likely did it. I have to say, landscaping was likely my favorite kind of hard labor work. I still enjoy doing it, in my own yard.

Today's hard work included shoveling more snow off the deck, and then lugging a cord and a half of wood to the basement. Some very sweet and gracious people we know, offered us some firewood since they knew we don't have any yet. So today, N. and P. brought the wood over. Since Kev is at work today, it was on me to help them get the wood in the basement. You never really notice how hard work like that is, while you're doing it. It's just work that needs doing, so you do it. It's later when your back is screaming and your arms feel like they're falling off, that you think to yourself "yep, that's gonna hurt tomorrow".

The other hard work I did today was give 3 haircuts & wash 4 loads of laundry, then took a walk down to the road, with my camera. Yeah I know, real strenuous there, eh? :-) Well, that was before the shoveling and the wood.

I noticed the most amazing thing today. As I was standing in my faerie garden next to this feeder, there were roughly 10-15 chickadees in the tree above me. Two and three at a time they would fly down to the gazebo feeder, take a seed very quickly then fly back up a few feet into the branches. On their way up, more would be coming down, and over and over they did this. It was very quiet outside today, and as I stood there just a few feet away from them, what I heard was the non-stop fluttering of their wings. It was an astounding sound, very similar to a cat's purr. Louder the closer they came, and softer as they went back up to the branches.
I wished I were quick enough with the memo recorder on my camera, I would have captured that sound and uploaded it for you all to hear it. It was just so cool. Maybe it'll happen again, and maybe I'll get the chance to record it. I hope so.

With the break in the weather today from our extremely unseasonable Alberta Clipper, it was the perfect time to get outside and take some pictures of what it looks like here. This tree here is on the west side of the house, just off the front porch. When we moved in here just under 4 years ago, this tree was no more than 5-6 feet tall. Now it's around 12 feet (maybe more?) and the perfect outdoor Christmas tree!

So I strolled down to the mailbox, and took a few of the house, the trees, and the rink. We don't even have the liner in the rink yet, so I'm glad this snow will all be gone in a few days. Laying the liner on top of the snow isn't recommended (we tried that once, it was a dismal failure). We still need to put our Christmas lights up as well, so I'm looking forward to Monday's forecast of low 50's. But in the meantime, we were blessed with a temporary winter wonderland. I made a comment today to someone that it's more enjoyable seeing this outside today, knowing it'll be gone in a few days, rather than knowing it will be like this for another 4 months. That's coming soon enough!

So now I'm 157% exhausted and will likely be turning in early. I did upload all the pics I took today over here, if you'd like to go take a look at them. From now until mid-April, my photo ops will be few and far between, and I'll miss it, and likely whine much. I take them where I can get them.

I hope you had a good Saturday as well, and hope you also have a blessed Lord's day tomorrow. I'm staying home with the kids again, 2 of them coughing, and 2 of them nose-running.

...and just one more thing

Inspired by the expression on Kev's face at 5:14 am, and just about every other coffee lover I know, I created this, today:

Coffee Black T-Shirt $24.99

•Order an extra large for the perfect nightshirt!
•Great for the coffee lover on your list!

Our durable, high-quality, pre-shrunk 100% heavy cotton Black T is made by Fruit of the Loom. It's what to wear when you want to go comfortably casual. Preshrunk, durable and guaranteed.

Happy shopping :-)

On shopping...

I don't like shopping. I don't have enough determination, to be a good shopper. I don't like crowds, I don't like snarky sales associates that act like your questions have placed their personal lives on hold, and I don't like hunting down a place to park.

Reading the news last night, one headline caught my eye. "Cyber Monday Looms" the headline warned. What in the world, I thought, is cyber Monday? Well, it's basically the same thing as Black Friday, for the retail industry. Except it all happens online.

Apparently, according to the folks who get paid the big bucks to know this stuff, the Monday after the American Thanksgiving weekend is THE big-cheese shopping day, online. The Monday when folks go back to work, since more folks shop online, from work than from home. I did not know this. It does however explain why folks have browsed my store from places like the Pentagon, Disneyland, Universal Studios, and Citibank. Shopping from work, how fun!

The article said " U.S. online holiday sales are expected to hit nearly $20 billion this year and should take off on Monday, when consumers return to work and their fast Internet connections after the long Thanksgiving weekend. " Twenty BILLION dollars in sales from online retailers?! That's almost funny. I remember it wasn't that long ago when most people I knew were reluctant to make any kind of purchase online at all. My how things have changed.

Part of the reason I've made this blog so "online shopper friendly" is because I assume there are at least a few others out there like me, that don't like shopping in stores/malls/madhouses. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE shopping the week after Christmas. There isn't anyone in the store. The aisles are stocked, and wide open, and no one's pushing past anyone else to then stand in the way of everyone else while they make their selections.

Online shopping however, is the greatest. No gas expense, no parking issues, no stepping in puddles or slush, no crowds, no snotty cashiers, and you can hit 15 different stores without ever taking your slippers off. You don't even have to comb your hair, if you don't want to.

Another huge bonus to online shopping this time of year, is the promo offers of free shipping that most retailers offer. Who doesn't like free? I sure do. "Free" is one of those great things in life that stirs up that little kid in you that just won the lollypop for the crayon drawing contest.

With all that said, my own online retail business is also offering free shipping (on any single purchase of $50.00 or more). Yes, this is a promotion of my store. (I need to go shopping too!) I get lots of questions about it via email and elsewhere, so I wanted to take a minute to answer of few of those here.

• Yes, we have a 30 day money back guarantee.
• Yes, you can order by phone.
• Yes, we do have black t-shirts.
• Yes, the wolves do come in the short sleeves. (The wolves even come in a t-shirt for your dog, in 5 different sizes. More of these coming soon, since dogs need cool t-shirts too, apparently)
• Yes, we do have kid's apparel & accessories for kid's rooms.
• Yes, that really is Phil Johnson drinking from the Homeschool Mom Mug.
• Yes, all the photographs I've used for the graphics are ones taken by me.
• Yes, all the grahics I use were either hand drawn, or computer drawn, by me.
• No, we do not sell thong underpants. Ahem.
• Yes, the sunflowers/daisies are available on mugs & other accessories.
• No, this is not making me rich. I average less than 1 sale per month.
• Yes, this is intended to help us out financially.
• Yes, we ship worldwide.
• Yes, we have 14 different "departments" and over 100 different graphics, on hundreds of different items.
• Yes, you can search by product, or by design, right from the store front.
• Yes, you TOO can be a model on the storefront. Send me your picture with the product you purchased from Scripscenes, and I'll put it on the main page for that department, along with a link back to your site/blog.

So there ya go. I probably forgot a few of the questions I usually get, but I think this pretty much covers most of them. If this so-called Cyber Monday is anything they say it is, you should shop in your slippers from my store and finish off your Christmas list! You get free shipping, plus great products, and 100% customer satisfaction. No snarky sales associates, no slush-puddle-jumping, and no cold rain in your face. :-)

The Calendar

Do you have a birthday coming up? Anniversary? Special event? Let me know the details via email and I'll add your special date & details to the Events Calendar.

I've had this calendar forever, it's just been sitting there unused. I figure now is a great time to use it! Let us know when your birthday is, or any other special day you'd like to advertise! You can't directly add it to the calendar, you have to email me with the details, so if you want your dates posted, just give me a holler. :-) I'll be tweaking the template a bit to make it more friendly to the eye, but it's up as is now, so help me fill it up with good stuff!

brouhaha'ing

brouhaha: An uproar; a hubbub.

It would appear, that we live in a time where you do not dare critique anyone or anything at anytime, lest you become the latest road-kill statistic on the side of the evangelical road. It doesn't matter how you say it, how you write it, who you say it too, or why you said it, either. Inevitably, someone will come along and scream and point at you like a pod person from The Invasion of the Bodysnatchers, and before you know it, you're asking yourself "what was the original beef to begin with here?".

I'm not going to give direct links or direct quotes here. Besides, most of my readers (I think?) will already know what I'm referring to anyway. And if you don't, that's okay too - this can be applied to any situation in your life as well.

There is a growing trend (?) among Christians that is rather disturbing. The trend I refer to is the lack of accountability, and/or the brick wall that goes up when that word is mentioned.

I wrote on this several months ago, and to my surprise the end result was a web page published to slander me and actually ask the readers of the site to supply the web page owner with personal information about my church so I could be properly disciplined. I wasn't sure whether I should laugh, or be angry, or just feel sorry for this person. Their reaction actually proved my point about this issue.

Symptomatic

The signs of this trend are everywhere in Christendom, most notably Christian booksellers. Online, and offline. (Thankfully there are still some reputable booksellers that refuse to cave in on this trend and only sell top-quality material. My hat is off to them).

The whole "I can say, think, write, teach, advocate, debate, defend, publish, express or otherwise promote ANYTHING I want, and you have NOTHING to say about it, so don't you even dare try" attitude, is what I'm referring to. While we certainly have laws regarding freedom of expression and the right to free speech, as Christians we have a much higher standard, and we should all know this. This should go without saying.

Christian booksellers are just one place this is playing out. Websites, blogs, chat rooms, puplits, Bible studies, Christian organizations, conferences, seminars, workshops, and the list goes on for a country mile. If it's related to Christian living, it's affected. If you're a Christian, you're affected, even if you don't realize it, yet.

Attitudinal?

I guess what disturbs me more than anything, is the attitude attached to all of this. The attitude that says "don't you DARE question me" and refuses to consider the Biblical teaching on whatever the issue happens to be, that's in question. Pick the issue: the atonement, the sufficiency of Scripture, the resurrection, open theism, hyper-preterism, reformed theology, women in the pulpits or the most recent popular trend that sees western Christians embracing ancient eastern religious disciplines and philosphies. I did not just say Christian disciplines and philosophies- there is a critical difference.

Where this takes a turn for the worse, is when the person in question has a lot of friends. Or supporters, or readers, or fans. You dare question this person on ANYTHING from the wisdom in his (or her) selecting the color of his socks, to the deity of Christ, and you will suffer the wrath of the pack-mentality. You could be (and likely will be) torn down, mocked, disregarded, slandered, misquoted, misrepresented, ignored, made the butt of jokes, harassed and receive vile and vulgar emails and/or phone calls. And all this, comes from professing Christians. (Doesn't that disturb you too?)

Why? Because you dared say something that so many others were already thinking, but didn't have the fortitude to say. Maybe they didn't say it because they knew that the above would happen to them, and they didn't believe themselves strong enough in the faith to deal with it? That's always possible.

Who or what are we accountable to, as believers? Our favorite celebrity-blogger? The hot seller in the Christian bookstore? The latest fad to take over evangelical churches? Our readers, contributors, supporters or fans?

Answer: NONE OF THE ABOVE.

In some smaller sense we are in fact accountable to those around us. Accountable in the sense that we are to be honest and above-board in our dealings with them, but that's not the top priority accountability I'm talking about.

I'm referring to being accountable first and foremost to the Lord. Being accountable to Him, in all we say, endorse, publish, promote, think, do, and whatever or whoever we associate ourselves with. I'm sure as Christians we all know this, as I believe it's basic Biblical teaching that we stand first accountable to our Lord. But I have to wonder if we didn't lose sight of that, somewhere along the road?

Liberty in Christ does not mean you can say (in any form) anything you want to say. It doesn't mean you can do, think, advocate, or write anything you want to write, and NOT be called into question about it. Especially if it's something that is clearly and undeniably contrary to the teachings of the Scriptures.

But in our day, this wicked, repugnant, vile arrogance keeps rearing it's ugly head, among believers, in the attitude of "how dare you call me into question, who do you think you are?"

God forbid I ever have that attitude toward anyone. I'm sure I have had it, but it's certainly not something I ever aspire to have. I would hope that I am given the grace to receive correction, examine my words with a teachable spirit, and admit when I have said something wrong, or with the wrong attitude.

I would hope also, that those who conduct themselves in this manner would also be receptive to the chastisement of the Holy Spirit when they find themselves entrenched in this prideful attitude about their spiritual/doctrinal positions. It's not easy to say "I was wrong, please forgive me" but it IS the Christian way.

Just a few thoughts this morning. I hope it made at least some amount of sense.

Friday Funny Bone 11/25

(Disclaimer: I did not write these. Someone sent them to me in an email several years ago. Author unknown)


Actual Newspaper Headlines

Something Went Wrong in Jet Crash, Expert Says

Police Begin Campaign to Run Down Jaywalkers

Safety Experts Say School Bus Passengers Should Be Belted

Drunk Gets Nine Months in Violin Case

Survivor of Siamese Twins Joins Parents

Farmer Bill Dies in House

Iraqi Head Seeks Arms

Is There a Ring of Debris Around Uranus?

Stud Tires Out

Prostitutes Appeal to Pope

Panda Mating Fails; Veterinarian Takes Over

Soviet Virgin Lands Short of Goal Again

Eye Drops off Shelf

Teacher Strikes Idle Kids

Reagan Wins on Budget, But More Lies Ahead

Squad Helps Dog Bite Victim

Shot Off Woman's Leg Helps Nicklaus to 66

Enraged Cow Injures Farmer with Ax

Plane Too Close to Ground, Crash Probe Told

Miners Refuse to Work after Death

Juvenile Court to Try Shooting Defendant

Stolen Painting Found by Tree

Two Soviet Ships Collide, One Dies

Two Sisters Reunited after 18 Years in Checkout Counter

Killer Sentenced to Die for Second Time in 10 Years

Never Withhold Herpes Infection from Loved One

Drunken Drivers Paid $1000 in `84

War Dims Hope for Peace

If Strike isn't Settled Quickly, It May Last a While

Cold Wave Linked to Temperatures

Couple Slain; Police Suspect Homicide

Red Tape Holds Up New Bridge

Deer Kill 17,000

Typhoon Rips Through Cemetery; Hundreds Dead

Man Struck by Lightning Faces Battery Charge

New Study of Obesity Looks for Larger Test Group

Dreams of Dimes

Do you ever dream dreams, that leave you feeling so frustrated when you wake up, it seemed real? I have them, and I have them a lot. I have some VERY unusual dreams, and have had them all my life.

The dream I had today...

We lived in town and I decided one day I wanted to make chocolate chip cookies. I didn't have any chocolate chips so Jordan, Rachel and I walked over to the little store to get some. I figured while I was there, I might as well get some milk, cream for my coffee, and some bread too. I brought my small armload of things to the checkout and handed the cashier my debit card. It didn't go through. I said "that's not right, try it again, please". She tried it again, and the same thing happened. She tried it several times, and each time the screen read "transaction incomplete". Flustered, I asked her to hold on while I dug around the bottom of my purse for some change.

I knew I had a good bit of change in there, so I thought I'd see if I could come up with the 10 dollars for the purchases. No such luck, I only had 5 dollars. All in dimes.

I asked the cashier to take the bread & milk off the bill, since I didn't really need them. I was just picking them up since I was there, but we had some at home. The chocolate chips and coffee creamer, on the other hand, were necessities of life.

I counted out the dimes and put them on the counter. Some very clumsy boy came up behind me, bumped me, and knocked some of the dimes off the counter. He grabbed a handful of them that fell on the floor and he ran out of the store. With my money. So I recounted them, and I still had enough for the items. The cashier started to take the dimes off the counter, then she dropped them. Several of them rolled into cracks and under cabinets where she could not reach. Finally she counted them again, and I was still in the black, by 1 thin dime. I know, how cliche', eh?

The cashier turned to put the dimes in the register, and dropped them again. Again she began to pick them up and count them, again something happened. This went on, and on, and on.

I woke up while she was still counting my dimes - not sure if I had enough for the cream and chocolate chips, and wondering why on earth my debit card didn't work in the first place. Then I remembered it was just a dream.

I told Kev about it, and he said "that wasn't a dream" then laughed. I don't find him the slightest bit funny, even on his 41st birthday, which was today.

And when I find my dimes, and get those chocolate chips, he doesn't get any of the cookies. So tahh! on him and his sense of humor.

Timing can be so cool

Funny how things work sometimes. 2 of the graphics in my store, were on schedule for a product line of their very own. Today, less than 5 minutes apart, 2 different people asked about both of those graphics, and asked if they were available on other products.

With that said, I spent the rest of the afternoon bumping up their importance in the "update" list. Both of these graphics are now available in a full line of great stuff, all their own. Just in time for the giveaway, AND free shipping, and great Christmas ideas. Go here to see the new lines.

A few changes, in keeping with the season

As you've noticed, the blog looks a little different today. I was inspired (after blinded) by centuri0n's new look.

I sure wish I knew more html tricks, but I fumble along with what I've picked up here and there and make do. I hope you like the new (temporary) look.

Alberta Clipper, Anyone?

(See, this is why no one should be awake at 4am. That was supposed to be Alberta Clipper, not Albert Clipper. My apologies to anyone named Albert Clipper that might be suspicious as to why I'm blogging about him)

I woke up this morning, about an hour ago (4am) to the sound of the howling wind. This is our forecast for today:

Snowsquall warning: Persons in or near this area should be on the lookout for adverse weather conditions and take necessary safety precautions.

Snowsquall warning in effect.

Today..Flurries and snowsqualls. Amount 2 to 5 cm. Blowing snow. Wind northwest 50 km/h gusting to 80. Temperature falling to minus 5 this morning then steady this afternoon.

Tonight..Flurries and snowsqualls. Amount 10 to 15 cm. Blowing snow. Wind west 50 km/h gusting to 80 diminishing to 40 gusting to 60 near midnight. Low minus 7.

It's gonna be a doozie... pictures later :-)

(I'm going back to bed now, because NO ONE should be awake at 5:13 am, unless they're salting the roads or they're a cop)

About the button

You may or may not have noticed the 'donation' button in the sidebar. While I don't exactly want to draw beggarly attention to it, I do want to explain why it's there. Obviously, it speaks for itself, but that's not what I meant.

At the suggestion of several readers, I've added this button to allow my readers to help me out a bit, if you feel so inclined to do such a thing. The cost of being online (dedicated phone line & ISP monthly fee) is not a lot to most people, but for me (and my family) it's a very tightly budgeted endeavor.

Please know that your donations will be greatly appreciated, and kept strictly confidential.

Soli Deo Gloria,
Carla

Is a pic REALLY worth 10 grand?

Another update: voting is open until 12/15, instead of 12/12 as I previously posted. You can vote EVERY DAY until 12/15!

Hey! You want to help me win 10grand? Of course you do!

I've submitted a holiday photo to a local contest, and if my pic is one of the top 13 vote getters between now and 12/15 (which by the way, is my birthday!) then my pic goes into the final round. You can only cast 1 vote per day, but if all of you reading this, vote EVERY day, my pic's chances of being selected go up, up and up. Three grand prize winners will be selected on 12/16, from the finals.

Here's how you vote:

Go HERE and click the "vote" button directly under the photo!

Once you click "vote for this photo", then you can click "tell a friend about this photo" and send the page to someone else so they can vote too!

That's it, that's all there is to it! BUT, you have to go back every day, between now and 12/12 to keep voting for THIS PIC!!! (Do I sound desperate? Well, I sort of am, we have 7 kids to buy Christmas presents for, and haven't even started yet, so what a great way to GET started, with a 10 grand gift card from one of the stores I prefer to shop at anyway?!).

So go there, vote, then add that url to your favorites and then go back every day until 12/12 and vote again. It'll be great, I'll win, and it'll be ALL BECAUSE OF YOU!

lol... I'm not a very good advertising guru, so just go vote.

This contest started 11/05 but I wasn't made aware of it until NOW, so the TONS of photos there already have a huge jump on mine, with more voters! This is not good news!!! This means every single person that reads this HAS to go vote, and go back and vote every single day, till 12/12!!

I read all the fine print, and promoting my pic like this is not against the rules, so now the results are actually up to YOU.

Do you want me to win? OF COURSE you do! So go make it happen (please?)!!

Love always,
The Grovelling Photographer
------------------------------

Update: I've added the direct link to vote for my pic, rather than the general link. All you have to do is click "vote" once you click the link here.

Several people have asked me if it's within the rules to vote more than once, and the answer is YES. You can vote as many times as you like, but you can only vote ONCE per DAY, according to official rules. So add the link to your favorites (or better yet, make it your home page for the next few weeks!!) and go back and vote every day.

The way I see it, if centuri0n can make a plea to his readers to prove they keep the blogosphere afloat (and they do, I confess, Frank's readers rock, completely), I can take that challenge, as it were, turn it around, and prove my readers were the deciding factor in my winning 10 grand for Christmas.

Hmmm... what say ye? ;-)

INJUSTICE stinks

Please excuse the mysterious whiner that took over my editor this morning.

We will now return you to your previous scheduled reading.

Thank you,
The Management

p.s. Injustice still stinks.

New & VERY Cool

I'm pleased to announce something new & something very cool, from my Scripscenes store...

BASIC BLACK

We have 12 different designs in all, with 5 BRAND NEW graphics, and a few re-jazzed graphics, just for the black tees. We think they ROCK, and we thing you'll agree!

Here's a sneek peak at just some of the designs:







Product info: Our durable, high-quality, pre-shrunk 100% heavy cotton Black T is made by Fruit of the Loom. It's what to wear when you want to go comfortably casual. Preshrunk, durable and guaranteed.
AVAILABILITY: Dark Apparel will ship in a minimum of 5 business days
$24.99
• 5.6 oz. 100% cotton • Standard fit


Come check out the new shop, and DON'T FORGET to enter the drawing for a Scripscenes Holiday Giveaway!!

Ugly is Gone!

In other news:

Sam, the World's Ugliest Dog, has died at the ripe old age of 15.

I tried to come up with a witty little tidbit about Sam, but the more I looked at this picture, the more speechless I became.

(HT: FOX News)

Do I Need to be Needed?

I'm not sure if it's a cycle, or if the Lord is just providentially leading me to particular blogs from time to time that post on this topic.

But this isn't about blogging, it's about people-watching. I do it a lot, and have since I was a kid. People crack me up (or gross me out, depending), and I like being a silent observer. One of the things I do (that I got Kev in the habit of doing too) is "spot the celebrity" whenever I'm out running errands. I don't even think about it, it just happens. Here's a typical scenario:

Driving past the gas station in town last week, I saw Richard Dryfuss coming out of the post office across the street, Phil Johnson getting in his rusted out car, and Courtney Love talking to the gas station attendant.

Driving along by myself I had to laugh at this. After all, it's not MY fault I see celebrity look-a-likes everywhere I go. I just happen to notice it, and if with Kev, comment on it. The day we saw Herve Villacheze and Ricardo Montalbon on the same day, was just classic.

That's the funny part of "people watching". There's a more serious part of it, and that's the silent observation part. Listening to what they say, mulling over the way they express it, and comparing the way it was said to the way the same topic is dicussed by others.

Blogging for affirmation/attention?

Off and on for the last several months I've read several (read: LOTS) of blogs, where the blogger either felt compelled to confess their weaknesses in this department, or chastise others for doing it (real or not), or doing it and denying that they're doing it. Some people come right out and say such things like "yes, I'm in it for the stats!". Those people crack me up. At least they know we know, and they're not trying to hide any motives. I like that.

I recently read on 2 different sites (and I wont link to them, so there), 2 different people that jokingly(?) mention that I'm desperate for hits, or stats, or whatever. While they said it in a joking way, it still annoyed me. I had to really ask myself why it annoyed me: was it because it was true and I didn't want anyone to know? Or was it because it's not true, and I hate when people say things that give others the wrong idea about someone (no matter if it's me, or someone else).

The answer came to me today as I was hugging Ruth for her naptime. The reason I was annoyed by those statements, is in part, both reasons I just gave above.

Not that I am "desperate" for hits or high stats, but it's true that I like visitors to this blog. It's fun, I enjoy the insights, the new faces (as it were), the new links people leave, and all that good stuff. All the stuff that is part & parcel OF blogging. I guess I was partly annoyed that someone read what I had to say and assumed I was desperate for fresh bloggy interaction. It's nice to know someone is reading what you have to say, and being blessed, being challenged, or laughing (either at you, or with you, doesn't matter as long as they're laughing!). Admitting that you LIKE the blogosphere, is not a sin, nor an admission of being weak-kneed at the graphic of sitemeter. Obviously, if you become obsessed over checking your stats all day long, something is certainly out of balance there.

By the same token, admitting that you DO check your stats, is not the first step to confessing your addiction. Shoot, I check my stats every day. I find it extremely cool that people from the Pentagon, Israel, Disneyland, Grace to You, my hometown, the next town over, and even arminian.com, are coming to this site. I like looking at the map, to see where some of these places are. They're stats, and I've been fascinated by stats for as long as I can remember. Stats represent people, and since I'm a people watcher, I find it educational, entertaining, and just plain cool.

Everyone is in a different place with this. Some people don't find it an issue at all. Others like it, others deny they have an issue with it, and still others know they do and have maybe mentioned it once, and never bring it up again. I think the category that bugs me the most are the people that nearly condemn us all to hell for having a blog to begin with. Nevermind the fact that they do it from their own blog. You're not supposed to notice that part.

These are the folks that sit in judgement over others about how they just blog for attention - and then they themselves leave their own blog comments open. Helleeew? Blogging for attention, are we?

The thing is, this IS the nature of the 'sphere. Friendships, trackbacks, hat tips, blogrolls, meme tagging, etc. Some of the most fascinating conversations I've ever read, took place in the comment section of a blog. Some blogs have closed comments, and that's fine too. Some bloggers have many other responsibilities and they just cannot invest the time it takes to interact with commenters. But I still see links & blogrolls on those closed-comment blogs.

So, my point? I don't have one, really. While hugging Ruth today, it just struck me that because human beings were designed to be social creatures, we like to socially interact. Some of us like to do it in a smaller, more intimate setting with just a few friends. Others like huge crowds. Some like being the center of attention, others like blending in with the crowd. Some of us blog, some of us don't have a blog but enjoy reading & commenting.

I hope that didn't offend anyone. It wasn't meant to, by any stretch of the imagination. Just pondering over an issue that seems to come up a lot.

SDG ~
me

FBI email scam

From FOX:

FBI: Surveillance E-mail Is Really a Scam

WASHINGTON — The Federal Bureau of Investigation issued an alert Monday about a scam involving unsolicited e-mails, purportedly sent by the FBI, that tell computer users that their Internet surfing is being monitored by the agency. (source)

Did you get one of these:



Advice: do NOT open it (or the attachment)
DO report it at the link given in the above article.

I got one last night, and reported it this morning.

Good theology v. lame attitudes

_________________________________________

Don't forget! Click here today and help me win 10 grand!!

_________________________________________

Well, for the next 5 days... snow. Yes friends, winter is officially here. Brrr...

In looking at the stats for this site, I notice one link that keeps coming up, over and over again. No one ever comments on it, so I'm not sure why folks keep looking for it, but there it is all the same. The entry in question is this one right here: Bad Theology According to Phil. At least once a week (sometimes more) since I first posted this, someone pulls it up here.

I re-read it myself last night, and wanted to share a few thoughts. In a nutshell (if you don't feel like reading it yourself), Phil (yes, that Phil) listed a friend's website on his really bad theology page. At the time he listed it, I was one of the moderators at this same website's discussion forum. The only reason it was even brought to my attention, was because the person who pointed it out to me, was trying very hard at the time, to destroy my PalTalk chat room by any means he could come up with. If spreading it around PT that Johnson listed this site on his bad theology page, and my chat room had the same name as the site (and it did), well then how easy would it be to begin to slander and malign and cast in a bad light, those moderating the chat?

Well, that tactic, plus a few more targetted attempts, actually worked. Less than 6 months later my room (which had been open for over 4 years) suffered too much controversy from too many different angles, and it was toast. Sad, but whatever. That's only a side-issue that's half-related to what I wanted to address.

Influence of Opinion

Have you ever noticed how it doesn't seem to matter what the product, issue or topic is, that if endorsed, or painted in a negative light, by just the right person, it shapes your opinion as well? Oh I'm sure there's some fancy-dan psychological terminology for this phenomenon (like "weak-minded"?) but I have no idea what it is.

The most obvious example I can think of for myself, is the book of Revelation. Some years ago Kev and I decided we were going to study through the book together. We had to make it a daily matter of prayer not to let our study of it be influenced or swayed one direction or another by all the things we'd previously read about it, or heard taught about it. In our minds, we both already had pre-conceived ideas and understanding about this book, and we knew it. We needed those to be gone, so we could simply study the text for itself, and come to a better understanding of it.

The bigwigs in advertising know how well this works. If you get some schlep off the street to advertise your product, your sales will show nothing (if not drop, considerably). However if you get the hottest gossip-rag-celeb to endorse the same product, the sales will skyrocket. Why? Simple: people are influenced by what/who they like.

In re-reading that entry that I wrote last January, I can honestly say there is nothing I would change. I would only add, that it's become more difficult to strike a balance with those folks I respect and admire, but also disagree with on key theological points. The reason it's become more difficult, is not due to the people themselves, but due to OTHERS who want to neatly package me in "this camp" or "that camp". The pressure to flat out write someone off that I disagree with, has become much greater over the last year. I'm not sure why that is, it just is. I can't help but think of my friend Tracy in the 3rd grade. I've mentioned Tracy here before. She was the friend who insisted I hate the people she hated, and like the people she liked, and if I didn't I would no longer be her friend and she'd put me on the hated list. Guess which list I ended up on? Yep, the "Tracy Hates Carla" list.

Keeping the social aspect of 3rd grade in mind, this was critical, at the time. Tracy was popular. Pretty, funny, smart, witty... all the good stuff. She was also a control freak and a manipulative little brat, but most kids didn't see that part. Tracy had the ability, simply by her influential opinion, to destroy friendships you had with other kids, long before she ever even came along. It was creepy, actually.

There are many adults just like Tracy. Some you'll even find in the evangelical world. In case you're wondering, NO I'm not saying Phil is a Tracy - so don't even go there. What I am saying, is that it really annoys some people that I can disagree with folks like Phil in certain areas and still get long just fine with him (even poke fun at him, IN fun, while he pokes fun back at homeschool moms). It has actually upset some people that he recently put me on his blogroll. How weird is that?

While this isn't really about Phil, personally, it's interesting how this subject seems to keep rearing it's bone-ugly head, over and over. When I re-read that entry last night it occured to me that it's quite likely the various interpretations of friendship and fellowship, that is the real culprit here.

I admit that I have a very narrow view of what defines true friendship, and true fellowship. Both must be centered on the love of Christ, for either to be fruitful. More than just the love of Christ, both must be pliable in the sense that "we don't have to agree on EVERY single thing, to remain in good fellowship". There are many others however that have a much more narrow view of both of these things, than I do. And that's where the issues come in.

I realize this is sort of all over the place, and I quite likely haven't even explored in any interesting depth, any area of this topic. Welcome to a Tuesday thought-dump. I guess all I really wanted to say was that I'm not the kind of person to re-define my understanding of friendship or fellowship, just because someone has issues with who I respect, and enjoy conversations with. Whether they be "famous" like Phil, or the receptionist at the dental office. Not too long ago, someone even went as far as publicly stating that no one should take me seriously (or my theology, rather) because I disagree with Phil Johnson in certain areas of doctrine. I had to "lol" when I read that. Were they serious? Oh yes, they were dead serious. It's that much of an issue with some people.

Conclusion? Folks are weird. And I'm one of them, and I'm not going to change.
:-)

SDG ~ Carla

Blogs of Beauty Awards

By now you've already heard about the 2005 Weblog Awards. I did in fact toss my hat into the ring for the Best Conservative blog category. Nominations close on the 26th, and IF I'm a finalist (which I seriously doubt) then they'll have those finalists listed there and voting begins Dec.1 (at which point you can vote for me, IF by some flukey stroke of madness, I'm selected as a finalist).

But did you know there's ANOTHER award program going on right now? Yes indeed, Sallie at Two Talent Living has created a wonderful program where you can nominate your favorite lady blogger, in numerous different categories.

Sallie says:

"There are a lot of great blogs out there that are not “big name” blogs and do not fit neatly into the categories of the Weblog Awards. Or perhaps a better way of saying it is that there are so many other smaller blogs written by women that should be honored for the terrific work they do. So, I decided to do something about it! Introducing the 2005 Blogs of Beauty Awards! The focus of these awards is honoring the female bloggers who bring beauty to the world of blogdom."(source)

Now go over there RIGHT NOW and see the categories and nominate your favorite lady bloggers for the many different categories Sallie has offered. I will not be shamelessly tossing my hat into this ring, but you can nominate me if you want to anyway. Sallie doesn't have a category for the most annoying grammar, so I'm not sure where I'd fit in over there.

I haven't made my nominations yet, but I plan to do that later today.

Ladies, this is YOUR turn to bless the other ladies in the God blogosphere, that bless you each and every day. Go for it!

SDG,
Carla

Reader Participation Entry

It's true because I read it on the web...

It never ceases to amaze me what you can find online. No, I'm not talking about the ridiculous urban legends or snake oil cure-alls. I'm referring to facts. Even more personally, facts about your own family that you didn't know until you read it online.

Tonight I did a search on a family member who is a writer. It's been a while since I'd read any of their work, and I thought I'd check on them to see what they were up to in the writing department. It's a rather distant relative, and not someone I stay in touch with (I have a strange family that way), so reading their work online from time to time is about as "close" as it gets.

I was shocked to learn a detail about the death of a relative, by reading another relative's work, online in a public format.

The relative in question was my late husband's great grandmother. Some years ago, we thought it would be a lot of fun to do a family tree on his side of the family. We knew he could trace his original immigrant family to the ship called The Fortune, but there were several generations inbetween Plymouth Rock and the current generation that were either foggy or just missing. One of those relatives was his grandfather's mother. His grandfather couldn't remember just how old he was when she died, and never knew (or never wanted anyone else to know) what she died from. Our family tree research pretty much hit a dead-end with him, since the only thing he ever really said was that she died when he was young, and him and his twin sister were raised up in an orphanage. He never wanted to talk about her. Now I know why.

Not that the information I learned tonight gets me any further in the family tree, but it was a shock to me to say the least. I learned online, in a public format, that my late husband's great grandmother died a grotesque and painful death, from mercury poisioning that she herself injected, in an attempt to abort her 8th child. Yeah... pretty gruesome. Obviously, someone in the family did talk, and did know the truth.

In the same search string (not from the same source), I found out that one of my late husband's uncles died this past summer. I also found out he had a son. I never knew he had a son. I only met him and his wife once, as they lived on the east coast and we lived on the west coast. One more day, and the date of his passing would have been on the 10th anniversary of the date of Ben's passing. Ben was mentioned in the online obit. As was the grandfather I spoke of earlier. He also passed away in August, 1 year after Ben did.

In a way, it's rather interesting how much you can find out online. How much there is to learn. In another way, it almost feels like a violation of sorts to learn things about your family that now the whole world knows (or at least has access to). And you never knew them. Rather disturbing.

I've long since suspected that if I really wanted to, I could find out all sorts of information about my own paternal bloodline, that has remained a close-lipped conversation for the last 40 years. I tried once when I was a teenager to do a family tree, and the pickin's were slim. I found a whole clan of my relatives in WI, but only 1 wanted anything to do with my questions. She was a real nice lady who had done a family tree on this line, herself. She didn't get very far before the sources dried up for her too. But at least she got further than I did. I did learn they were French, real Frenchmen, and there were hints of French "royalty", and insanity, among the generations. She traced the line back to the 1400's in France, and it stopped dead cold. Maybe that's where it was supposed to stop?

At any rate, I just wonder... is there someone in your family posting stuff on the internet that YOU'VE discovered, that you didn't know before? Have you ever done a family tree and went "whoa! I'm related to HIM/HER!??". (I did one on my mom's side, and when I found out the family rumor that I was related to Belle Starr, I quit. I was so not impressed).

I look forward to hearing about your wacky/famous/royal/mobster relatives.

SDG,
Carla

Sundays at home

After a super-fantastically-wonderful day yesterday, I woke up this morning with a cough, and a yucky throat. Rachel coughed all night long too. Yay. Another Sunday of missing church. :-( Not yay.

Ever since Samuel did the Bonfire Two-step, and seared his toes off back in September, I've missed more church than the heathen in the local pub. I think I've only been there on a Sunday morning twice, since early September.

Our personal policy about taking sick kids to church, has caused us to miss more Sunday services, than anything else. On the one hand, it's good that we do this (to spare everyone else from catching the lastest bug) but on the other hand, it means that I'm the one who misses more church than anyone else, since I'm the one who gets to stay home with whichever sick kid, is sick. It's very frustrating.

This morning I ventured over to my mother-in-law's photo page, to look at the pics she took yesterday. I saw one of me, and wondered "who took away my pigment?". I don't know why, but for some reason, and it usually happens sometime in October, I lose all the color in my skin and become Translucent Woman: Whiter Shade of Pale. In fact, I sort of glow. Maybe it was all those years my mom worked in the nuclear toolrooms in the shipyard? Maybe I'm radioactive? I dunno. I just know I turn into Translucent Person, and my pics almost always spook me. (Meanwhile, Jennifer my 19 yr old, has been visiting a tanning salon. CHEATER!)

On my morning reads today, I found something that just blessed me. My friend John (who has THE most infectious laugh you will ever hear in your life) finally updated his blog, after a month of being away. John doesn't do blog-protocol well. He blogs whenever he feels like it, and doesn't make any grandiose announcements when he's going to be away. He just... goes away. Then he comes back with stuff like this, on being a friend. Go read John, you'll be glad you did.

Rachel just came in and said "I feel better this morning mom!" then coughed all the way out the door and back to her room. Hmmm...

Have a great Sunday everyone. We'll be staying home, again.

Thoughts on Thanksgiving

First of all, I'm thankful right this minute for an email I received earlier. It was another e-mail from the same nice lady that sent me the one about my grammar. I likely sounded rather flippant about the whole thing when I mentioned it prior, but I assure you I was not being flippant about it. I was and am, quite grateful for someone willing to come to me and tell me what she did. I haven't had an opportunity today to really read the second email in depth, so I'll be doing that later on.

Today was very busy, just like it always is on family birthdays or holidays. Everyone was here by about 2pm, and the ham was carved & on the table by 3. All the little kids were well behaved (even us bigger kids minded our manners!), and it was just a very good day.

Every year on Thanksgiving, people gather 'round all over the US and talk about what they're thankful for. It's a good thing to do I suppose, but it seems somehow misplaced to be mindful of your blessings but one day a year. When I was growing up, my mom had a saying that rings in my ears to this very day. "Be thankful for what you do have, and don't worry about what you don't have." Mom was a single parent working full time, raising 3 kids in the 60's and 70's. It wasn't easy for her to give her kids all the "wants" but we always had all the "needs". I'm so grateful for mom teaching me that attitude.

Rebecca made a wise move this month and chose to make her theme for November, a month of being thankful. She's been encouraging readers all month long, to share what they are thankful for on their own blogs, or by leaving a comment on hers. If you haven't been reading the comments or the updates, you really should be. They will bless you. Rebecca's blog will bless you. I'm thankful for her, and even wrote once in one of my very first entries on this blog, that when I grow up and become a real blogger, I want to be Rebecca.

As I watched my family today, I had an overwhelming grateful feeling that they were all here. All of them healthy, all of them beautiful people in their own right, and all of them healthy. Not everyone can make that claim about their family at a holiday gathering, and I realize just how blessed I am.

I have struggled almost my entire life, with "not having". When I was a kid, we had the necessities and once in a while, something a little extra. After I grew up, the "not haves" just followed me into adulthood and it's been a struggle financially almost my entire adult life. It would be VERY easy to wallow in self-pity but it would be a complete waste of time. I know, I've done it more than a few times and it never accomplishes much of anything, except to make me feel like an ungrateful brat.

I'm quite thankful I have fellow believers in my life that encourage me (sometimes daily) to remain in the proper attitude and remain thankful, grateful, and keep praising God no matter what comes. There are no words to describe the blessing of a changed attitude, when you simply sit in awe of Him, knowing that "in Him we live, and move, and have our being" (Acts 17:28). He provides the very air we breathe. He alone keeps our hearts beating. It's very difficult to dwell in self-pity when you can't provide something "extra" for your kids, knowing full well that all we have comes from Him anyway.

Every night when I go to bed, I reflect back over my day and make an effort to recall things that I can be thankful for. It's usually not much of an effort to do that, considering I'm thankful for even the smallest things. Not having a headache that day, Jordan getting 9 out of 20 spelling words correct, Kevin getting home from work safely or Jessica cleaning the upstairs bathroom. It's something different each day, but our days in this house are filled with things we can be thankful for. I strongly believe in thanking Him each day, for every one of them. I even thank Him for the gift of sleep. A much needed asset, for a mom with 5 kids at home.

As I looked over the pictures I took of Kev's birthday today, I can't help but simply be thankful for each of these kids. Some days they drive me flat out nutty. Other days (like Friday) they all do super in school, and are just so well behaved I almost can't contain my joy that "these are MY kids!". That's the same feeling I have tonight, as I reflect back over today.

I could sit here and list so many more things I am thankful for. It's easy for me to focus on the "haves" and not dwell on the "have nots" because of the way my mom raised me. I'm thankful for that, and only hope I can pass the same wisdom on to my own kids.

SDG,
Carla

Kev is officially old...

Today is Kev's birthday. Er... no it's not. Well, yes it is. Sort of.

His birthday is actually the 24th, but because he works a continental shift we have his birthday on the Saturday prior to his real birthday since he usually works on his birthday. So there ya go, today is Kev's birthday, and he's 41. He's officially an old geezer, and I can say that because I don't turn 41 for another 3 weeks.

It's also our American Thanksgiving. Kev's mom and sister are coming, and all my kids will be here too. It's good when all my girls are here. It just feels right.

I'll take 8 million pictures, Caryn will lament about "HAM for thanksgiving!!??" and then look sullen when she realizes I didn't make my stuffing. She'll comfort herself with the lemon-ginger cheesecake she's bringing. That is of course, assuming Kim and I don't snag it first and head to the garage with it.

I have kitchen duties, so I'll post later on this evening, Lord willing. I have some things to say about being thankful.

Have a great Saturday.

SDG ~ me

Things that make me laugh...

Folks who know me, know I have a very oddball sense of humor. I'm easily impressed, with things most folks overlook and find little to be impressed about. I also find humor in the strangest places, and at the most unusual times. I prefer to think of it as a gift, rather than a liability.

Yesterday, I got THE funniest email I've received in a very, very, very long time. I haven't responded yet to the sender, but she'll recognize herself here. It starts out this way:

"Dear Carla, I am a regular reader who enjoys the content of your blog but would enjoy it much more if your punctuation wasn't so irritating, which makes it sort of like eating custard with the eggshells left in. ;-D Hope you won't mind a few pointers from a professional editor"

I read that, and just started laughing. I was snorting (yes, I snort when I laugh hard) and trying to tell Kev what I was snorting about, but I couldn't, it was too funny. What a GREAT opening email message. "Hi, I like your blog, but you're so irritating!". The thing is, she's right. My punctuation IS irritating, even to me. I write like I speak, and if I am writing a sentence that if speaking, I would pause, I put a comma where I'd pause. Quite likely one of the worst grammatical mistakes there are, but it's the real me, so it's the best way to show forth the real me, in my writing. If I didn't pause (comma) where I normally would, due to grammatical rules, it would be the fake me, and I don't do fake.

I just absolutely loved the rest of her email. She pointed out grammar mistakes in a few of my recent entries, and even pointed out some correct things I did! (I had a Sally Field moment there, "she likes me, she REALLY likes me!). Immediately after reading her letter to Kev, I said "she's HIRED!". I confess, I do need professional help, and I was so touched by her critique, I immediately began to entertain ideas of "blog entry paranoia". I thought "from now until the day I die, every entry she reads she's going to be pulling eggshells out of her custard, that POOR lady!".

I do wish my grammar was better. It's a subject I loathed in school, and even though I can teach it to the kids (thank God for teacher's manuals), when it comes to my own writing, it's not even close to being "right on". I've read her email twice now, and when I get ink for my printer, I'm going to print it out and keep it next to my pc, for a reminder. Thank you "GrammaM" for sending that, you really made my day! And by the way, Kev's family lives in your hometown, so if this is a conspiracy, I'll deny everything, unless there's white chocolate fudge involved. I do have my standards, ya know.

The other "no way, this is TOO funny" thing happened today. Early (read: darkthirty) this morning I commented on a couple of blogs, and I couldn't remember the exact url, so I went to technorati to find them again. The first page that pops up on technorati, is my own 'search' page for my blog. I don't know why I set it up that way, but I did.

So my technorati page pops up and what do I see? Yes, this face right here. So I'm thinking "huh? why is Phil mentioning me, did he buy that homeschool mom tote bag?" No, not quite. He listed me on his blogroll. Yep, little ole "eggshell in your custard", me. The funny part, is that he listed me in the section of his blogroll that makes me laugh every time I read the word.

"Convivial"

Now, let me just say here, I'm honored to take a place among the other convivial ladies there: Bonnie Isabel Libbie, the English Muffin Cindy Swanson Marla Swoffer TulipGirl Joy McCarnan. I confess now, I have not read all those ladies sites, but I read Marla's all the time, and I have been to Cindy's quite a few times. TulipGirl was one of the first lady bloggers to link to me, so I read her blog quite a bit as well. The rest, well I will simply have to make it a point to go visit them and say "howdy".

So why does 'convivial' make me laugh? I don't know, really. It's one of those words that gets on my nerves, I think. It falls into the category of "this is one of those words that NO ONE USES unless they're trying to impress someone else with a 10 dollar word, that no one else knows what it means". Not that I'm accusing Phil of being an attention seeker with his 10 dollar words, he likely DOES use words like this all the time. But... then there's that other fringe element of the human family. You know who they are, you've met them. They think they're so stinking smart because they use the big ole words. It actually does impress a few people, so they keep using them, and keep annoying the rest of us, by it. Okay, maybe it's just me, but fake people make me ill. People who adopt a lingo because it's trendy, or might make them blend with some class of folks they're hoping to blend with... it's fake. Grr and pfft on being fake. Get real, be yourself, don't be some phoney-baloney.

So, when I first saw that category listed on Phil's blog, and saw Cindy listed under it!, I thought "I know what that words means, but I haven't heard it in 87 years, so now I have to go look it up". I thought it was a compliment, but I wasn't 100% sure, and knowing Phil, he might insert a category that means "makes me throw up on site" but is masked with a word that only 3 other people on the planet will recognize.

When I saw my name listed under convivial today, I had to go look it up again, just for fun. This is the part where I started snorting again. Here's the first entry for convivial, according to dictionary.com:

1. Fond of feasting, drinking, and good company; sociable. See Synonyms at social.
2. Merry; festive: a convivial atmosphere at the reunion.

I picture a British chap, using it the second way.

The root of the word is so me: Latin, "to live at the banquet". YES, bring it on. Please pass the lemon chicken, and the dessert tray. Now that's what I'm talking about!

Here's the best part...

"adj : occupied with or fond of the pleasures of good company; "a convivial atmosphere at the reunion"; "a woman of convivial nature"; "he was a real good-time Charlie"

No one I've ever known, in my entire life, has ever used that phrase "good time Charlie" in my presence. Except me. I use it from time to time. How weird is that?

But wait! If you plug convivial into the thesaurus, here's where the real party begins, for you fellow convivialists:


Main Entry: convivial
Part of Speech: adjective
Definition: fun-loving
Synonyms:
back-slapping, cheerful, clubby, companionable, conversible, entertaining, festal, festive, friendly, gay, genial, glad-hander, happy, hearty, hilarious, holiday, jocund, jolly, jovial, lively, merry, mirthful, pleasant, sociable, vivacious

Now, I've been called lots of things. LOTS of things. Why, just recently I did a search on my own name and found a headline that said "Carla Rolfe is a hypocrite and a lawbreaker". I read that and thought "wow, this guy really likes me, I can tell". Back to convivery...

I LOVE these synonyms! They rock: clubby, festal, glad-hander, jocund, mirthful!

I confess, I have a real problem with being overly jocund, at times. Hyper-mirthful, even. ROFLOL...

Oh well. This is probably not even CLOSE to being as funny to you, as it was to me, so thanks for reading anyway. Thanks for putting me on your blogroll Phil, and thanks for not putting me in any of the categories just under convivial. If it was a mixup, and that's where you meant to put me, then I'd have to re-write this whole entry, and that would not be conducive to my clubby-ness.

I have to go to the kitchen now and make a cherry cobbler. Tomorrow is Kev's birthday & American Thanksgiving (we have to combine them on his Saturday off, before Thanksgiving) and I'm doing much baking, so I can maintain my festal-status. I've already done A LOT of baking today, but I'm not done yet. Left to go is the cobbler, fresh applesauce, and peeling the yams for baking tomorrow, along with the ham. Yes, we have ham, for Kev's birthday/Thanksgiving. We're glad-handers that way.

SDG,
Good Time Carly, aka "Crunchy Custard"

Sidebar content

You may have noticed a few changes to the sidebar recently. I wanted to take a minute to explain those changes, and share some thoughts on it.

First, the most significant changes are the affiliate programs I belong to.

Being a stay at home mom, with 5 kids still at home, for years now I've looked for ways to generate some sort of "helper" income for us. Something to cover the cost of school books, supplies, field trips, surprise expenses, etc. Joining affiliate programs seems like a good idea, but I have to say, it hasn't really worked out to my expectation (or hopes?). It does generate a very small (and I do mean VERY small) income, but it's not something we count on. Some months it's not even 5 bucks!

That aside, I still enjoy being able to endorse those things which have blessed us. For example, CBD might carry a lot of material that we obviously don't agree with, but at the same time they do carry a lot of material (books, commentaries, family dvds, homeschooling curriculum) that we have been blessed with and would recommend in a heartbeat, to others.

I've been a CBD affiliate for a couple of years now, and it honestly has never generated enough of a "side income" to cover more than a loaf of bread now and then. But hey, I'm not complaining, a loaf of bread is a loaf of bread.

The new links you see on the sidebar (Christmas Shop , Audio Books , Biblical Studies , Church History , Commentaries , Kids , Music , Theology , Videos/DVDs ) are the areas of CBD that have been a blessing to our family, and we want to share those areas with you. Again, I offer the disclaimer that we do not endorse every product, in every area, but if you browse through the selections there, you'll find some amazing material, at very low prices. It's a win/win.

The other new affiliate link is very new to me, and I don't have a clue whatsoever, if it will benefit you in ANY way at all, lol. It's the Chitika MiniMall, and it's set to keywords and phrases that match the content of this site. Housewares, electronics, giftware, cameras etc. The featured product changes each time the page loads, and gives you the option of searching for other products, without ever leaving the page. The full feature of this little gizmo is that it automatically compares prices at different retail locations, and locates the best deal for you. How cool is that?

Try it out, search for a camera, dvd player, or a camcorder or giftware... see what it turns up for you. I've added as many categories as I think readers of this blog, might be interested in. Just a little gizmo to make life a little easier for you, and if anyone actually clicks through, I receive a small profit. So far, I've received nada, so apparently no one's clicking, lol. That's okay though, the gizmo is still cool. I've even included a little button for you, to head on over to Chitika and snag a little minimall for your own site or blog.

The other content:

My books at lulu.com, and my store. Just a couple of other ways I'm working from home, to help cover our costs of raising 900 kids. Did I say 900? Somedays it feels like 900. Especially when preparing a meal or doing laundry. I'm convinced I'm doing the neighbor's laundry too - there is just NO way my kids go through that many changes of clothes in one day. I refuse to accept it.

So, there ya go. Go shopping at any of the above mentioned places (and did I mention FREE SHIPPING at my store through 12/06, on any order over $50.00?? Just enter the coupon code FREESHIP on your order, and it's... well, it's free shipping), and when you do, it blesses you with a great deal, and a great product, and it blesses me with with a bit of income. Again, it's a win/win!

SDG,
Carla

Friday Funny Bone 11/18

Crazy Yeti

An English explorer was taking part in an expedition to the Himalayas. Led by a grizzled local guide, they ascended one of the less frequently climbed peaks. Roughly half way up the side of the mountain, one of the expedition came across a set of large manlike tracks in the snow. "Yeti tracks," the guide said with a gruff voice as he passed them. "One thing you must know before we proceed; do not, under any circumstances, touch the yeti."

The expedition heeded his warning and continued to climb the slope, night fell and the explorers set up their tents. In the dead of night the Englishman awoke to the sound of his tent entrance unzipping. Half asleep he looked up to see an enormous eight foot yeti standing above him. In fear for his life the explorer jumped up and ran out of the tent, banging into the yeti in the process. The yeti, after being touched by the explorer let out a deafening howl and began to chase the explorer down the slope.

The explorer ran away from the camp as quickly as his legs could take him, after he rounded a corner he looked behind him to see the bounding form of the yeti still chasing him.
So the explorer continued to run, reaching the bottom of the mountain in just two days, exhausted he paused to rest awhile. After just a few moments, the explorer began to hear the soft 'thud thud thud' of yeti feet on snow, he looked up the slope to see the yeti still chasing him and only moments away.

The explorer took off again, reaching a supply shack a couple of miles away, once there quickly buying a mountain bike and pedaling his way to the nearest town, some fifty miles away. The journey took him several days over the rough terrain and after his arrival he booked into a hotel to recuperate.

Two days later the man left his hotel to see about booking transport back to England. As soon as he turned around though he saw the form of the yeti on the horizon, bounding towards him at great speed. Mortified by this sight, the explorer hurriedly bought a car and drove it away from the village all the way to Delhi. Once he arrived, the man wasted no time in getting on the next plane to London.

After his arrival back in London, the man went back to his London home for a while to recover and to plan his next expedition. He had been there less than two weeks and was gazing out of a window when he saw a familiar large bounding, manlike creature running down his street; the man couldn't believe it, somehow the yeti had followed him to England!

The man had little choice but to run away again, he used any means he could, bike, car, or on foot to try to escape the yeti, but each time he looked behind him, it was just moments before the yeti came into view.

Eventually the man made it all the way to Edinburgh and from there ran into the open Scottish countryside. He continued to run but the yeti just kept getting closer and closer, and in the end the man could run no more.

With the yeti less than a minute away from him, the man finally stopped and turned around to face the oncoming creature. With the last of his strength he stood up straight as the yeti caught up with him. The eight foot tall yeti towered above the man who could only stare in terror. The yeti extended his hand and poked the Englishman squarely in the chest with one long finger and with a low rumbling voice the yeti began to speak:

"Tag! You're it!"

See the banner ad up yonder?

I probably should have waited until tomorrow to announce this, I'm just dead tired! I hope I remembered all the details & technical stuff - but here it is, all the same! (with a huge and monumental thank you to Tim for his help on the technical side of things - it's not even close to a challies design, but he was a big help anyway)

My store is having a giveaway... click the banner ad for all the scoop! I'm too tired to be more excited about it, lol.

SDG,
Carla

2005 Weblog Awards?

Okay, at the risk of sounding narcissistic, I confess I not only copy-catted this from Frank, but that I think it might be cool to be nominated in this too.

Here are the categories you might consider nominating this blog for:

Best Blog
Best Humor/Comics Blog
Best Conservative Blog
Best Religious Blog
Best Parenting Blog
Best Canadian Blog

Nominations close November 26, 2005. After finalists are selected, voting will begin December 1, 2005. (Note that comment registration is required ONLY for the nomination process NOT the voting.)

So, what do you say? :-) Nominate me, it'll be fun. There'll be chips and punch & stuff. (okay, no chips, but it sounded good, eh?)

(I already see a few familiar blog urls there - which is pretty cool)

Online Dispute Resolution 101

First, I want to apologize in advance for the length of this entry. It has to be as long as it is, to address the topic. I have however, stayed as close to point as possible. This is something that affects every single Christian on the internet, so I thought it was important, to be thorough.

When I named this blog what I did, I did that in part, because we ('net users) are in fact, a reflection of the times. The very fact that you're reading these very words, proves that you are reflecting the times we live in. The fact that I'm writing these words, not with a pen, but a keyboard, and not on parchment, but into a blog editor, also proves that I am as well, reflecting the times.

In many ways, modern technology allowing us to communicate this way, is really no issue at all. In many ways it's actually a benefit, and even makes our lives a little easier. (consider the quick action that took place as a result of electronic communication, after Katrina). In some ways however, the lines have been blurred, and many of us have bought into an idea that is simply not supported anywhere, in Scripture.

What idea is this? The idea that the community of believers online, is somehow "church". The idea that the internet can actually replace the local church, your pastor's authority, and face to face fellowship, worship, and study. In part, I believe this idea stems from those who are in rebellion in some degree, and choose the 'net over face to face fellowship & submission to a local church assembly. I know that sounds harsh, but in my almost 13 years of being involved in online communications, I've watched this trend, and watched it grow. Not only grow, but gain more and more acceptance by even those who have what most of us would consider solid theology. In the vast majority of situations, the people behind the idea that the 'net either is church, or can be church, are people that have major issues with submission, and have a mile long list of excuses as to why they are not in a local church, themselves.

They seek to defend their position, and they seek support and validation for it. And they're finding it, in some of the most unlikely places.

One of the places they find it, is with those who promote the idea of a universal, invisible church. Now please read this carefully, I don't want to mislead anyone by what I'm saying here. While I do agree that the family of God can be found in every far flung corner of the earth (various denoms, villages, communities, tribes and tongues), and while I do understand that the word "church" used to describe us, simply means "the whole body of Christians scattered throughout the earth", I can't agree that we are an "invisible" church. It doesn't make sense to me, and as much as I've studied it, it still doesn't make sense to me, especially considering the 115 uses of the word ekklesia in the NT, almost exhaustively refer to a local, physical gathering of believers.

That's really a side issue, however. I don't pretend to be an expert on the teaching of ekklesia, but I certainly do see how this teaching (in part) has contributed to the idea that certain passages and verses of Scripture, are taken out of context in an effort to apply to our "online conduct".

One of the places it's often used, is in the area of women in leadership, or authority, online. There are many who will use the instruction in 1Timothy, as a battering ram when a woman is a moderator in a chat room, or an admin at a forum. Or, a blogger. It's the same thing every time... "how dare you teach/delete/ban/suspend me, you're a woman, and the Bible says you cannot have authority over me!". Being online for the last 13 years, I've seen this more times than I can count. I've gone into this in more detail in Women of Faith Online.

Another passage of Scripture that is also taken out of context, is the "dispute" passage of Matthew 18:15-17. Being a moderator/admin in many different online theology chat formats over the years, I've seen my share of disputes, arguments, slander, malice, and all those other fun things that make "Christian chat" so obnoxious, at times. If you've ever ventured into a Christian chat room, you've likely seen exactly what I just referred to.

While the application of the Matthew passage certainly appears as if it would "work" online, it actually doesn't. Nor can it, because of the very nature of the internet, coupled with the intended application of the passage itself.

In the atmosphere of the internet, you have all sorts of people, who may or may not be, or may or may not truly believe, what they put forth. You might have an online fellowship with someone who appears to be a young woman believer, who is in reality, an old man (or a young man) who is disturbed, unstable, with serious psychological disorders just looking for a cheap thrill. Sound extreme? Believe me, it's not - it happens far more often than people realize. While not desiring to sound paranoid, the fact is, you really do not know (like you would face to face) who you're dealing with, online. One friend of mine suggested that Christian chats & Christian communities online, actually attract people like this, because they are likely looking for acceptance, and/or validation. Another friend once asked "why is it that people with bi-polar, who refuse to take their meds, are ALWAYS in Christian circles, online?". It's very, very common.

Some years ago I did some work with those behind the drafting of the long forgotten (or never heard of) "Communications Decency Act". This legislation went through many revisions, and alterations before new federal laws were put into place, as a result of online communications. Many of those involved in that piece of legislation (at the time I worked with them, between 1993 and 1996) were believers, who struggled with these very issues of conduct, online. These were believers in various levels of law enforcement (state, local and federal), various political persuasions and public office, and even a few federal judges, and prosecutors. All of us, working in whatever capacity we were able to at the time, were concerned not only with conduct from the criminal element that this legislation was originally drafted to address, but also conduct of believers, seeking the refuge of the anonymous nature of the internet. Because there were so many believers working on this, this issue came up time and time again, and was discussed from a wide variety of angles. Matthew 18 was in fact, discussed repeatedly.

Technology, and our laws pertaining to it, have changed drastically since then. People, on the other hand, have not.

Recently when my friend Vivian visited me, I jokingly put together a series of pics from our visit, that portrayed a mock-up from a movie called The Chatters of the Corn. I did that, to poke fun at the idea that "everyone you meet on the internet is a potential axe murderer!". Vivian and I first met online in a Christian community, and only recently had the pleasure of meeting face to face. I can assure you, neither one of us, is an exe murderer.

The point is, the internet actually feeds anonymity, and deception. If you're a person that struggles with being honest, the 'net is the perfect place for you to "hide".

Now please understand this: I certainly don't believe that the majority of people online are like this, obviously, but the fact is, many of them are - and you cannot possibly know which ones. You can't see them, you don't fellowship with them face to face, you never speak to them (audibly) you know virtually nothing about their lives (except for what they tell you), and they are, for all intents and purposes, strangers to you. You likely don't even know where they live, where they go to church, IF they go to church, or what kind of home environment they have. Or... if any of what you think you know about them, is actually true, or something they've made up. That's the reality of the 'net.

So with all that said, let's look at the 'dispute' passage of Matthew 18 to see why it doesn't work, online.

First, context. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, CONTEXT IS CRITICAL, and should never be overlooked. Look at verses 1 and 2:

At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them

I've highlighted the key phrases that point out the context: face to face. Jesus was physically present with the disciples, teaching them. They were physically present, learning. This is important to the whole application of the rest of the chapter. While I do agree that many passages and verses can have varied application, sometimes they simply cannot, and I do believe this is one of those cases.

In verses 3 through 14 Jesus teaches about offenses toward "the little ones" (He uses a child as the example of a converted believer, v. 3, and how we ought to never conduct ourselves in a way that would be offensive (entice them to sin) to them, or cause them to stumble in their faith, or fall away from truth. Dire warning is given here about how important this is: "But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea" (v.6)

Starting in verse 15 He turns it around, "Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother."

Let's look at what Jesus just said there. If a fellow believer sins against you, go and tell him privately. If he considers and receives what you're saying, you've won him over to a right fellowship with Christ, and with you.

The question is, can this be done, online? The answer is, yes and no. While you can certainly make the effort to go to your brother, and discuss this issue with him, in private, it may not be as private as you thought. Your "brother" may have an agenda that you have no knowledge of, and may use your words against you. It happens. You also do not know (because of the nature of the 'net) if you're really speaking with him privately, or not. This is where the context of this verse is so important. Jesus was talking about literally, and physically, getting up off your chair, or couch, or horse, and going face to face to your brother, just the 2 of you, alone, and discussing the issue between you, in an effort to resolve it and restore your fellowship with one another, and the offender's right fellowship with the Lord.

While this doesn't necessarily give you liberty to NOT make the attempt to discuss matters in private, it does throw a monkey wrench into the mix, since electronic communication is not exactly private, nor is it face to face discussion. Much is lost, in text only. Your brother cannot see your face, he cannot know how he's hurt you, or the eagerness in your tone of voice, to reconcile the matter. Likewise, you cannot see his face, or hear his voice, or reach out to him if he expresses his repentance, and sorrow, and wants to shake your hand, or embrace you, or pray together over the matter. So much is lost, in simple text, when it comes to a matter like this. This first instruction in the "dispute" passage was clearly meant to be face to face contact, in an effort to resolve a rift between brothers in the faith.

Moving on to the next verse: "But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established" v.16

Jesus says if your brother refuses to hear you, refusing to receive what you have to say, and acknowledge his sin against you, then you go back with witnesses, and try again. Both of you, laying your cards on the table in the presence (physical) of witnesses that know what has happened, in an effort to reconcile the sin your brother has perpetrated against you.

Again, how does this work, online? In my experience, it's VERY rare that it ever does, when attempted. Why? First of all, lines are drawn in the sand, and if your brother knows (or suspects) you're including others in your communication to him, he'll include others in his defense of himself. He said, she said, taking sides and digging in heels - usually via cc's and bcc's in email, or on forums, chat rooms and even blogs. Then before you know it, the whole mess becomes the controversy of the week, and all sorts of people are drawn in, on one side or the other. And the ever popular defense from both sides is repeated continuously "yes, but remember there are always two sides to a story!".

This instruction was never meant, to take place via fiber optics. It was meant to transpire face to face, where resolution was the goal. Again, the problem with communication online is what is lost, as I mentioned in the first verse. None of those things are present or accounted for, with online communication. It's almost like talking to only a part of a person, since so much of what makes up a good, and fruitful conversation, is missing from this kind of interaction.

Verse 17. This is where it all falls apart, online.

"And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican."

Jesus is quite clear here, what the next step is. If you've already tried one on one, face to face, and that didn't resolve anything, take witnesses and make another effort at resolving the issue. If you've done that too, and it didn't work, the next step is to go to the church, and explain the whole thing to them. Let's stop here and see what Jesus meant by "the church".

The word ekklesia is used here, and I believe Jesus was referring to those who have the responsibility over you, in your local physical assembly. The elders, and your pastor. (Heb 13:7, 1Th 5:12, for a couple of quick references).

It is not expressly stated, but it's at least inferred, that the brother that has sinned against you is also under the authority of the same pastor and elders, considering the way the verse is worded "but if he neglect to hear the church" (referring to the same church you've gone to, your own). Even if Jesus was not referring to your own pastor and elders (as having authority over the sinning brother), He was indeed saying that once you've gone to them "but if he neglect to hear the church" and that still doesn't work, then the final step is to consider him in your thoughts as a heathen, and a publican.

This is extreme, since a heathen is ethnikos... "alien to the worship of the true God" and a publican is a tax collector, reviled by believer and unbeliever alike, due to their harsh ways, fraud, greed, and deceptive practices that they employed to do their job.

In other words, if you've made every effort according to this passage to reconcile your brother to you, and he resists all efforts, by you, your witnesses, your church... you are to no longer consider him a brother, but as an alien to the faith.

Now with that established, how does this work, online?

In a nutshell, it does not work. It's not even possible, for it to work. Picture this conversation with your pastor:

You: pastor, billy3toes sinned against me, can you email him for me, I've already tried talking to him privately, even took witnesses, but all he did was throw up a blog to slander me

Your pastor: what? Billy who? why is Billy vomiting blogs? has he seen a medical professional, this sounds serious...

Joking aside, how do you explain something like this to your pastor, especially if your pastor does not use the 'net and has very little knowledge of how it all works? And once you do explain it, what is he supposed to do, gather the elders and send a joint email to the offending brother, requesting that he see things from your perspective, and repent?

Just how realistic is this? In truth, it's not a realistic scenario at all. In many cases, the offending brother has already dug in, and if contacted by your pastor at all, likely won't even believe the email IS from your pastor, and even if he does, certainly doesn't submit himself to the authority OF your pastor, and heed his direction and instruction.

The instruction given in Matthew 18:17 was in reference to an in person situation, a face to face, sit down, confrontation of the issue at hand, not an email, not a chat room, or a voice conference online.

Now I suspect someone out there, has an example in real life, of the instruction given in Matthew 18, and having used it ONLINE, and it working. That's great, if the example actually exists, but it would certainly be the exception to the rule, and not at all common. I'ver tried hard to remember back over the last 13 years of any example of this instruction followed, and it working in a positive way, and I cannot think of 1 incident.

The primary reason this doesn't apply, and doesn't and can't work as intended in this passage, is because it was meant to be employed face to face, within your local, physical environment, and then within your local, physical church. Without that in the equation - it's missing a primary element that is critical in human contact, critical for it to be fruitful and effective: the physical!

With all that said, I certainly do advocate making every effort to reconcile differences between believers, online. There's no excuse not to, if at all possible. But to make the statement that Matthew 18 can be used online, is to be neglectful of the whole context of the passage itself.

There are ways to achieve reconciliation with fellow believers online, however. Going to them one on one, privately, in email or private messaging, is one way. Apologizing if you need to, forigivng when you need to, and/or being very particular in your message if it is them, who has offended you. If they do receive what you have to say, then praise God for the resolution. Unfortunately, it's not always that easy, and it doesn't always work out this way. This is the nature of online communication, unfortunately. Sometimes, you just have to be content with the effort you have made, then let it go, and leave it with the Lord.

I certainly don't pretend to be an authority on these matters, I can only share what I have learned myself, and remain open to correction, and further learning. I realize that subjective experience like what I've just shared, is not "authoritative", but in many ways these kind of experiences only confirm what the text of Scripture already states.

In the past 13 years of being online, I have repeatedly seen folks try to use Matthew 18 to resolve issues, and not once, in all those years, have I ever heard of it being followed to the letter, and it working, as hoped. Like I said, it doesn't work in this medium because it wasn't taught to be employed, in this medium.

Scripture does address our conduct, and the standard we are to strive for. This addresses any situtation, online, offline, with friends, family, the lost, the household of faith, etc. Being a believer, means the Holy Spirit is the guide of our conscience, and He will convict us if we step to the left, or to the right, and deviate from the conduct that Christ has called us to. However, we need to be very careful when we take a verse of passage of text out of context, and make an effort to apply it to a situation where it was never meant, to apply.

I decided to write about this today, since someone suggested to me in the comments of another thread, that Matthew 18 is the route for online disputes. When I disagreed, they wanted to know why. I hope this helps folks understand why I disagree that this is a viable course of action, in matters of "online disputes among believers".

SDG,
Carla

On the passing of Dr. Adrian Rogers

My condolences go to the family of Adrian Rogers, who passed away yesterday. Ever since I heard the news, I've been feeling somewhat melancholy.

I wasn't even aware that he was ill, until I read it on James White's blog, yesterday morning.

Several years ago, before we moved to the country, I used to get up early on Thursday mornings, and go with Kev to work, so that I could drive the van back home, and have it for the day to run errands. I didn't (and still don't) like doing my errands and grocery shopping on the weekends so I'd get a jump on it, and take care of all that on Thursdays.

We did this for several years, and every Thursday morning on the way home, at 6:45 am, I would listen to the Christian radio station coming out of Buffalo. Dr. Adrian Rogers was on at that time, and I really looked forward to his show.

Now obviously, I never agreed with every word the man preached, but his preaching style was fantastic, and captivating, and when he did preach on a Biblical text or doctrine that we were in agreement with, he did so with such passion, and conviction, it was just a real treat to be able to listen to him.

When we moved out to the country nearly 4 years ago, my weekly trips in the van listening to the Christian radio station ended. One of the things I really missed about that, was listening to Adrian Rogers preach. I know that might sound funny coming from a staunch 5 pointer like me, but if you've ever heard him, you should be able to respect the fact that he was just a good preacher, even if he was off, in some areas.

While my thoughts on Adrian Rogers might not be nearly as painfully humorous as Phil's (you HAVE to go read this, but be careful, you might shoot your beverage through your nose when you start laughing), I just wanted to take a minute and to share that I was blessed by the ministry of Pastor Rogers. He will be greatly missed by many many people.

SDG,
Carla

Wednesday Randomness

I woke up at 6:30 this morning to the sound of a freight train barreling through my bedroom. There was no train, just the sound. The same storm that pummeled the midwest yesterday, is wreaking havoc on southern Ontario this morning - bringing with it an arctic cold front that by tomorrow at this time, will likely result in snowsqualls, whiteout conditions, and up to 5 inches of snow.

YEEEEEHAW,
bring
it
on!!!

Can you tell I love snow?

Okay, well, on to more important things.

Last night I had an opportunity to speak with both of my older daughters, who have both moved out. We don't get to talk much, and I miss them both, oodles.

It's funny how we become so used to modern technology that it changes (drastically!) the way we do things. When I was 22, I'd call my mom on the phone. Not the case for my oldest daughter and I - we have webcam conversations. :-) She played her harmonica and tin whistle for us, and the kids danced for her. She then proceeded to inform me that my webcam stinks, and the color is distorted. I didn't tell her how COOL hers was, and how sharp, and clear, and that I was writhing with envy. (shhh, don't tell her! she reads this blog!!)

My 19 year old called to ask "mom, what day are we having American Thanksgiving and Papa's birthday?" We have them both on the same day, since Kev's birthday is the 24th. This year, that day is Saturday, so I need to prepare my menu today, and hope I can get out tomorrow to get to the grocery store. If it's a whiteout, I won't be going anywhere.

It's funny, how much my holiday menu planning has changed over the years. While I used to spend weeks in the kitchen, baking ahead of time, and using pre-packaged mixes and such, now I bake from scratch about 95% of the time, and don't usually head to the kitchen until the last couple of days before a holiday. I've saved time, and a ton of money, buy baking from scratch. Go figure, mom was right about that too. (Are moms really right about everything? Has anyone ever proven a "mom advice" nugget, to be incorrect?).

Off to the menu planning stages... I'm surprised we haven't lost power yet. Winds are howling through here between 40 and 60mph, and all the trees are doing their impersonation of a palm tree in Florida, in a tropical storm.

Have a great Wednesday!
SDG ~ Carla

Gotta love the media spin...

By now I will assume most of you have read or heard about the story of the kid in PA who's boyfriend shot her parents. If not, the story is here.

I guess it was bound to happen... the media seems to do this every chance it gets.

The headline might as well read like this:

Homeschooling Killer & Homeschooled Girlfriend Nabbed in Indiana

Obviously, to homeschoolers, the over-emphasis on the reports that the kids were both homeschooled, and met through a HS organization, is pathetic.

I wonder if these kids were public school educated and met through a pinball game organization, if the same emphasis would be placed on that? Likely not. It's not mysterious and controversial enough.

Yesterday, Kim posted a series of pics of the faces of homeschooling. Here's another one, taken this past spring on an impromptu trip down to Lake Erie for the day.

Oh but wait! We forgot to include the pic of the sneering teen, showing just how miserable her existance really is, because she's a homeschooled kid in a Christian home. Hmmm... I'll have to see if I can dig up one of those for you.

Fact is, and I really hate to disappoint the readers here, but the vast majority of HS kids are good kids. Well behaved, well-mannered, well-liked, and quite enjoyable to be around. Yep, they're still kids, and they still do kid-stuff, but the obsession the media seems to have with polarizing the HS issue, in cases like this, really gets on my nerves.

And all it does, is fuel the fires of ignorance, that perpetuate the myths so prevelant, about homeschooling.

Ugh, and grrr.
------------------

I just wanted to clarify something here. I don't know if this girl was involved in the act of her parent's murders, or if she was also a victim herself (there is much speculation and very little hard fact at this point). This commentary was not meant to be insensitive or judgemental toward the family involved, in any way. This commentary was meant to point out the obnoxious way the MSM targets homeschoolers and homeschooling, especially in high profile news items.

Pretty holiday idea

I've been meaning to post this for a few days now but I keep getting sidetracked. This is easy, it's fun, and it's incredibly inexpensive. Best of all, the finished product is very pretty, festive, and will get ooh's and ahhhs at Christmas.

Cranberry Candle Centerpiece
(photo: me)

For this you will need:

1 or more clear tumblers (or a pilsner glass, or any other kind of interestingly designed glass - just make sure it's clear without designs).
glue
glitter - any color
votive and/or pillar candles (white, scented is optional)
cranberries* (real or fake, it doesn't matter, or optional decorations, see below)

Place a small amount of glue (regular Elmers will work fine, as long as the glue dries clear) in a saucer, and spread it into a nice circle. Dip the rim only, of your glass in the glue, then invert to sit upright. If any glue runs down the inside of the glass, wipe it off immediately with a damp cloth. (I used my finger, it works better).

Pour a small amount of colored glitter (any color) in another saucer, and dip the wet rim of the glass into the glitter, making sure you coat the entire rim. Invert and let dry.

Do this with as many glasses as you like, different holiday colors are always pretty.

Once the glue/glitter is dry, place a few cranberries in the bottom of the glass, then set your candle on top of them. Pour in more cranberries until the candle is half-way covered with cranberries. If using a pillar candle, hold it steady while you evenly distribute the berries around it.

That's IT, you're done. Aren't they pretty?

These candle centerpieces can be created very inexpensively. I made these 4, and each one cost less than 2 dollars. All I needed to make them I bought at the local dollar store. I didn't have the pillar candles in the taller ones before I took these pics, but this gives you the general idea.

*optional decorations in place of cranberries: crushed candy canes, tiny pine cones, glass beads, red or green marbles. Be creative!

Do you have some super-cool, super-inexpensive holiday decorating ideas to share? I'd love to hear from you!

SDG ~
me

Church Bulletin?

This is a real situation, not a hypothetical.

If your role in your Baptist church, was the service of being responsible for the weekly bulletin inserts, what would you do in the following scenario:

You have the option of including, or dicarding, a bulletin insert for a local crisis pregnancy center. On the back of the insert, is an advertisement for an upcoming event for the local organization. The keynote speaker is a well known, television/radio personality, who takes a strong stand against abortion. He's also an avowed Roman Catholic.

In the ad for the upcoming event, also included is a picture (promotion) of one of his books, which is a compilation of stories & insights of his faith as a Roman Catholic.

Would you put the insert in your Baptist church bulletins?

If yes, why?
If no, why not?

This should be interesting.

SDG,
Carla

Is this Christian conduct?

UPDATED: see the end of the entry

UPDATED again - see below

readers from Frank's blog - the entry you're looking for is here, and thanks for coming by!

_______________________

Now, on to something that is rather disturbing (no, not Frank's obession with stats).

It came to my attention last night, that one of my blogs has been mirrored, or duplicated, or hijacked, or something to that affect. Let me e'splain. (While I generally do not like to discuss the EC on this blog, I think this is a valid time/topic to bring this up here).

I run the Emergent No blog, with fellow contributors Denise (Surph) and Nina. After 6 months of research last year, and putting my resources on this page, Nina, Denise and I thought a blog, or forum format, might be better to share new resources, so I opened ENo.

Since that time, I've had to ban or delete comments & commenters who were either vulgar, profane, obnoxious, antagonistic, or just plain ridiculous and/or juvenile. Some of them went as far as emailing me with sexually repugnant filth (because this is what "an authentic journey" reads like, apparently).

Now let me say this - thankfully - not all who align themselves with the Emerging church, are creepy like this. Many I have disagreed with, on some pretty foundational issues, and they have remained decent, graceful, and brotherly. I'm grateful for those who are like this - they motivate me also. My hat is truly off to them, even though we disagree big time.

The contributors to ENo are 100% against the doctrines and practices being promoted by the EC - and we make no apologies for it. Yes, the EC has brought up some valid criticism of the evangelical church at large, and yes there is much to criticize. That's not what we stand against. We stand against the new age-ism, mysticism, ecumenism, and all the other philosophical mumbo-jumbo being hailed as "expressions of Christianity".

So, as a result of my hand being forced to ban some of the more seedy and slimey characters associated with this movement (that is not a movement), someone took it upon themselves to mirror the Emergent No blog.

I'm not a tech geek, so I don't know all the right lingo for this. They set up a site called Emergent No, with a dot com, and they capture all the new posts that the (real) contributors make, and place them on their site, blog style. They admin the "blog" and comments are open to slander and malign every word we write. Which is fine, I guess, if they can live with such blatant dishonesty and deception.

The owner of the dot com site admits on his own blog that he's done this in part, to divert people who are looking for the real site, to his fake site.

What do you think? Is this legal? Is it moral? Is it Christian? Do you support this kind of thing? How would you feel if someone did this to your blog? Do other pro-EC folks support this kind of deception & dishonesty, in their quest to be authentic and engage in dialogue? (I think I already know the answer to that last question, but I had to ask it anyway).

For your info, you can read the pertinant information on this here:

1. Emergent No Dot Com and Emergent Yes
2. Emergent No Dot Com is Live


This only came to my attention last night, as I was mutli-tasking... reading my technorati page, and chatting in #prosapologian at the same time. I brought it up in #pros, and one of the ladies there suggested it was my place to confront these folks with this sin and encourage them to repent. I'm not so sure about that - but maybe that's what I'm doing by posting this?

So, I'm asking you folks. What's the Biblical thing to do here? I've had this happen before, on a smaller scale. People who can't handle being booted from a chat room, go off and create a fake room with a similar name to my own room. Eventually they get bored and go find something else to do. This seems different somehow. Maybe it isn't, I don't really know.

If the Biblical thing to do is remove this entire entry and give this no further attention, then that's what I'll do. I'm asking for your insight, and your wisdom on this, since I honestly don't know how to respond to it.

SDG,
Carla

------------

Update: Someone named Richard commented here with some sound advice. I have also responded there, and agreed with him. The fake ENo blog has now evolved to include posts from Ingrid Schlueter's Slice of Laodicea blog, and her contributors. Both ENo and Slice, are copyrighted material (whether publicly stated or not, copyrights stand), and from all accounts so far, this is in fact, an illegal move. As I was typing this update, Justin Baeder from the fake blog, sent me this email in regards to my comment on his fake blog:

"Carla-Feel free to contact me personally if you would like to discuss
EmergentNo.com. Thanks, Justin RadicalCongruency.com"

I will not be contacting Justin personally about this - but I do hope he heeds the wise advice he's been given. I appreciate the comments you've left today here, and privately in email.

SDG - Carla

__________

Final Update:

Justin Baeder posted this April 21, 2005:

"I buy domain names for fun. Today I bought EmergentNo.com and EmergentYes.com. If you are interested, I can set them up for a civil, open discussion of the criticism that is being aimed at the EC. I’m thinking that a redirect from No to Yes (or vice-versa) would be more appropriate than two separate sites, and there might be a few hits from people looking for the EmergentNo.blogspot.com site." (source)

When I wrote today that his purpose for doing this was at least in part, to deceive, he denied it.

He responded today with: “My intent is not to trick people, by any means.” (source)

You decide if this is backpeddling or not. It’s pretty clear to me exactly what it is. If you're hoping to snag some traffic headed for another site, because you've named your site with the same name, you are in effect, being deceitful. There is no justifying this, it is, what it is.

If you’ve seen the comments here, you know Baeder has at least a few supporters.

Pitiful.

I’m glad this kind of conduct does NOT represent the majority (in my experience) of folks who are affiliated with the EC.

With that said – Baeder’s supporters are banned from commenting here, for obvious reasons, and I will not address this again at this blog.

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Memory Lane again

The other day, I was driving down the highway, headed to town to run some errands. When I'm alone in the van, I like to turn the radio to the "classic" rock station (now don't faint, or you won't get a chance to read the rest of this). When I say "classic rock" I'm talking about the great music that came from the late 60's and early 70's. I don't care what anyone says, that was an era of music genius that just cannot be outdone. It's the music I grew up listening to, and I still enjoy some of it. Songs with raunchy lyrics, get turned off.

At any rate, it was likely a result of hearing a Fleetwood Mac tune, that made me think of Darrel. Let's go back in time a bit, to the summer of 1976.

I had an early morning paper route, and I do mean early. Papers had to be delivered by 7 am, which meant I had to start by 5:30 at the latest. It was fairly local, so sometimes I walked, sometimes I rode my brother's bike, and sometimes on weekends, Mom drove me, if it was raining hard. I remember it like it was yesterday.

I had a transistor radio, that I often took with me, when I walked or rode a bike. I had the station tuned to KJR, 95am on the dial! Seattle's only rock & roll radio station at the time. Sometimes it came in well, other times it didn't. But every morning, at exactly the same time it seemed, they played the same song. Rhiannon, by Fleetwood Mac. By the end of that summer, I knew that song as well as I knew my route. I was also going to grow up to be as cool as Stevie Nicks. Alas, I digress.

That summer, I also met Darrel. I spent all my free time at the roller rink, because (much to your surprise, I know) I was going to be a world champion speed skater. I practiced, I wiped out, and I had blisters some days the size of Wyoming, but I was good. Every Friday & Saturday night, from 7pm until 11:30, I was at the rink. "The Chateau".
The only rink in town.

That summer, they opened the rink in the afternoons, for "all skate" and I was "all over it". As much as possible, I was there. Paper route money went toward rink admission & skate rental. On those painfully desperate days, with a pitiful, puppy dog look on my face, I'd go to mom and grovel for the money. As tight as money was when I was a kid, I don't ever recall mom saying no.

One Saturday afternoon, while at the rink, 2 new boys showed up I'd never seen before. I knew everyone there, from the skate rental guy and his family, the owners, the employees, and all the regulars. Funny, the husband and wife team owners... he loved kids, she hated them. Sometimes he'd let us in free, and if she found out, he'd catch you know what for it.
But it never stopped him.

One of the girls there, knew one of the 2 new boys that showed up, and introduced everyone. She knew Robby, but she didn't know Darrel. We all met Darrel that day, and it was just one of those great days from childhood that you fondly remember. We all talked, and skated, and played pinball, ate chips, talked and skated some more. Darrel was an ace skater, and I was glad to meet him.

This was during the time that nearly all boys still stunk, had cooties, and were basically useless. Far as I could tell, Darrel didn't have cooties, and he was quiet, and a great skater, so he wasn't useless.

After the session was over and Mickey (boy she hated kids!) called for "last skate", we all turned our skates in and grabbed our gear. I was walking home that day, so I was in for a long walk. I lived about 4 miles from the rink, but I never cared about walking home, it was a good walk. Darrel had just moved to my town, and I had no idea he lived right across the street from the rink. He offered to walk with me, never mentioning where he lived.

We talked all the way to my house. Talked, laughed, joked around. I got home much later than usual, because we took our time, stopping at the school & goofing around at the playground. I showed him the neighborhood around the school and pointed out where the goons lived, and where the neat kids lived. I had to do my part, helping him get used to the new town.

I saw Darrel a lot that summer, after that day. He started coming to the Friday & Saturday night skates as well, and we got to know each other pretty good. Oddly enough, it was immediately after someone suggested we were "boyfriend/girlfriend" that we stopped talking as much, and stopped hanging out together. Something about the stigma of THAT wicked label, at 11 years old, just messed kids up. (my, how things have changed, eh?)

Over the next few years, Darrel and I saw a lot of each other at school, mutual friends homes, local parks, etc. Once, in highschool, I went to a friend's house afterschool, and since Darrel lived right across the street from her, he walked with us. We talked about the first time we met, several years prior to that, and how we both had cooties. When we got to my friend's house, and Darrel was about to cross the street to his house, he said something to the affect of "let's stay in touch this time - we're not strangers you know". I agreed, and we parted ways.
We were 16.

That was the last conversation I ever had with Darrel.

Over the next many years, we grew up, each moved away, each moved back, and once in a while saw each other around town, waved or nodded hello, but that was it. I think I was about 30, when someone told me Darrel's obituary was in the paper that day. I was too upset to even look, and didn't even want to hear about it.

Darrel was one of the good guys, in my book. He was a part of my childhood, and young adult life, that was good. The part you look back at and think "that was such a great day" or great time.

Someone told me he'd married, then divorced, and was raising a little girl, when he died. The paper never listed the cause of death. It still brings a lump to my throat to think about it.

I wanted to write about Darrel tonight, because he was still on my mind today. There are so many people you meet in life, that shape your life in one way or another, that never get mentioned, or thanked, or acknowledged in any way. Darrel was one of those people in my life. He was a good kid, a good friend (for the short time we were close friends), and not a single person I ever knew, had a cross word to say about him. And wow, could he ever skate!

Every time I hear Rhiannon, I think of Darrel, and that summer at the rink.
I probably always will.

I only hope Darrel knew the Lord before he passed on.

SDG,
Carla

centuri0n's challenge...

READERS: Frank Turk is full of beans. Which explains the leaping eyebrow in his profile pic. They're Mexican Jumping Beans.

If you've come from his blog just now wondering why I'm mad, as Frank claims, here's the truth:

I did a very informal, unscientific poll the other day, re: links & referrals. Here is exactly what I said:

"Well, the suspense is over and here is the order of most influential "blogspotting", as it's pertained to this blog:

1. Tim - generates by far, the most referrals in one day
2. Phil - generates the most referrals over a span of several days, with 1 post
3. Adrian - comes a close second after Phil, and with the same result, span of several days
4. Frank - generates almost zero referrals

So there ya go. If you were looking for blog traffic, or trying to find a way to advertise your chia pet for sale, or something equally bizarre, you know who to go to for a referral."

That was it. Now I ask, does that look mad, to you? Ahem...

Truth be told, Frank's just green with envy, that his blog was whupped in the referral department, by the other 3. Why look, there's Frank now! (He came to see if his challenge was working - yes cent, we see you leering from behind the template)

So the deal is, it's not "Carla Rolfe's Challenge", as Frank would have you believe, it's HIS challenge to you, to prove you, his readers, are the coolest people out there, and follow links from his blog, to whomever, wherever, he recommends. (as all good readers should, eh?)

So, there you have it. The story behind the story.

(and before anyone gets all weird about any of this - it's all in fun, so settle down)

Search Words?

It's rather interesting the things folks are looking for, online. Here are a few that directed folks to my lil ole blog here:

Search Words/phrases:

• jessica lundsford kidnappers (should all pay with their lives, as far as I'm concerned)
• 40 birthday letter (Kev left me one for my birthday last Decemeber, it was all gooey and mushy)
• malachi how to pronounce (easy, it's Muh-lach'-ee, the Italian prophet)
• inspeak setup (download, install, and click "set up")
• christian living (amen)
• Kirk Wellum (Canadian pastor who preaches the doctrines of grace)
• "christmas village table" (plywood and saw horses, I'm cheap)
• carly brucia (see the comment for the Jessica Lunsford search)
• scriptures for women leading (women leading women, yes - women leading men [in the church] no, there are none)
• susan smith putrid (why yes she is)
• "o canada" "man and a woman" version (Kev and I could record the two of us singing it, and do an audio blog!)
• moderated comments for blogspot ('bout time, eh?)
• nancy demoss (recommended when I asked about women theologians - I've never read her)
• Adrian (well let's see, there's "Yo Adrian", Adrian Rogers & Adrian Warnock... I suspect this search was for Adrian Warnock - which at last check, was still over in the UK poking his stick in the cessation/non-cessation blog-slug-fest)
• carla naked (um... hello?)
• blog disclaimer "heart attack" "not responsible" blogger ( I was nowhere near him, I don't even know his name, or anything else about it, I assure you!)
• sunday pot roast (yum - add 1 chopped onion and half a bottle of Italian dressing - slow bake for 3-4 hours at around 275 farenheit)
• rachel ray's recipe for salsbury steak (well, I have a Rachel, but I'm Carla Rae, and yes I do have a delicious recipe for "saltberry steak" as the kids call it, and we have it fairly often. In fact, we're having it tomorrow night!)

And there you have it... what brought you here?

I've been busy with...

Designing new graphics, for a brand new product...

Sometime in the next couple of weeks, my store will have them in stock, and available to YOU. Something that has been in demand for a lonnnnnnng time...

BLACK T's!

Okay okay, some of you couldn't care less, I realize that. Others, who like t's (like me!) really like the black ones, and until now, they were not available - for several reasons - primarily - cost. Black t's cost a bit more than white, and to keep the prices low, you have to get a killer deal on the blank tees to begin with. Well, that's all been remedied, and they're going live, real soon.

Right now, as of this morning, I have 10 different graphics, some of them BRAND NEW, just for the black t's. They look SO COOL on the shirts, I'm really excited about the new line. I can't really give you a sneak peek of the shirts themselves yet (it's all very James Bond, you know?) but stay tuned for the next couple of weeks when they go live.

If you like black t-shirts, I think you'll be impressed with the new graphics on these, and how they just POP off the shirts. I've created a blog just for the store - sort of a "story behind the work" journal, that you can check out, here. (you can sign up for my store's newsletter from that page, so you're the first to know of upcoming sales, specials, new products, and all that cool junk)

So there ya go. :-) I'm still working on some new graphics, and hope to have a wider variety to choose from, before the t's actually arrive.

SDG!
Carla

Techno-Gizmos

Do you know what this is? If you don't, join the majority of the rest of the human population. Most of us don't know, and don't have one, and don't care, and never will have one.

If you do know what it is, shame on you. You're a wacko. Okay, maybe wacko is a strong word. You're a wingnut.

This, my friends, is an iRobot. Oh yes, they're real, and you too can have one in your home, for a mere $279.99, plus shipping & handling. Woops, silly me! For a limited time only, FREE shipping and handling!! (did I hear someone yell "w00t!" ??)

So what's an iRobot and what does it do? Glad you asked. This little gizmo is actually a vacuum cleaner. You turn it on, and put it on the floor (or maybe it's the other way around, I'm not sure) and voila! No stooping, no bending, no exerting yourself whatsoever! You can flop yourself down in your lazy-boy, grab a cup of joe, rip open your chips, and let "iRo" do the dirty work. Why yes, you TOO can capitalize on modern technology, for a mere $279.99 (that's US, in Canadian funds, that's $MoreThanYou'dGuess.99) Now get this... not ONLY does it clean your floors, when it's battery begins to run low, it "senses" it (this isn't even the creepy part), and finds it's way to it's charger, and recharges itself.

You think I'm making this up, don't you? Oh, ye of little technology! See it here for yourself.

Okay so I'm having issues. And so is Rozie. I mean, look at her, she's crushed! She's all messed up.

Now, Rosie made sense. Rosie did dishes, she helped Elroy with his schoolwork and offered advice to Judy about teen angst. She was a friend to Jane, and even helped George from time to time. Rosie was an all-around decent house-helper.

But look at this thing... all it does it clean the floor! Plus, it's got this creepy built-in-brain that tells it to phone home when it needs more juice. It wont even wash dishes, for crying out loud.

Today while browsing through the weekend sale flyers, I saw one of these gadgets on sale for some painfully low price. I suspect it doesn't have the brains of this top of the line model, but the thought occured to me:

WHO NEEDS THIS THING?

I can only think of those who are maybe bedridden, or for some other reason unable to use a regular vacuum. But in that case, wouldn't there be someone there to help them, with those kinds of things? I dunno, I'm guessing here.

I picture this modern-day family... Dad leaves for work at some ungodly hour of the morning - mom gets ready for work while the kids get ready for school. They all bail out the door around the same time and this Creepy iRo starts puttering around the kitchen floor, giving the cat a heart attack while the dog barks at it all morning long, until it poops out and crawls back to it's charger for a pick-me-up.

I'm sorry, but this is just not right. Something very wrong with appliances that do the work, while you're 5 miles away!

On the other hand...

When they come out with one that scours the house for every piece of dirty laundry, collects it, sorts it, washes, dries, folds and puts it away...

Sign me up!

Capping off the day...

It occured to me this evening, as I strolled through the God blogosphere, that there are A LOT of very, very intelligent people out there, discussing some uber-deep things, about the Scriptures, Christian living, and church history. So deep, that while I wish to respond to some of them, I don't even know where to begin. So, I wont.

It's not that it only occurred to me for the first time this evening, but for some reason it seems quite prevelant tonight. That, plus a lot of political analyzing that bores me to nearly a comatose state. Those, I have no desire to respond to. Politics: phooey!

I did get another really nice email today, which brought tears to my eyes. What a blessing to be blessed in return like that. Thank you W., I sure was touched by your kind words.

centuri0n also added me to his blogroll... I think this is a good thing? I'm honored to be in the company of bloggers on his blogroll, that was nice of Frank to do that.

For those wondering: yes, I did survive school today. Just barely, but I did survive.

I do have a prayer request though, for my friend Michael. He's dealing with some things that are just plain awful, and all the prayer he can get, would be a blessing to him.

And with that, I'm turning in early.

SDG ~ Carla

Journey into madness...

Technically, I guess it can't be "one of those days" until the day is over, right? Pfffffft.... logic schmogic. It's one of those days and that's all there is to it. I scoff at logic. I poo-poo analytical reasoning and rational reaction. I am woman, read me rant.

One of those days when I ask myself "and... who's brilliant idea was it to homeschool, anyway?" and then I answer myself, "yours, you idiot".

When the decision was made, we had 1 homeschooling student. Oh life was grand. We sat at the table together while the little ones played and occupied themselves with one another, and we did all her lessons together. It was good, really good.

Then the little ones had the nerve to get bigger. Then, if that weren't enough of a challenge, Ruth (aka The Prime Minister of Everyone and Everything All at Once and Don't You Forget it, Bubba) came along. And what of Kev? Well, he has the audicity to actually go to work 2-3 times a week, and leave me here with these people! Isn't there a wedding vow somewhere that says "I promise never to leave you unprotected with very short people that can annoy you faster than fingernails on a chalkboard"? I seem to recall Kev reciting something to that affect. In which case, he has violated our vows and I believe, if memory serves, the punishment for that is a week solid HIM being the teacher while I hide in the basement and eat white chocolate.

So that brings us to today. A 15 year old who still could use some one on one help at the table, an 8 year old who tries so hard to do her work as fast as her almost 7 year old sister, and loses out on quality because of it, an almost 7 year old who can't figure out why the rest of us just don't concede to her wisdom in all things, a 5 year old who does fantastic academically but is sidetracked by the slightest things (like... air), and a 2 year old who needs a straight-jacket. And to be potty trained and stop peeing on the carpet. And an attitude adjustment. And a hug, because she's so darned cute even when she's being such a brat.

And then there's me, by the time lessons are done for the morning.

Trying hard to remember they're just kids, and not spies from a nefarious organization, sent to render me a complete blithering lunatic, for some wicked motive. Trying hard to remember that all last week they did so well in school, and most of this week too. Trying also to remember that Ruth being a huge pain the neck is just a 2yr old phase, and soon she won't need me to holler at her all the time. Reminding myself, of the alternative to homeschooling.

If anyone ever, and I do mean EVER, tells you that homeschooling 5 kids is easy, and without challenges and stress and really really really bad days, they are a big fat liar and need to repent, immediately.

Whew... okay, I feel better. Somewhat.

I'm so glad it's Friday. 2 days off, then Kev is off work all next week.

Oh yes, there is hope yet!

Stop and Remember

Today, in both the US and Canada, is a day to remember.

"To the men and women who pledged to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution, traveling to foreign lands to face the enemy, I thank you for your sacrifice. Know that your service is exceedingly more important and necessary than all the chattering we talking-heads and pretend-pundits do.
Those willing to take up arms to protect these shores ought to be respected, and I’m one American who respects and honors you every day of the year." LaShawn Barber

O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!

America! America!

God shed his grace on thee

And crown thy good with brotherhood

From sea to shining sea!

O beautiful for pilgrim feet

Whose stern, impassioned stress

A thoroughfare for freedom beat

Across the wilderness!

America! America!

God mend thine every flaw,

Confirm thy soul in self-control,

Thy liberty in law!

O beautiful for heroes proved

In liberating strife.

Who more than self the country loved

And mercy more than life!

America! America!

May God thy gold refine

Till all success be nobleness

And every gain divine!

O beautiful for patriot dream

That sees beyond the years

Thine alabaster cities gleam

Undimmed by human tears!

America! America!

God shed his grace on thee

And crown thy good with brotherhood

From sea to shining sea!

O beautiful for halcyon skies,

For amber waves of grain,

For purple mountain majesties

Above the enameled plain!

America! America!

God shed his grace on thee

Till souls wax fair as earth and air

And music-hearted sea!

O beautiful for pilgrims feet,

Whose stern impassioned stress

A thoroughfare for freedom beat

Across the wilderness!

America ! America !

God shed his grace on thee

Till paths be wrought through wilds of thought

By pilgrim foot and knee!

O beautiful for glory-tale

Of liberating strife

When once and twice, for man's avail

Men lavished precious life !

America! America!

God shed his grace on thee

Till selfish gain no longer stain

The banner of the free!

O beautiful for patriot dream

That sees beyond the years

Thine alabaster cities gleam

Undimmed by human tears!

America! America!

God shed his grace on thee

Till nobler men keep once again

Thy whiter jubilee!

______________________

O Canada! Our home and native land!

True patriot love in all thy sons command.

With glowing hearts we see thee rise,

The True North, strong and free!

From far and wide,

O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

God keep our land glorious and free!

O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

Refrain

O Canada, glorious and free!

We stand on guard, we stand on guard for thee.

O Canada, we stand on guard for thee!

O Canada! Where pines and maples grow.

Great prairies spread and lordly rivers flow.

How dear to us thy broad domain,

From East to Western Sea,

Thou land of hope for all who toil!

Thou True North, strong and free!

Refrain

O Canada, glorious and free!

We stand on guard, we stand on guard for thee.

O Canada, we stand on guard for thee!

O Canada! Beneath thy shining skies

May stalwart sons and gentle maidens rise,

To keep thee steadfast through the years

From East to Western Sea,

Our own beloved native land!

Our True North, strong and free!

Refrain

O Canada, glorious and free!

We stand on guard, we stand on guard for thee.

O Canada, we stand on guard for thee!

Ruler supreme, who hearest humble prayer,

Hold our dominion within thy loving care;

Help us to find, O God, in thee

A lasting, rich reward,

As waiting for the Better Day,

We ever stand on guard.

Refrain

O Canada, glorious and free!

We stand on guard, we stand on guard for thee.

O Canada, we stand on guard for thee!

Friday Funny Bone 11/11

Top Ten Things To Say About A Christmas Gift You Don't Like

10. Hey! There's a gift!
9. Well, well, well ...
8. Boy, if I had not recently shot up 4 sizes that would've fit.
7. This is perfect for wearing around the basement.
6. Gosh. I hope this never catches fire! It is fire season though. There are lots of unexplained fires.
5. If the dog buries it, I'll be furious!
4. I love it -- but I fear the jealousy it will inspire.
3. Sadly, tomorrow I enter the Federal Witness Protection Program.
2. To think -- I got this the year I vowed to give all my gifts to charity.

And the Number One Thing to say about a Christmas gift you don't like:

1. "I really don't deserve this."
------------------------------

Bonus Funny:

According to Some Students

Below is a compilation of actual student bloopers collected by teachers from 8th grade through college. (this should alarm you... these people will run our countries someday)

Ancient Egypt was inhabited by mummies and they all wrote in hydraulics.They lived in the Sarah Dessert and traveled by Camelot. The climate of the Sarah is such that the inhabitants have to live elsewhere.

The Bible is full of interesting caricatures. In the first book of the Bible,Guinessis, Adam and Eve were created from an apple tree. One of their children, Cain, asked, "Am I my brother's son?"

Moses led the Hebrew slaves to the Red Sea, where they made unleavened bread which is bread made without any ingredients.

Moses went up on Mount Cyanide to get the ten commandments. He died before he ever reached Canada.

Solomom had three hundred wives and seven hundred porcupines.

The Greeks were a highly sculptured people, and without them we wouldn't have history.

The Greeks also had myths. A myth is a female moth.

Actually, Homer was not written by Homer but by another man of that name.

Socrates was a famous Greek teacher who went around giving people advice. They killed him.

Socrates died from an overdose of wedlock. After his death, his career suffered a dramatic decline.

In the Olympic games, Greeks ran races, jumped, hurled the biscuits, and threw the java.

Eventually, the Romans conquered the Greeks. History calls people Romans because they never stayed in one place for very long.

Julius Caesar extinguished himself on the battlefields of Gaul. The Ides of March murdered him because they thought he was going to be made king. Dying, he gasped out: "Tee hee, Brutus."

Nero was a cruel tyranny who would torture his subjects by playing the fiddle to them.

Joan of Arc was burnt to a steak and was cannonized by Bernard Shaw.

Finally Magna Carta provided that no man should be hanged twice for the same offense.

Another story was William Tell, who shot an arrow through an apple while standing on his son's head.

Queen Elizabeth was the "Virgin Queen." As a queen she was a success. When she exposed herself before her troops they all shouted "hurrah."

It was an age of great inventions and discoveries. Gutenberg invented removable type and the Bible. Another important invention was the circulation of blood.

Sir Walter Raleigh is a historical figure because he invented cigarettes and started smoking.

And Sir Francis Drake circumcised the world with a 100 foot clipper.

Because it should be said...

It came to my attention this morning, the depth of a slander campaign against a dear brother of mine. I knew this was going on, but had no idea of the lengths some folks would go to, to that end.

I don't need to name names, and I'm not going to, but the thing that gets me is the ugliness and the hatred coming out of this. From an alleged believer, and friends. It blows me away. And the thing is, the "side" launching this nastiness is crying foul and saying "but you're so mean, you started it, you big bad man!". In a word? Horsefeathers.

The brother being attacked (and yes, I see it as an attack) is one of the most honest, blunt, and passionate believers I've ever known. He's also got a sharp eye for phonies, and a loyalty to friends that is rare these days. And this is part of the reason he's being attacked (details that prove it to me, will be left out, no need for details, God knows them).

I hate it that this is going on, and I hestitate to publicly get into it, in his defense. It's not as if those attacking him don't already know I stand with him, I just haven't said much about it until now. The reason? The same people have slandered, lied, and yapped rumors about me as well, in the past. I have very little tolerance for so-called Christian busy-bodies. Not much else is as bad as a professing believer, getting swooped up in gossip and slander - and then repeating it under the guise of "Christian love".

Just last weekend I had to have a talk with my 6 yr old about busybodies. She has this urgent need to be in on everything that's going on, be in control, and be the one to inform you of every detail about her siblings - especially when they're in trouble. At her age, this bad habit is something she's not really aware of (or wasn't, until I spoke with her about it). If left unchecked, this is the kind of thing that leads to a life of constant gossip, rumor-mongering and tons of violated trust, broken friendships, and heartache. I've seen it countless times in people I know, and it's never a good thing. I've been caught up in it myself, and have had to spend some serious time under conviction and repentance as a result. It's not pleasant, and it's something to be avoided at all times.

So I said all that to say this...

To my brother who is being attacked - stand firm in your faith, know that you have support from many who know what's really happening, and know also, that this too shall pass. I've said it for years and years, and those who know me have heard my impersonation of this broken record more times than they can count:

Sooner or later, folk's true colors ALWAYS come out.

And when they do, and those are awful colors, ungodly traits, they are generally left standing alone, having betrayed or pushed away nearly all of those who are close to them. It's sad, but it's true.

To those who would engage in such ugodly conduct, the only message is repentance. Those who are truly the Lord's people, cannot live in peace while they also employ ungodly conduct.

SOLI DEO GLORIA,
Carla

Finders keepers, losers weepers

I always hated that little ditty when I was a kid. It seemed like the only kids who ever said it, were the bratty kids.

I lost something today, but I didn't weep over it. It did however make me sad, as it's something I've had, and used, and depended on for the last 12 years. What I lost wasn't important, but that I lost it, has made me sort of melancholy.

I had a reader email me today and encourage me about some things, and that was just very cool. That doesn't happen very often, but when it does, it's always nice to hear. It happened once last week too, and that was also nice.

We (my family) are dealing with some pretty stressful stuff, and today things got worse (and we really didn't think they could).
Kev said "when it rains it pours, eh?".
I just nodded and said "yep".
What else can you say?

Someone I knew a long time ago had a personal philsophy about complaining when things get bad. He used to ask "will complaining about it, change it?". If the answer was no, he'd then say "then don't complain about it, because you're just going to depress the person listening to you". I never really understood that line of reasoning, but it seemed to work for him.

Complaining about things doesn't usually change them, but it can be beneficial in other ways. First, you get to vent, and get all the stupid thoughts out of your system. Getting rid of stupidity is always a good thing.

Then, if you happen to be complaining to the right person, they can offer you solid advice, and ideas, to possibly make your situation better. So that's helpful too.

I won't go into any more detail than that - except to ask my readers to pray for my family. Things are difficult, and Kev and I are trying real hard to simply trust the Lord will work them all out for His glory.

It's not easy staying faithful to what we know His word to teach.

SDG,
Carla

Traffic Boosters

This morning I posted this:

Over the last few weeks, this blog has been mentioned in the top post, or front page of Adrian's blog, Frank's blog, Tim's blog, and Phil's blog.

Assuming some of the readers here might be interested in knowing which of these widely read blogs has the most influence in generating referrals. I must admit, the response has been underwhelming - either none of you care - or you're just so excited with anticipation it rendered you unable to respond with your guess.

Well, the suspense is over and here is the order of most influential "blogspotting", as it's pertained to this blog:

1. Tim - generates by far, the most referrals in one day
2. Phil - generates the most referrals over a span of several days, with 1 post
3. Adrian - comes a close second after Phil, and with the same result, span of several days
4. Frank - generates almost zero referrals

So there ya go. If you were looking for blog traffic, or trying to find a way to advertise your chia pet for sale, or something equally bizarre, you know who to go to for a referral.

We now return you, to your previously scheduled blogspotting.

SDG,
me

Enhance Worship?

What's your favorite scent?

Everyone has one - it might be vanilla, or jasmine, or sawdust, fresh baked bread, baby powder, cinnamon... everyone I've ever known has a favorite scent. Something that makes them feel good.

Just today, a rather well known bald Calvinistic apologist (who shall remain nameless, but who's first initial is J and last initial is Dr.O) admitted that his favorite scent in the whole world is a candle called China Rain. Apparently it has a slight floral scent. A few of the guys in the channel gave him some good natured ribbing about it. He responded with a channel sock, whatever that is. I have a feeling these channel socks do not smell like China Rain.

Scents, are so alluring to people, that these days you can get a candle, in almost any scent you can think of. Glade makes some great ones available at your local grocery store, then there are the hyper-candle stores that hook you the second you walk in the door. You know the ones I mean.

This time of year, I suspect (without doing the research) that candles likely sell, better than any other time. People tend to stock up on candles for 2 reasons, 1. winter coming means potential power outages, and 2. Christmas candles make a home all the more cozy and festive.

The reason I thought about this today, was because I have read a lot (read: tons!) over the last year about using various different sensory-provoking items, to enhance your worship. Candles, and incense, are one of the top items mentioned.

Some have even used OT passages of altar sacrafices being a sweet smelling savour to God, as support for using candles and incense to "enhance" worship through every possible physical sense.

To me, this is taking a symbol, making it literal, and missing the point, entirely.

Where the Scriptures speak of God being pleased with the "sweet savour" this is clearly a representation of His being pleased with the obedience being spoken of - not the smell of burning meat, or fat, or incense, or oils. The obedience to follow His word to the T, and the condition of the heart of the people, to be in submission to Him.

It seems to me, to "enhance" one's worship, you might take away extra-sensory items, not add to them. Not dim the lights, or light sweet smelling candles, or put on any kind of mood-music - but to do just the opposite - as those things are pleasing to your flesh. If you were to do just the opposite, your mind would have less distractions, and be more focused on Him.

Now I'm certainly not advocating standing naked in a silent freezer under bright lights (and if you do this, I don't want to know about it, trust me), or anything else in the extreme, but it sure seems to me like the major focus these days to "please the Lord" is in fact nothing more than "please myself".

Sadly, a lot of people are buying into it, then using Scripture to justify themselves. Seems an odd thing to do for so many crying about being authentic.

SDG ~ me

Because I'm still sick...

Have you wondered how it would affect your traffic, if some of the bigger names in blogging, plugged your blog, on their blog?

Well, I have, and I've found out, too. Now this is not to toot my own horn #cough# Rebecca, but just to share an observation. Besides, I'm sick, I cannot toot. And I don't even have a horn.

Over the last few weeks, this blog has been mentioned in the top post, or front page of Adrian's blog, Frank's blog, Tim's blog, and Phil's blog. (not that any of them have me on their blogroll (except Tim), or anything, I'm not that interesting)

Instead of telling you right away, I'll let the readers here guess, in order, who's linkage generates the most referrals, and who's readers couldn't care less.
Ahem...

I mean, well, you know what I mean.

In other news...

When I was little, my mom took us kids to a Hollywood-style wax museum somewhere in/near Vancouver BC. We lived just across the border in WA state, so I guess she thought it was a good idea to go on a day trip to BC.

In this museum, was an audio-animatronic type figure, of the wolfman, from the old black & white werewolf movies. Being a little kid, I had no idea such things existed. Being the youngest of 3, I was the guinea pig for all bad humor attempts by my oldest sister (who often employed the assistance of my older brother).

They came up with the ingenius plan to react in a melodramatic way over this werewolf-wax-man, and scare the living snooties right out of me. They screamed, fake cried, and told my mom it was real, they were sure of it, and made a big to-do out of it. Well, it worked like a charm, and I freaked out too, right along with them.

For the rest of my childhood, I remained convinced werewolves were real, and they lived in Canada. When Kev and I were getting to know each other, and I told him this story, his eyebrow went up like Leonard Nimoy, In Search Of... and he asked "why do you assume it's a myth?". In the 8 years (almost) we've been married, his whereabouts during a full moon have always been accounted for - but I remain a skeptic.

In other news...

Rebecca has declared November the month of thankfulness, so in keeping with her theme, I'm thankful that the tornado that hit here yesterday, didn't kill or seriously injure anyone. The early pics yesterday were pretty scary looking, but thankfully there were only minor injuries and a lot of high blood pressure.

Yes, we have tornados in Ontario, and yes, it's common. I know, you hade no idea.

And finally...

for those of you coming from the "misrepresentation!" page;

1. It wasn't nearly as melodramatic as it's made out to be
2. Some folks like attention and will do whatever it takes to get it
3. It was a simple disagreement on several levels, that's been blown out of porportion by those who have nothing better to do.

Here's a tip: stop dwelling on it, it's yesterday's news, and it wasn't even that newsworthy at the time.

Carry on, soldiers.

SDG,
me

I'm a duck, what else is new?

You Are A: Duckling!

The cutest of the cute, these baby ducks are often spotted in the spring following closely behind their mother. As a duckling you will grow up quickly, becoming one of the adult ducks seen commonly in ponds and streams. Playful and timid, charming and vulnerable, ducklings are nature's very definition of innocence.

You were almost a: Groundhog or a Monkey
You are least like a: Pony or a PuppyWhat Cute Animal Are You?

I really wanted to be a groundhog...

650

I'm stumped.

There is so much I want to write about, and so little motivation to write, right now. How many variables of write/right can you stuff into one sentence? I dunno.

I started yesterday to put together a piece on spiritual warfare and the difference between the approach to it, that Calvinists and Charismatics take. It was long, then I scrapped it. Why? Likely because I'm discouraged and feeling like "who cares?".

I started another piece on great holiday baking - then thought - who cares? I suppose someone does, but I just feel discouraged.

Then I looked at my blog post counter right before this entry and saw that it read 649. So, this is my 650th blog entry since creating this blog in June of 2004. Whoop-dee-do. What does that mean? Not much, except I type a lot.

I suppose I sound like a downer this morning, eh? Well, it's partly because I'm sick, partly because I'm bummed out about a few things. I know I'm supposed to be encouraged and be filled with joy, and all that other great stuff that believers hang onto in times of stress.
I'll get back there, eventually, by His grace.
I think.

Just a few items to note:

• I added Frank to my blogroll yesterday. Go read Frank. You'll laugh, you'll wince, you'll think, and then you'll nod your head and go "yep, that's what I was thinking!".

• I added something called a Froogle Wishlist, to my profile. Why? I dunno, because it gave me the option to, so I did.

• My Frappr is stuck at 30, and I know there are more than 30 people coming here every day. Where are you? Put your pin on the map, eh?

Today I woke up to a severe t-storm watch. What!? It's the end of the first week of November, for crying out loud, we NEVER get t-storms this time of year. EVER. But, it's been a very mild fall so far (a friend from church stopped by yesterday and she said "hey, we haven't had snow yet, it's been a GOOD fall!), so this either means we're going to have a mild winter, or we're going to get nailed. Or it means neither. I am not a meteorologist, nor do I play one on tv.

For Ann, who added me to her blogroll: Your account has been suspended, please contact the billing department asap. I hate when that happens. Once, my expiry date on my cc passed, and I forgot, and all my graphics turned into lovely red x's all over the place.

Yesterday, I had enough energy to get outside and get some work done. Bad idea, it wiped me out for the rest of the day and I was in bed by 10:30 (which never happens, unless I'm sick). I did however, manage to remove the broken slide from the swingset, after I retrieved the swingset from the cornfield. The windstorm we had on Sunday was a doozy. Fortunately, we only lost the slide, and nothing else. Okay that's not true, we lost Kev's torso as well. Someone found it and glued it onto his lower body, but backwards. At least he's all in one piece. Serves him right for going outside in a windstorm.

I cleaned the pump in the pond, then sat outside with my camera after lunch. The chickadees were not impressed that we are out of black oil sunflower seed. They gave me an earful about it. Then sent the juncos to add their two cents.

Lest I come off as too depressing, I am very thankful for a current trend going on right now in my homeschool. All three little ones (8, 6 and 5) are having a great stretch in their studies. They're all doing very well, and even working ahead in some cases. Jordan, who struggles the most, did excellent in spelling and math yesterday, her two worst subjects. She worked ahead and on her own with several lessons, only needing a wee little reminder here and there to be careful with her copywork. Rachel, who is the brains of this organization, has finally allowed her penmanship to catch up to her speed, and that was real nice to see. Samuel (just turned 5), the little brainiac that he is, didn't wait for me to help him with spelling yesterday. While I was working with Jordan & Rachel, he went ahead and read the directions for his spelling lesson (and they were long directions, working with letter blends), and did his whole assignment. I'm very proud of these kids. It makes school time quite enjoyable, when they are doing so well.

So... that's all from me for now.

Kev's off today, so it's my errand day. I feel yucky, so it'll be a short errand day, I think.

SDG ~ me

Tuesday stuff

It's funny how habitually we are creatures of habit. It's funny how fast, a task repeated, can become a habit.

I started the GTT series in October, and made a point to write each morning on the next installment. I missed a few days here and there, but overall I did stay on task and each morning looked forward to the verses, to really digging into them, and sharing my thoughts on the topic.

Now that this series is complete, I miss it. I miss having that to look forward to when I get up every morning. Odd, isn't it?

It has afforded me however, to finally get back to some emails that I've been neglecting. I'm a horrible correspondant, and I apologize to those who have emailed me and I didn't reply. Sometimes I never even see them, if they go directly to the bulk folder. Other times I see them and think "oh, this is good stuff, I need to respond to that", and then I get sidetracked with other things, and never do get back to the person. I don't like that I do that, it's just the way it is. I need to work on that.

It occured to me last night, that checking the comments on here is a lesson in discouragement. No, this isn't a ploy to get more, it's just a thought I had last night. A friend said to me recently that for her, it seems like the entries she spends the most time on, really pouring her heart into it, are the ones that get by-passed for comments on the short, sweet and to the point posts. I guess that makes sense, most bloggers & blog readers like the shorter posts.
Oh well, I'm not short-winded.

Nothing earthshattering here today, unless you want to count that really nasty pic that Campi posted on his blog. It's GROSS, and if you go look at it, don't say you haven't been warned. Albert Mohler has a few thoughts to share on "body modification" as well "The perverse has become the norm." To me, this is just a white-washed term for "what are you, a lunatic!".

Oh yes, and one more thing. I've lost my large mammal status in the ecosphere, and have dropped back down to a marsupial. I think this means less readers? Less linkage? Less visits? I'm not sure, I'm sure it matters to someone though.

That is all...

SDG,
me

Revolution?

What's the deal with the larger than life buzzwords being tossed around evangelical circles? I don't get it, it reminds me of little boys playing with green plastic army guys, declaring war on anything that moves. "POOF" you're dead! Is this really the low we've sunk to in evangelical circles, that we're captivated by this new language that invokes nearly militant-like visuals?

Are we really that shallow? (someone please say no)

Pastor Gary Gilley of Southern View Chapel reviews George Barna's new book, "Revolution". Pastor Gilley pulls no punches, as far as I can tell, and I'm glad.

Barna would appear to have jumped on the "emergent" mindset bandwagon... encouraging Christians to get on board.

Gilley:

"Barna is convinced that the Revolution is from God (pp 19, 70, 82, 136, 139) and we “cannot fight God and win” (p. 137). We therefore are not to judge or even discern this movement; rather we need to jump on board (pp. 20, 127, 136, 139, 140). Whether the Revolution meets the test of Scripture is not important to Barna." (read the full review here)

This all sounds so familiar...

It sounds exactly like what I've been reading from pro-emergent church folks, for the last year.

Will Barna's clout, give this "revolution" any credibility? I can only hope NOT. I can only hope this might finally be the catalyst that motivates believers to get off their collective hind ends, OPEN their Bibles, search the Scriptures, and start using the discernment given us by the Lord to really find out for ourselves, (without being spoon fed by the next slick talking-authentically journeying-psuedo-intellectual-evangelical-ecumenicist), what the Scriptures have to say about spirituality, local church structure, and what is, and what is NOT, acceptable unto the Lord.

(HT: Tim)

'Tis the season...

Disclaimer: I don't feel well, so this entry may ramble - however - I'm going to attempt it all the same.
______________

'Tis the season...

To get sucked into the techie-toy machine and be hounded by your children to "buy me this" "get me that" and "everyone else has one".

Have you seen the gizmos, gadgets & toys available these days!? Some of them are extremely cool, and most of them cost more than they should.

I realize that this won't apply to everyone who reads here, but it applies to my house, and it's already begun. The swirling vortex of "it's almost Christmas, bring on the commercials, sale flyers, and commercialism!".

It just occured to me how this is one area that the naysayers to homeschooling would be proven dead wrong. Our oldest 3 girls spent many years in public school, while our middle 3 have never stepped foot inside one. When it comes to this issue, the kids are exactly alike - they see what's being offered and they all want it. Don't talk to me about sheltered home school kids.

This phenomenon has taken place every year in my home, since 1988. Yes, for the last 17 years, every fall, it begins. The television commercials strategically aired during afternoon cartoon time, and on Saturday morning. The K-Mart, Wal-Mart, Target, Sears, Zellers, etc., fliers that magically appear in my mailbox every weekend. The kids at school, or church, or elsewhere, talking about this new toy, or that new gadget. Suddenly, my kids are affected too.

This isn't really a rant about how Christmas has become commercialized. We all know it has, and there isn't anything new to say about it.

My concern is the same concern I've had for several years, since I first began to notice the affects. It's actually twofold:

1. The Gizmo Trap!

Oh yes, it's a trap. Let's pretend little Johnny gets a new gizmo for Christmas this year. Let's say the gizmo is an mp3 player that doubles as a walkie-talkie, a dvd player and also has a built in microscope, telescope, and makes bird calls too. Sooner or later, usually sooner, little Johnny talks to little Billy at church, and finds out little Billy got one for Christmas too, but there's a catch. Little Billy got version 4.5 while little Johnny got the archaic version of 3.8. This simply will not DO! Suddenly, the super-cool gizmo/gadget that you spent way too much money on in the first place, for little Johnny, is no longer cool and he wants the updated version that Billy has.

As soon as you cave in and for his birthday buy him the new version of the same toy, the Gizmo maker comes out with a brand new version and it begins all over again.

This is the problem with tech toys. You're NEVER going to have the latest, most cutting edge toy - and the kids know it. I'm not even sure there's a way out of it, unless the solution is to never get into it, in the first place, and buy your kids low-tech or no-tech stuff, to begin with, and make them earn their own money to buy the high-tech stuff (which does work, if you're consistant with this approach).

Which brings me to the second part of my concern:

2. Look Ma, I couldn't use my imagination if you paid me...

This second concern is probably more annoying for me than the first one. We don't really have to deal too much with the first one, since we can't afford all the toys to begin with - but there have been many times we have had to deal with it - and it gets worse every year.

This is the one where, you buy your kids merchandising toys. You know what I mean, the dolls & action figures that already have names, already tell you what to do with them. They come from movies, video games, cartoons. Bimbo (er... I mean Barbie), Dora, The Bobs (the sponge and the builder, respectively), Mighty Machines, etc., so on and so forth.

These are the toys that come with the invisible label that you can't read, but your kids can. The label says:

Hello, you already know my name, you know what I can do, what I can't do, where I go, who I kill/date/build/hate/love, where I work, what I wear, how far I shoot, and which weapons work with me. Now you play with me.

The kid play with them for 3 days then throw them in the toy box.

BORING!!!

These are the toys that foster exactly ZERO usage of imagination in kids. They don't need to, the kids have already been told what they are & what they do. That excitement last for a few days, at best. Then the kids are bored, and frustrated with their really cool new toy that they thought they wanted.

My solution?

Toys & crafts & games that force your kids to think, and use them in creative ways. Craft kits range from simple bead sets to woodburning tools. Rock tumblers/polishers, paint sets, sand art, jewelry makers, calligraphy sets, and even little sewing machines. Remote controlled cars (those are so fun!), or even interactive books & toys like Leap Pad. Dolls (without names), and musical instruments.

These are the kinds of toys that make your kids think, count, consider, be strategic, creative, and foster tons of imagination. Sure they're low-tech, and they're supposed to be.

This might sound boring to many parents (and kids) reading this, but I can tell you after having 7 kids in the last 22 years, the toys that stick around the longest, and the ones that get the most use, are never the high-tech gadgets. NEVER. The gifts that last the longest, are the ones where your kids are the high-tech brains of the operation, and they tell the toy, what they want it to do/be. And interestingly enough, these are also the least expensive kinds of toys.

I say the same thing to Kev every year:

I don't want anyone getting the kids toys that tell THEM what to do, I want the kids to have toys that make them think, and use their imagination. Toys and games that teach them things, good things like counting & reading, and toys that they can take outside and play with, without worrying that the batteries will die or the inner parts will corrode in the rain.

There's a reason dolls, fire trucks and wagons are still some of the top sellers every year. They work, they do not require batteries, you can take them outside, and they last. Not to mention, the kid is the brains behind the toy, telling IT what it's going to do, instead of the toy telling the kid what to do (except the fire truck, but at least with that, you can take it all over the yard and even put out fires on the dog, if need be).

So there ya go - there's my "oh man it's that time of year again" post on what's good, and what stinks, for Christmas.

SDG ~ Carla

I'm so sick I'm not myself...

I rolled off the couch, and crawled on my hands & knees through the dining room, kitchen, down the hallway, through the mudroom, up the stairs and to my desk, for 2 things. (okay fine, it wasn't that dramatic but it felt like it)

1. I am Anselm (see below). Funny how much he looks like Riff Raff from RHPS. Not that I would know, or anything.

2. I love cardinals. I've been working on a new graphic that I had to re-sketch, and it was HARD. I'm finally done though, and the graphic is now live on some products - the rest will have to wait until I feel better. I do plan to add this graphic to the Cold Weather Gear line, as well. You can see which ones & the very lovely graphic itself, over here at my store's blog.
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You scored as Anselm. Anselm is the outstanding theologian of the medieval period.He sees man's primary problem as having failed to render unto God what we owe him, so God becomes man in Christ and gives God what he is due. You should read 'Cur Deus Homo?' Which theologian are you?
created with QuizFarm.com

Now that's just sick!

I just read Rebecca's update on folks who are thankful.
You know, I'd love to feel thankful right now, but I'm sick.

Ever since I had mono 4 years ago, when I get sick from a regular old virus, I get really sick, and can't function. Lethargy, aches and pains that make me cry, headaches, etc., on top of the symptoms from the virus itself. I do not do sick, well. I'm a lousy patient, and loathe not being able to do those things that need doing.

I'd throw a conniption, but I have no energy to throw one.

I have several things to do, and none of them are going to get done. I'll be going to bed early (like... hmmm, now?) and leaving Kev in charge of the monkey house.

I may or may not return tomorrow.

Your prayers would be greatly appreciated.

SDG,
me

Essentials of the faith poll results & commentary...

I meant to put this up last week and just forgot about it. The results of the last poll:

Essentials of the Faith - Is there a need for a fresh look at the "essentials of the Christian faith"?

• Yes - too many people in our day do not understand Biblical Christianity 68.1% (47 votes)
• Yes - but not all doctrines in Scripture should be considered essentials 15.9% (11 votes)
• I'm not sure - who would be considered an authority to write such a work? 7.2% (5 votes)
• No - all Scripture is essential and should not be divided this way 5.8% (4 votes)
• No - there is plenty of this kind of division already 2.9% (2 votes )
• I'm not sure - what difference does it make? 0% (0 votes)

total votes: 69
___________________

Now here's what I find disturbing in our day - that of the people who took this poll, the overwhelming opinion is that people in our time, do not understand Biblical Christianity. I find it disturbing, yet not surprising. Myself, I voted that option as well, as it's also my opinion.

So where does the fault lie, for this lack of understanding?

The pastor?
The Bible study teachers?
Books?
Publishers?
Christian television programming?
Seminar speakers?
Conferences?
Individual believers?

I believe the answer is YES, to all of the above. I believe there is great responsibility on the part of every believer, in every ministry, to not only know sound doctrine but to proclaim it, teach it, write about it, broadcast it, and discuss it.

Yesterday we had friends over for lunch and the topic of conversation turned to books (yes, we're all book-junkies, please send books). Kev said, of a certain book "I believe outside the Scriptures, this is the best book you will ever read". The book he was referring to was Stephen Charnock's The Existance and Attributes of God.

I've mentioned here before that his review (very short review) of this book can be found at Grace & Truth Books, here. What strikes me however, is how meaningless his opinion of this book, seems to be. Now please don't take that the wrong way, it's not as if I think Kev's opinion is the be all and end all - it's that his exhortation to fellow believers seems to simply fall on deaf ears. In a time when believers seem to be in a quandary over sound Biblical doctrine, this book on the attributes of God would be a great place to start digging, don't you think?

Well, think again.

Now, let me preface this next comment with this: I love CBD.
For price, and selection, and super-fast shipping, they just cannot be beat.

Now that I mentioned the great things I like CBD for, let me also say this:

They stink.

Why do they stink? I'm glad you asked. Take a look at the selections highlighted at their home page:



Out of the 7 other categories highlighted on the main page, the only worthwhile book or product (in my ever so humble opinion) listed there is Twelve Extraordinary Women by John MacArthur. This is listed under the "best sellers" category.

Guess what else is listed under "best sellers"?

Marketed as "Flying out the door as quick as we can stock them, here are our current top sellers!" we have this diverse selection:


• Christian Living Captivating, Book & Guidebook John & Stasi Eldredge
• Fiction Last Light, Restoration Series #1 Terri Blackstock
• Kids VeggieTales Nativity Set
• Bibles Message Bible Remix, Hardcover Eugene Peterson
• Music Lifesong, Compact Disc [CD] Casting Crowns
• Homeschool Exploring Creation with Biology (2nd Edition), 2 volumes Dr. Jay L. Wile
• Gifts Christmas Quilted Throw
• Academics 2 Peter & Jude John MacArthur
• Videos Last Flight Out, DVD
• Bible Reference The Eerdmans Bible Dictionary Edited by Allen C. Myers

These are the top sellers, at one of the largest (if not the largest?) online, Christian bookstores. This is what Christians are buying.

Now, just for fun, let's compare the top sellers in the kid's section at CBD, with the selections for kids at another online Christian bookstore.

The first 6 featured selections at the kid-section of CBD:

• Lord of the Beans, VeggieTales DVD
• Tommy Nelson Playpaks: Make Your Own Christmas Nativity
• The Power of a Praying Kid Stormie Omartian
• Sleepytime Lullabies
• A Wing and a Prayer Franklin Graham
• The Public Life of Sissy Pike: New Girl in Town, DVD Harleigh Jean Upton & Willie Aames

Now looking at a similar category at Grace & Truth Books, a category named "Young Children's Books", here are the first 6 selections listed:

• A Token For Children by James Janeway and Cotton Mather
• Boys And Girls Playing by J.C. Ryle
• Bright Gems For His Crown: 93 Daily Devotionals to Build Character in Children by Maxine Randall
• Little Pilgrim's Progress by Helen Taylor
• Our Flag Was Still There: Story of the Star-Spangled Banner by Tracy Leininger
• The Gospel For Children by John Leuzarder

Do you see the difference in focus?

At CBD, the focus is primarily entertainment, while at Grace & Truth the focus is primarily Christian character.

Is it any wonder, really, that adult believers are misguided on what sound Biblical Christianity is, when even in the children's section of "Christian" bookstores, the focus is simply entertainment? Is Christian character in and for children, so boring and outdated, that Christian parents can't be bothered to focus on it? Is entertaining our children, more important than teaching them Biblical truths and the conduct expected of them (and us!) by the Lord?

The thing is, I really like CBD, and I don't plan to stop shopping there, any time soon. I do appreciate the decent books and resources that they carry, even though they also carry fluff and junk. I like Grace & Truth a lot better, and just wish their stock was much more in demand by Christians.

So the bottom line is this...

There should be no one surprised, that modern day Christians (and their children), do not understand Biblical Christianity.

The real question is, what ought to change, to remedy this?

Just something to think about...

SDG ~ Carla

Blogspot comments now moderated

Did you know you can now moderate your comments with the blogspot commenting system?

I haven't seen anyone mention it, and only noticed the option myself, last night while installing a site meter for a friend.

Moderating comments means:

You can find the comment moderation setting on the Settings Comments tab, along with all of the other comment settings. It's just a simple yes/no option, and looks like this:



Choosing "yes" drops down an email form. This lets you moderate comments via email without affecting your regular comment notification setting. It is optional, since you can always moderate comments through the Blogger interface.

So set the option to "yes," enter a notification address if desired, save the settings, and wait for your next comment. All incoming comments will now go to a special "Moderate Comments" page, which you can find under the Posting tab.

On this page, you will see a list of all the comments that have been created but have not yet been approved or rejected. (This list excludes any comments made by admin members of the blog.) By default, they will be sorted by the time they were created, but you can also group them by their respective posts, by clicking the "Post Name" sort option at the top.



Each line in the list displays the beginning of the comment, the author's name, and the time it was created. Clicking the triangle to the left will expand the row to show the full text of the comment, along with "Publish" and "Reject" links, which you can use to approve or disapprove the comment. You can also select multiple comments and publish or reject them all at once, by using the check boxes on the left hand side and the buttons at the top or bottom of the list.

You can read all about it here (this certainly has been a long awaited feature for those users that don't use haloscan!)

They's a storm a comin', Martha!

I woke up this morning to sick kids, a sick me, thunder & lightning, pouring down rain, and a wild windstorm about to tear through southern Ontario.

The deepening low will sweep a sharp cold front across the district today..Heralding the development of very strong southwest to west winds of 60 gusting to 100 km/h this morning over southwestern Ontario and this afternoon elsewhere. A gust of 99 km/h was reported in Toledo Ohio at 4.45 AM as the front roared through. These winds will be strong enough to cause some tree and power line damage... as well as some damage to buildings in exposed areas. Small unsecured items may be tossed about. Motorists should also be aware that the very strong and gusty winds will result in hazardous driving conditions... and adjust travel plans accordingly.

The last time we had winds like that (100k is roughly 60mph) it sent the kid's playhouse tumbling across the cornfield. I suppose securing small items that may be tossed about, isn't going to happen. And, since we live smack dab in the middle of open field country, when the forecast says winds of 100k, we're likely to get it a bit stronger.

This... should be an interesting day.

Guess who came for lunch?

Well, the weather today was simply awful. Dark, dismal, dreary and all around "blahhh" kind of Southern Ontario day. There was a rather bright spot though, we had the opportunity to have a really nice visit from Kim (The Upward Call) and her husband and two boys. We had a nice lunch, and Kim brought a delicious pumpkin cake and we talked for hours about Phil Johnson. (just kidding, we only mentioned him once, maybe twice).

It's funny how, you read someone's blog and think "this person sounds so much like me", and then you get to meet them in person, and they are indeed very much like you.

What's even more fun, is when your husbands are the similar personalty type as well!

And here they are, doing the important, men-type work. Drinking coffee and taking pictures. It's good that they were able to do that, we'd have been lost without their expert, technical prowess.

So, bleak weather aside, it was a nice day. Now I need to go whip up a batch of chicken noodle soup. All the kids are sniffling and coughing, and dragging themselves around like lost puppies. Looks like church tomorrow is a write-off.

SDG,
Carla

Mugs on Mugs

Well here we are, day 1 after the GTT series. Feels sort of strange, waking up knowing I have no more installments to write on. I hope you enjoyed it, I sure did.

We have company coming today, and all week long I've been trying to clean, as this is a HUGE house, and it takes daily, diligent cleaning to make it presentable for company. Not to mention, the subtle suggestion I made to the kids a few days ago:

"kids, we have company coming, that might not be accustomed to the lifestyles of wild monkeys, let's clean the house and try to keep it clean for their sakes, shall we?"

Have you ever tried to keep an orderly home, with 4 kids under 8? It's not easy, let me tell you.

In other news...

I've made the big time, baby! That's right, little ole me, managed to intellectually persuade a high profile blogger to not only shop my store, but pose with his purchase for some free ad space!

Okay fine, I stomped around like a jealous child who's brother got the bigger piece of pie. But whatever, it worked.

And let's compare these two photos, shall we? I mean, let's really look at them... in the photo with the Homeschool Mom Mug, this man looks diligent, persuaded, engrossed in the wisdom of Proverbs. Furrowed brow, undivided attention, truly a man who seeks to learn.

In the next picture... this is a man who looks... um... well... dazed, confused, like he was thinking "help me!".

I say we let the record show, via the pics, which mug will change your life!

(all of the above ribbing of centuri0n was in good natured jest, don't anyone get all weird on me now, I am quite grateful that Phil was a good sport about my whining grovelling.)

And now, I have pancakes to make, and then a house to clean, again.

Have a great Saturday!
SDG,
Carla

Just a ps on Gpa

I wanted to make sort of a 'p.s.' to my post about my gpa.

I can see how it might have been misleading somewhat, but the truth is, I never really had a "close relationship" with him. He was there all the time, and I had a great admiration and respect for him, but I never thought of us as close.

Gpa wasn't the overtly affectionate type, and almost always just kept to himself (sorta like me). It was more his morals, values, ethics, and those things, that shaped my life as a young person.

After he was gone, I went to his grave, on Memorial day. Mom and grandma couldn't be there to decorate his grave that year, since they'd made the annual trip to eastern Washington. I promised them I'd cut some fresh lilacs off my backyard bush, and take up there for them.

I placed the lilacs in the vase at his grave, sat down in the grass and cried. The only thing I could think was "grandpa, I wish you knew". I wished he could have known how much I respected him, how much his presence in my life meant, and how much I'd learned from him. I never told him, and he likely never knew.

So I wrote him a poem (as corny as that sounds) and placed it on his grave. After leaving the cemetary that day, realizing that gpa is not there, just his lifeless vessel, I never returned.

So while I wouldn't say gpa and I were close, I can easily say he had the most profound affect on me, growing up.

SDG ~ Carla

Friday Funny Bone

A popular Des Moines Barber shop had a new robotic barber installed. A fellow came in for a haircut. As the robot began to cut his hair, it asked him, "What's your IQ?"The man replied, "130." So the robot proceeded to make conversation about physics, astronomy, investments, insurance and so on. The man listened intently and said, "This is really cool."

Later, another gent came in for a haircut and the robot asked him as it began the haircut, "What's your IQ?"The man responded, "100." So the robot started talking about football, baseball, and so on. The man thought to himself, "Wow, this is really cool."

Later on, a third guy came in to the barber shop. As with the others, the robot barber asked him, "What's your IQ?" The man replied, "70."

The robot then said, "So, I understand you Democrats are really excited about Hillary running for president?"

_____________________________

Bonus funny:

If women controlled the world...











(I actually own this set!)

(both funnies this week courtesy: Denise @ SurphSide)

Guarding the Trust - Tremble at His Word

This is part 34, and the final installment of this series. You can read part 33 here.

Guarding the Trust - Tremble at His Word - Isaiah 66:2

For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.


trembleth = chared: trembling, fearful, afraid

In our day, Christianity, and the word of God, appears to have undergone a radical transformation, for many.

No longer is God holy and just, He's "the Big Guy upstairs".
No longer is Jesus the Son of God, he's "my Homeboy", with His image plastered on cheap t-shirts.
No longer is the Bible the sword of the spirit, it's the butt of jokes, and the fodder for biblezines.

I have to wonder if the makers of the "biblezines" or the "Jesus is my boyfriend" songwriters, tremble at His word?

Recently a book based on a vulgar cartoon was brought to my attention - the name of the book is "the gospel according to..." and the name of the cartoon (which I will not name, I find it that repugnant). The book isn't about the gospel at all, but about an analyses of the so-called religious themes present in this popular cartoon. Interestingly enough, one of today's leading "evangelical" figures has written the forward for this book.

In a conversation with a friend about this book, and this mindset present among Christians, she said "where is discernment in all this?!". That's a very good question.

At the time of this writing, I have a 5, 6 and 8 year old. At those ages, gravity and seriousness doesn't always come through at the right moment, or about the proper things. Recently, one of the kids made a kid-joke (the kind of jokes kids laugh at, but doesn't really make any sense, and isn't really funny), about something associated with the Lord. I don't recall what it was exactly, but what concerned me was the lack of reverence given to Him, who is holy.

I had to take my child aside privately, and remind them that while there are millions of things in the world to make jokes about, and laugh about, the one thing we never do this with, is our Lord, and that which pertains to Him. She already knew this, it was just a gentle reminder.

Many will call me too legalistic, or to rigid, when it comes to this topic, and that's fine. I believe in reverencing the Lord, and I believe He expects it of us.

Let's look at the verse in Isaiah again:

For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.

I cannot fathom how anyone can, at the same time they're trembling at His word, pose for a cover of a kitsch-y, slick magazine in GQ fashion, for "Christian" tips on how to get the girl?

Elsewhere in Scripture we find this expectation of the Lord of us, over and over again.

In Psalm 119:161 the psalmist says his heart is in awe of thy word. As I wrote in part 9 of this series, the word used in this verse doesn't have the modern day definition of "awe" as many will attach to it. This is the Hebrew word pachad and it's literal meaning is to be afraid, to dread, to cause to tremble or to fear.

Paul, writing to the church at Philippi exhorts the believers to "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure." (Philippians 2:12-13)

Working out (giving diligence to) your own salvation with fear and trembling, knowing it is God Himself, working in you, both to will and to do, of His good pleasure.

Why tremble?

My answer to that question is another question...

How can we not tremble, knowing this?

My Bible dictionary says of the word trembling there in Phil 2:12

tromos - used to describe the anxiety of one who distrusts his ability completely to meet all requirements, but religiously does his utmost to fulfil his duty

Poor in spirit, a contrite heart, knowing full well we have not the ability to meet the high and holy standards, set by the most High God. We cannot help but be undone, as Isaiah said, as we consider the truth that we are helpless to meet God's holy standard, but He Himself is working in us, both because He wills it, and to achieve His good pleasure in it.

Such unfathomable grace. Such unmerited favor.

Again I must ask, how can we not tremble, knowing this?

In conclusion to this series, there is no other verse that I could use to encourage you (and myself), more appropriate than this one right here:

Ec 12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

I hope this series, and this entry today, has blessed you in some way.

SDG ~ Carla

Tim goes live again...

I will just assume most of my readers here also read challies. If you don't, you're missing a great resource every day.

For those of you that haven't read the news yet, Tim has been invited (and has accepted) to liveblog the spring Shepherd's Conference. He did a great job liveblogging the Desiring God conference, together with Doug McHone of coffeeswirls, so I very much look forward to his live updates from the Shepherd's Conference.

Tim's asking for our help to get him there. Won't you make this a matter for prayer consideration? Let's bless him with this help, so that he can bless us, with live coverage for those of us that can't make it.

Tim has a dropcash donation button on his site to help him meet his goal. Head on over and do what you can - no donation is too small.

SDG,
Carla

The greatest man I ever knew

This is going to be difficult. Just writing the title of this entry brought a sting to my eyes and lump in my throat.

Today would have been my gpa's 96th birthday, and I'd like to tell you a little bit about the greatest man I ever knew.

Hands down, the most important thing that ever happened in his life, was his conversion to Christ, literally on his death bed, at 83 years old. It's one of those testimonies you always hear about (uncle of a friend's sister's co-worker) that really does happen. My gpa was an 11th hour laborer. You can read about that here.

Growing up, my gpa was always there for us kids. And I do mean always, without fail, never late, never missed a beat, never ever.

My mom & dad divorced before I was 4, and until I was in my late teens, I think I saw my gpa nearly every day, except Saturdays. When I was little, gma would babysit us when mom went to work, and when my older brother and sister went off to school, gma and I would walk over to her house for the day (sometimes gpa came and picked us up, if the weather was bad). I'd be at gma & gpa's house all day, until school started for me in 1965.

From the time I was in kindergarten until the end of 6th grade, it was the same routine every school day, and throughout the week. After school, my brother and I would walk over to gma & gpa's house, and stay there until about 4:00, then we'd walk home, getting there just about the same time mom was getting home from the shipyard. Our house was less than 6 blocks away from gma & gpa's house, and if I had to make that walk now at 40, I could probably do it blindfolded.

I didn't have a dad growing up, but I had gpa. I probably saw my gpa more than a lot of kids with a dad in the home.

He retired a year after I was born, so he was just always there. Summers were spent at there house, during the day, and he was always doing something interesting in the garage (even if it wasn't interesting, it was interesting because gpa was doing it!). He was a machinist, and a rock hound, and he could make anything, fix anything, and knew nearly everything! Sometimes he even let my brother Gary and I use his tools (gpa loaning us his tools was like the President calling you for lunch) to make something for ourselves. A little wood, a coffee can full of nails, and a few tools. What more did a kid need in life?

For Christmas every year, someone always bought gpa the Guiness book of world records, or some other kind of trivia book like that, and he seemed to have them memorized within a few months. When us kids had a homework assignment that we needed help with, if it was something mom didn't know, she'd say "well, call gpa, he'll know". And he always did. Not once do I ever recall gpa not knowing the answer to any question us kids (or anyone else for that matter) had to ask of him.

As I lay in bed last night, a flurry of thoughts about gpa ran through my head. All the places we went, things we did, and times I recall gpa being there. The baseball games down at the old Roosevelt Field stadium that we went to every summer night, the trips to eastern Washington every year on Memorial Day weekend, and the one summer we went on the ghost town hunt, with mom's trailer behind our car, and gma & gpa pulling their trailer. Another fond memory is the summer at our piece of property at Timberlakes, in our trailers. Gpa taught us kids how to find the best switches, then whittle the ends just perfect, for hot dogs & marshmallows that we cooked over an open fire. A hot dog never tasted so good.

So many great memories, and so many "every day" memories, like how gpa was always there to take one of us kids to the doctor, or the dentist, when mom was working. The note from mom to the teacher always read the same way:

"Please excuse Carla at 2:00 for a dental appointment. Her grandfather will pick her up at the office"

And gpa was always there at 1:45. Gpa was always early, never late. You could quite literally, set your watch by gpa's punctuality. That didn't change after I grew up either. When I was a young adult, without a car, I'd still call gpa and say "gpa, I have an appointment at so and so time, you think you can give me a ride?". He'd always say the same thing: "well okay".
I don't think gpa ever said no. (here come the waterworks again).

I think it was the summer between first and second grade, gpa had a stroke. It was a scary and unsettled time for all of us. It changed him somehow, and for a while gma moved in with us. It wasn't long, maybe a few weeks (my memory of it isn't very sharp), but talk of gpa was pretty hush hush when us kids were around. Likely mom & gma's way of keeping us from the pain of what was really going on. I'm not sure how long it was, but it seemed before long everything was back to normal, and gpa was his old self again.

Growing up, we had a regular routine in our family, just like all families do. Ours was, supper at gma & gpa's house every Wednesday and Sunday. On Wednesday's we'd just stay there after school and mom would come there, instead of going home. On Sunday's we'd go over about 3, and supper was usually around 4. It wasn't just my family though, it was Uncle M. & Aunt J. & their kids, as well as Uncle L. & Aunt D. & their kids too. One uncle was stationed in Guam with the Navy, but he would have been there too, twice a week, without fail.

Gma still lives in the same house that we all converged on twice a week, and now that I'm an adult, it looks so small. I can't imagine her putting up with 7 grandkids, then as the years went by two more, plus having 3 of her 4 kids, and their wives in that little house for a few hours twice a week! Weather permitting, us kids would usually play outside together, while the adults sat in the living room talking with gpa, and gma made dinner for all 14 of us.

As the kids got older, this tradition fell by the wayside. We still went twice a week until I was in my teens though. The older I got, the more I wanted to be one of the grown ups, sitting in the living room talking with gpa.

My gpa was a very quiet man, and preferred it quiet in his house. And he always got it! I'm not sure how us kids were so good, but when gpa said "kids, be quiet" us kids were quiet. He didn't mind talking if it were profitable, or questions that weren't petty, but useless chitter-chatter or kid-type noises were forbidden in gpa's presence. It's ironic, that I am just like my gpa in that regard, and I have 7 kids. Five of which, would test my gpa's patience to the limit.

As time passed by, I saw my gpa less and less. Life did what life does, and just got busy. I got married, had kids, and life was full. I'd go over and see gma & gpa as often as I could, but it was less and less all the time. I missed seeing them every day like I did when I was a kid, but that's just the way things worked out.

In the very beginning of 1991, within 30 days of each other, both my late husband Ben, and gpa, were diagnosed with a terminal disease. For Ben it was malignant melanoma, and for gpa it was Asbestosis. My world just fell apart, in every conceivable way. For the next little while, life was as dark as it gets.

The last time I saw my gpa, was just 10 days before he died. After the time he was diagnosed, and took a drastic turn for the worse, he was quite miraculously converted to Christ, and instantly began to improve. (I mentioned this at the beginning of this article, and just did the math again, and gpa was 82, not 83 like I had written before). Late in 1992, October to be exact, someone asked gpa "how ya feelin' Harry?". His answer was "well, I have a birthday coming up, I think I'll hang around until then, at least".

Halloween night that year, I took the kids in their costumes over to gma & gpa's house (just like my mom did with us kids, every year). We paraded them around for gma & gpa, just like my mom always did with us, and then we did our trick or treating on gma & gpa's street, before going back to our neighborhood. That was the last time I saw gpa. He was sitting in his chair, just like he always was, and smiled at the kids in their costumes. I had one of those silly witch hats on, and gpa said "hey, someone get that witch outta my house!" Then said "oh, it's just Carla".

November 3rd 1992, gpa turned 83 years young. A week later, I got up to go to work, and had an overwhelming sense of doom. All morning long, I couldn't shake it. I went to work at the photography studio, and at one point told my boss Christine, I just wanted to cry. Something, somewhere, somehow was wrong, and I couldn't shrug off the feeling.

I left work around noon and came home. As I was walking in the door, the phone was ringing. I looked at Ben and he looked at me, to see who was going to get the phone. I'm not sure why we did that, but we did. I picked up the phone and couldn't even say hello. I just listened. It was my sister Lora, and all she said at first was "Carla, it's gpa". I lost all the strength in my body, and fell to the floor, weeping like I had never done in my life. My world just imploded, and even though I knew it was coming, the finality of it, was more than I could bear. Gpa was gone.

Gpa had a rough night, and gma got up to check on him around 8 am. He was fine then, so she went back to bed and woke up again about 11. When she went to check on him, he was already gone. He was pronounced about 9 am, they figure. Oddly enough, he was pronounced right around the same time I left for work that morning with that overwhelming ache inside.

It was 6 days after his birthday. He hung around just like he said he would, for his birthday.

I commented to Kev the other day, I can't believe it's been so long that he's been gone. Thirteen years since I last saw my gpa.
I sure miss him.

The one thing that comforts me, is the fact that he received Christ, and confessed his faith in Him. I know where he is, and I wouldn't wish him back on this earth, from where he is, for all the world. He is eternally praising the Lord, free from sickness, death, pain and sorrow!
Praise God.

You may have just read this and wondered why my gpa was the greatest man I ever knew. I have left a lot of details out about my gpa, but the one thing, the one role he filled in my life, was that of a real man, and a real father. He believed in hard work, and he believed in honoring your word. If you said you were going to do something, well by golly you better do it, or you were no better than a liar. (His words, and he never minced them). Gpa taught me a lot, and I am forever grateful he was in my life for the years that he was. If I can be half as good of a parent to my kids (and I fail so miserably so much of the time), then I'll be content that something gpa taught me, stuck.

Mom, I know you're reading this, and probably crying. I know you miss him too, more than anything. My hat is also off to you, for being such a great mom, and making sure our grandparents were IN our lives, our whole lives growing up. You more than anyone knew what a solid man gpa was, and you gave us kids a treasured gift, by making sure him (and gma) were a part of our lives.

Now I'm crying again too, because I just miss my gpa, the man my mom still calls Daddy, whenever she talks about him.

He left a legacy that will never be forgotten, in many people's lives.

Happy Birthday gpa, we love you, and we miss you.

Today I had planned to write about my grandpa. I still plan to do that before the day is over, but it's been pushed back a bit.

I woke up with a headache, and it steadily grew worse as the day went on. I had to cut school short (nuked reading & history) and went to lay down. 2 hours later I woke up and it's still here. Motherlode of all headaches. (the kind that make you grumble in a foreign tongue you've never learned)

The only reason I'm posting this is because I told someone I'd be posting about grandpa today.

I'm going back to lay down again, and hope it's gone when I get up.

till then..............

SDG

Guarding the Trust - Preach the Word

This is part 33 of an ongoing series. You can read part 32 here.

Guarding the Trust - Preach the Word – 2 Timothy 4:2

Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.

Preach the word... kerusso logos


1) to be a herald, to officiate as a herald
1a) to proclaim after the manner of a herald
1b) always with the suggestion of formality, gravity and an authority which must be listened to and obeyed
2) to publish, proclaim openly: something which has been done
3) used of the public proclamation of the gospel and matters pertaining to it, made by John the Baptist, by Jesus, by the apostles and other Christian teachers

I don't have the luxury of having lived long enough to know what our culture was last 50 years ago, or 100 years ago. I can read about it, and I can listen to those who have studied it, but I wasn't there, so I don't have the same viewpoint that those who were there, have.

It's interesting to listen to my mom, who was raised up in the 40's & 50's, and my grandmother who was raised up in the 20's and 30's ( 65 and 85 years ago, respectively), speak about culture, and society in their youth, and compare it to culture and society now. They both have said the same thing for several years now - it's much worse. People, culture, morals, standards... they're all different, and they're all much more ungodly.

I can only speak to this from my perspective, and that doesn't really mean much. I only have 40 years to go by, and I'm only just shy of 12 years walking with Jesus. In that last 12 years however, I've noticed a change myself, a drastic change in what is considered good, and moral, right and upstanding - even within the Christian community.

In the fall of 2004 I began to research a new sub-culture within the Christian community. Some (at that time) were calling it "being missional" or "the emerging conversation". In my initial research into this, I came across the topic of preaching. I'd read several articles from 'missional minded' people who genuinely believe that preaching the word, has lost it's relevance in a post-Christian culture.

What they meant by that, is that traditional Sunday morning sermons, in traditional neighborhood churches, have become outdated, and lost their lustre, in a culture of people who have grown up outside the church, or the 'unchurched'.

I initially responded by writing this:

"My first question is, "whatever happened to the simpleness, and effectiveness of preaching the GOSPEL?". While I do not disagree with the idea of getting out into the community and getting involved in local programs, I have a HUGE issue with the idea of "changing" the church, and "adapting" to the culture. Far too much of this has happened already, and the churches are solid reflections of it. Watered down-gospel, if any gospel at all, and houses of so-called seeker friendly concerts, plays, and fundraisers.

The standard in Christian churches HAS been lowered to appeal to the unsaved, take a look around your community, you'll see the banners hanging off church buildings all over town. The gospel in my Bible does NOT entertain the lost sinner, bound in his sin. It doesn't make him feel good. It doesn't appeal to the flesh. It doesn't have a catchy beat, or a funny punchline. It's life and death, eternal life and death, and it's about the utter helplessness of man, and the astounding grace of God, poured out on the cross of Christ!

When the unsaved, the unchurched, sit through a service on Sunday morning they ought to be hearing a solid gospel message - who Christ is, why He came, who He came for, and why those very people who are the "unchurched", NEED Him. If they are hearing anything from the pulpit that does not apply to them, the gospel has not been declared! If they came to be entertained, they are in the wrong church! When we start changing our churches and adapting the way we reach out to people IN the church, based on the culture and times, we cross a line into watering down the gospel and our very purpose is lost. If we neglect preaching the gospel to the SAVED, in our churches, we've neglected them as well, by not providing for them sound Biblical teaching, solid exegetical preaching, and declaring the word of God, each and every Sunday morning.

The saved need to hear the gospel as well - the saved need to have a firm foundation OF the gospel to be equipped to share it with the lost. If they are not hearing it, if they're not being taught consistantly from the Scriptures, someone has dropped the ball. Missional thinking is great - HOW we achieve it, should be dealt with very carefully, very BIBLICALLY.

As soon as we begin to step oustide the Scriptures, neglecting the very heart of the gospel in favor of cultural adaptations or entertainment purposes, we've lost the very purpose of what we've been called to do. My Bible says that it pleases God, by the foolishness of preaching, to save them that believe. It says it's the preaching of the cross that is the power of God unto salvation. So this is my question, whatever happened to simply preaching the gospel? When Paul said "woe is me if I preach not the gospel" - then went on to say he became all things to all men that he might by all means save some - he certainly wasn't saying to neglect the gospel and put on a concert. Paul was talking about being able to relate or communicate on the level of many different people, reaching out to whoever, wherever, so that in doing so he might be able to share the gospel of Christ with them.

Always, the center of this is the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Not musical programs, plays, or anything else... if all those extra things are going on and the gospel is not at the heart of it, not being declared every Sunday, all those extra things are a huge waste of time, and the church has lost it's way."

The reaction to that piece was met with many questions, and doubts. Some commented "preaching is not enough" and another responded by saying "the old paths don't work anymore", and even added that if we do not adapt to new methods of preaching, and sharing the gospel, that our churches will die. Another response went into the reasons why we need to change how, and what is preached. I responded again with this:

"What I am proposing is indeed solid Biblical preaching in the church – where members of the body, young and old alike, can grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. It’s a proven method of spiritual maturity, that is timeless, has no barriors due to culture, ethnicity, economics, or any other perceived stumbling block. Scripture is filled with guarantees of the power of the word of God preached. If I read your response correctly, you’re in favor of changing the church structure itself, due to people’s rebellion, self-centeredness, and pride, basically. You list reasons why the church itself might be the reason people aren’t coming – “the hierarchy, the rigidity, the general conformation with conservative politics” (rebelling against standards of practice), “wearing suits” (handy excuse – others use the “way too casual” argument), “the general lack of awareness of environmental issues” (a local assembly of believers gathers to hear the word, praise God, pray for one another and be edified with the fellowship of likeminded believers – please explain to me what in the world, environmental issues, have to do with the purpose of believers gathering to praise God?) “oversimplified models of human interactions, lack of expression of emotions, hymns that are sung without passion” (more handy excuses to not be a part of a local body of believers – “no Lord, it was this congregation you gave me, they were boring, too excited, not excited enough, dowdy, too modern, not modern enough, distant, too friendly, pastor wears the same suit every Sunday – it’s annoying, had awful body odor, had bad hairstyles, etc.”… it didn’t work for Adam either.)

These things WILL cloud the presentation of the gospel, if these are the things that have captured the attention of the people. What other people are doing, what they’re wearing, other people’s level of intelligence, political or environmental issues, lack of expression of emotion, etc.

If this is what folks are focused on, their focus is in the wrong place to begin with. Their focus is on THEMSELVES and what makes them comfortable, it’s clearly not on hearing the word of God. They are not in church to be taught, to be used of God, to be ministered to or to minister to others – they are there to be entertained, to be made comfortable, and if they’re not getting what they want, they line up excuses for themselves to make themselves feel better about why they are not in a local church. I hear these excuses every single day from the people I come in contact with. It is 100% man-centered, for those that do not have a legitimate reason for not being in church (health, lack of transportation or lack of a solid local church).

This really has nothing to do with “residual Victorianism” as you stated, this has everything to do with God’s standards, not mens. You stated “I enjoy your vision of a meaningful and intense presentation of a challenging gospel message on Sunday morning, but cannot this same thing happen in a variety of ways?” Of course it can happen in a variety of ways, and it does, among true believers. Our lives lived out daily, our conversations, whatever ministry outreach programs we’re involved in, community programs, etc., bear this out daily. Yet some desire to dump Sunday morning corporate worship altogether in favor of that, being church. If there is Biblical precedent for this model, please provide it. I have yet to see a Biblical precedent for this – but rather read and hear a lot of arguments based on feeling, emotion (or lack of it) personal preference, and self, for why traditional Sunday morning “church” no longer appeals to people."

This exchange of viewpoints went on for several weeks, with more than a few people who genuinely believe that preaching, is simply not enough. They deny the power of the word of God. They deny, that they deny it, then go on to say that things have to be added to the gospel, for it to be effective. You must add community involvement, or captivating light shows, or modern, relevant worship music, or a conversational style of preaching, or this, or that, or the other. It is clear that we live in a time where many professing believers really do believe that preaching is not effecient, nor sufficient, to do the work that the Scripture says it will do.

While I certainly do agree that we must live what we claim to believe, and show forth the gospel in deed as well as word - lest we be found as hypocrites - it is not our lifestyle that changes the heart of man. This is the error that so many have fallen into! Our language, our lifestyle, our habits, those things should indeed reflect a changed heart, and we certainly should be in service to the Lord in all that we do, but to assign those things, with what persuades the lost into faith in Christ, is foolishness.

Scripture is clear, the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is the power of God, unto salvation. (Rom. 1:16)
The preaching of the cross, is the power of God unto salvation. (1Cor.1:18)

Our "post-Christian" culture that we live in, more than maybe any culture before it, desperately needs the very thing, so many Christian churches are abandoning in favor of "being relevant" to the culture:

kerusso logos - to proclaim with authority and gravity, the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I hope this has blessed you in some way today.

SDG ~ Carla

New Design - Winter Song

I wanted to show off my new design - I had the most fun creating this one. Inspired by an old, worn out sweatshirt I have, I redesigned the snowy scene, added birds I've photographed, and voila: Winter Song!



Winter Song Throw Pillow $19.99


Winter Song Wall Clock $14.99


Winter Song Tile Box $19.99


Winter Song Mug $14.99


Winter Song Ornament (Round)
$9.99 $7.99 until 11/14


Winter Song Ornament (Oval)
$9.99 $7.99 until 11/14


Winter Song Christmas Cards (Pkg of 6)
$14.99 $12.99 until 11/14


Winter Song Hooded Sweatshirt $28.99


Winter Song Jr. Hoodie $28.99


Winter Song Kids Hoodie $22.99


Winter Song Kids Sweatshirt $18.99


Winter Song Long Sleeve T-Shirt $22.99


Winter Song Sweatshirt $24.99

Pondering Mice and Sovereignty

A few days ago, I wrote about the monster in my closet. He's got to be at least 9 feet tall with 6 inch long teeth. Today, I donned my suit of armor and went in for the kill.

Okay fine, it's not that big, but close. And for the record I wasn't wearing armor, I had on sweats, and my hair was in a pony tail.

I have a strange habit that comes out when I'm stressed. I clean. And I do mean CLEAN. Top to bottom, inside and out, every corner, every crack. By the time I'm done, it's sparkly-shiney and ready to be trashed again by a houseful of kids that just don't "get it".

I've been sort of stressed the last little while - over things I have no control over anyway - and so apart from praying and gaining some pretty awesome encouragment from friends, I clean.

Today I decided after school, that I would tackle my closet - and kill 2 birds with one stone. Straighten up the closet and hopefully find out where that dastardly beast is coming from. It was a huge job, because it's a huge closet. It's a walk-thru with doors on both the hallway side, and inside our bedroom. The kids think it's a secret passage way to off-limit territory. It's also a mess, because we don't have a linen closet - and this closet doesn't have any shelves. So things (since we moved in only 3.5 years ago) have been neatly (pffft) stored in large, open boxes, on the closet floor. The only thing holding up the sides of these boxes today, was the piles of sheets, blankets, and miscellanious junk, on the outside of the boxes.

So as I'm removing every thing from the closet and either tossing it in the laundry, or folding it in nice, neat, orderly little piles, the thought occured to me how so many times Christians tend to "spiritualize" the most mundane tasks, like cleaning closets. The hard work that goes into making something more functional, and useful. The effort required to reap something good, etc.

As corny and cliche as it sounds, it is true. Moreso than "spiritualizing" cleaning my closet, the thought occured to me how nice it really is that so many Christians actually do think this way. It's encouraging to be among a fellowship of believers that have a mind for the spiritual things.

Kev and I were talking the other night about how so many Christians (us included) don't have a consistant Biblical language. By that I mean, when an accident happens, we call it a tragedy, or an unfortunate event. We profess the sovereignty of God, yet we speak like we think God was looking the other way when something awful happened.

Now I don't advovate the doomsday approach either, but there does seem to be something missing.

In Scripture, when a false teacher was struck dead, it was crystal clear it was the work of God. Even pagans attributed "bad luck" to the displeasure of their false gods. They were wrong, but at least they also had a religious "language". And they were consistant.

In modern times when a professing believer, that is involved in something ungodly (whatever it happens to be) is struck with a horrible tragedy, we chalk it up to "unfortunate". Why do we do that? Are we trying to make ourselves feel better? Are we too cowardly to say "this was clearly the work of God"? Or do we just want to sit on the fence and say "well... I dunno... maybe it was, maybe it wasn't..."?? How can anything be a maybe, when God is in control of every circumstance? I can confess that when I have been in disobedience, and God brings hard times into my life, I know without a doubt it's the chastisement of God - Scripture is quite clear that He chastens those He loves, so why are we so reluctant to say that?

Maybe we say these things because we're just not sure how to say what we're thinking? Maybe we say them because we know if we say what we're thinking, the wrong way, we'll be misread as some cold, heartless boob, that should be stoned?

It's ironic that so many Christians (me included, I'm certainly not exempt) will spiritualize things like painting your house, teaching your kids, or getting cut off in traffic - but when it comes to the HUGE things, those things that everyone is talking about - those same Christians will often de-spiritualize it and/or not be heard from.

We have examples of this in the recent aftermath of all the hurricanes, and even more examples of it after 9/11. Those that did attribute the "tragedies" to the hand of God, were written off as nutbags, or cold hearted, or whatever.

No major point to be made here - other than wonder why we're often so inconsistant with our language.

And, I never did find the mouse, but the closet looks great.

SDG ~ me

On 2Peter 3:9

UPDATE: I originally wrote this in 2001, and posted it here back in March of this year. From time to time I go back to things I've written years prior, to see if they should be updated and expanded on. Usually, they do. By His grace, as my understanding is expanded, I often catch myself correcting myself, from errors of the ignorance of a young believer.

Recently, this same topic was covered at Reformation Theology by pastor John Samson. I decided it was a good time to go back and revisit my own writing on it, and re-publish it. I realize that some believe that even Calvin himself would say that 2Peter 3:9 was referring to all human beings, but I disagree.
_________________________

There is a certain verse of Scripture, that is consistantly taken out of context, that results in unbiblical theology. The certain verse is here: 2 Peter 3:9

The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Now many people read that verse, and come away saying "God is not willing that any (meaning any human being) should be lost". From that point of view, they can then support the teaching that God extends salvation to all human beings, and leaves the choice to actually get saved, in the hands of man.

Problem is, none of that is true, because it's all based on a misinterpreted verse, to begin with.

2Peter was written by Peter to

• "them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ" (2Peter 1:1)
• The "brethren" (2Peter 1:10)
• the "beloved" (2Peter 3:1)
• "us-ward" (2Peter 3:9).

In summary, this passage of Scripture was written to believers, period. Peter was NOT addressing a mixed crowd of saved and unsaved, faithful and unfaithful alike, but to a specific group of people - those like-minded in faith.

What Peter was addressing in this specific verse, was the activity he mentions in verse 3, scoffers showing up and mocking the promise made of His return - in verse 9, Peter reminds the believers he was addressing, that the Lord is not slack, or too slow, to fulfill His promise, as some men might be, but that His promise stands.

Where Peter reminds the faithful that God is longsuffering toward "us-ward" is where alot of folks miss the intended target of the verse. By that very word, Peter is eliminating all (inclusive) human beings, and specifically addressing a key group of people, "us-ward". By us-ward he is saying believers, the faithful, the brethren, the beloved.

Peter goes on to say, that in God's longsuffering of "us-ward" He was not willing that any should perish - let me clarify right there, Peter is STILL talking about believers - NOT - all human beings. Further, Peter reminds the receivers of this letter that in God's longsuffering, and because of His unwillingness that any of THEM should perish, He brought each of them to repentance. Peter was reminding these people that it was by the power of God, and by the grace of God, that any of them were walking by faith to begin with, and that it was also by that same power that they should hold fast to what they had been taught, about His return (in the light of the scoffers mentioned in verse 3).

Peter goes even further in his exhortation to BELIEVERS, and what kind of lives we should be living, BECAUSE of that promise, and BECAUSE of God's mercy on us, in the next many verses (if you read it without the numbered verse seperations, you'll see how Peter's thought is a solid, flowing text, and not chopped into sections).

So if the verse is read in context, pertaining to what those believers were dealing with in their day, and why Peter said what he said, you will easily see that he was never addressing the unsaved at all, he was addressing believers, ONLY.

If you really think about Peter's words, they would certainly fall on deaf ears if shared with the unsaved anyway, since the unsaved have no peace in the power, grace, and promise of the return of Christ. The only time these words of Peter would 'quicken' the hearts of the unsaved, would be if they were already being convicted to repent of their sin.

In summation, the Bible does NOT teach, in this verse, or any other, that God is not willing that any human being should perish - since many have, and many will, die in their sins, which would be theologically, doctrinally, and logically impossible, if it were against God's determined will for them.

Additional Scripture:
• Luke 18:7-8
• Romans 9:22
• 1 Timothy 2:4
• John 10:27
• John 10:4
• Psalms 1:6
• John 6:37

Guarding the Trust - Exhort with the Word

This is part 32 of an ongoing series. You can read part 31 here.

Guarding the Trust - Exhort with the Word – 1 Timothy 4:13

Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.

In part 29 of this series, Read The Word, this verse was also used. This time the focus of the verse is the use of the word exhortation, or the Greek word paraklesis.

I've had good cause to consider this word quite a lot lately. Just again this morning I sat and thought about what it really means to exhort, and to exhort with the word.

This is not the "aww, Jesus loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life" route. Not even close. This is not ear candy, nor is it platitudes, or quaint little phrases designed to cause the hearer to feel better about themselves.

To exhort with the word means;

admonition, encouragement, consolation, comfort, solace; that which affords comfort or refreshment, persuasive discourse, stirring address, instructive

Sometimes, exhortation with the word means those 'hard sayings of Jesus' or those difficult truths in the Bible that can be at times, hard to hear. Often, those things which are not immediately "pleasant" to hear, are the things we need to hear the most, and hold onto.

You may have read in the news recently, of the young pastor in Texas that was electrocuted in the baptistry of his church. While at first hearing this, the news sounded so surreal, it was hard to get my own thoughts around how such a thing could happen. Almost immediately however, I thought of his wife, his children, and his congregation. I considered "what do they need, right now?"

What they all need more than anything else, is paraklesis from the word. Solid, eternal, assurance. Words that bring hope, give comfort, peace, and a settling in unsettled times.

Life, as we know it, can be very hard, for many people. Some people manage (purely by His grace) to sail through life without ever really having too many traumatic or painful valleys. This is just the way God has ordained their lives, and they are blessed for it. Other people are blessed as well, but they go through what might appear to be more than their share of pain, illness, tragedy and loss. More than anything the world can afford to give, these are the people that need paraklesis from the word.

It doesn't just stop with life events. There are so many areas in a Christian's life that we have the opportunity to exhort with the word.

We live in a time where truth seems to be elusive, slippery, and subject to doubt, disputation, and denial - even in professing Christian churches. Where does this leave the new believer? The struggling, the weak, the unsure? If left on their own, it leaves them in a state of deception, and confusion, prone to walking straight into error. They also need paraklesis from the word.

What about our children? When they disobey, when they get hurt, scared, frustrated or when they're confused? Such a mission field there in our children's lives!! To raise up our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Eph 6:4) literally means to exhort them in His ways.

There are so many other areas of life that this applies in. Your spouse, your church, in the workplace, at school, or wherever the Lord has placed you, and among whomever He has placed you - there is someone in your life right this very moment, that could sure use some exhortation.

Several years ago I was having a conversation with a friend about depression - and specifically how Christians suffer with it, and ways to alleviate it. My friend said to me that the one thing he learned that blesses him more than anything else, is to submit himself to the service of others, in the times when he would rather stay in bed and pull the covers over his head, and cry.

He shared with me that without fail, every time he would do this, not only was the other person or persons blessed but that he also was blessed that he was able to give, exhort, help, and serve, when all he really wanted to do was be served, and have someone comfort him. He said "by becoming a servant, I was blessed." His words have stuck with me all these years. Surely it is not an easy thing to do to put on a smiley face and seek to serve others when inside you're hurting, but what a true blessing it is, to "pull your socks up" as they say, and do it anyway. It truly does change your countenance.

By living the very words of paraklesis, your are in fact yourself, being exhorted as well. 2Cor. 1:3-7 speaks to this very thing. In each verse where the words comfort and consolation are used, it is the Greek word paraklesis, actually being used. Exhortation via the truths of the word of God. Exhortation because He is the God of all comfort! (2Cor.1:3).

I hope this has blessed you, and exhorted you, today.

SDG ~ Carla

Scipscenes Sale!

This is just a reminder that as of today, through November 14th, there's a sale going on over at Scripscenes.

$2 off!
• Ornaments (oval, round)
• Greeting Cards
• Wall Calendars
Coupon Code: Holiday2

Guarding the Trust - Teach the Word

This is part 31 of an ongoing series. You can read part 30 here.

Guarding the Trust - Teach the Word – 2 Timothy 4:1-5

I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.

I can't even begin to guess, how many sermons have been preached on this very passage. How many essays, articles, and conversations - over the very warnings given in this text. It's impossible for me to say anything that hasn't already been said before.

I would simply like to examine the passage a little closer.

Paul, writing to Timothy, by saying "I charge thee" is saying he is earnestly imploring Timothy before God, to take heed to his direction about teaching truth. So important is the teaching of truth that Paul includes mention of Christ's judgement of the quick (living) and the dead, when He returns. These are timeless, eternal truths that dare not be watered down, or compromised in any way.

"Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine."

Paul says of the word "kerruso" - to boldly and publicly proclaim the gospel with authority.

Be instant - be there, be ready, be available
In season - at every opportunity
Out of season - even when it's inconvenient

I can't help but think of a soldier at war, when I read this. At any given a moment, an enlisted man is called for duty. He is expected to be ready, be prepared, and report for duty, no matter if it's convenient for him at the time, or not. His duty and his obligation is to his commanding officer, and when the call is placed to move, he moves, no questions asked.

Paul goes on to remind Timothy what he is to be ready for:

to reprove - refute, expose, correct, admonish, reprove, show one his fault
to rebuke - sharply charging in admonisment
to exhort - to address by way of comfort, instruction, encouraging, strengthening

Then Paul says how Timothy is to do this:

With all longsuffering - patience, endurance, constancy, steadfastness, perseverance
And doctrine - teaching - specifically referring to the teachings of Christ

Paul then says why Timothy should be prepared for Christian duty at all times, why he should be prepared to counter false teachings, and why he should approach it with patience and sound teaching:

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears (v.3)

Many would say that we are in this time. Our culture and our society no longer accepts as true, the basics of the Bible, which they once did. Some call this a "post-Christian" era, whereby what was once considered morally accurate, even by unbelievers, these ideas have been tossed aside by a generation of people who grew up in homes where church attendance fell by the wayside. The loss in society has been the loss of hearing sound doctrine in churches, even if those hearers were not converted to Christ.

After their own lusts (desires, cravings) they shall (and have) heap to themselves (accumulate), teachers having itching ears (desirous of hearing something pleasant).

It's been argued back and forth whether the "itching ears" applies to the people who abandon sound doctrine - those that simply wish to hear good things, to make them feel better - or whether it's the teachers themselves that feed off of these compliments and high praise among the people.

I would have to say it certainly applies to both, but I believe the context shows that it's the teachers themselves, that have a hungry ego. The more they're fed, the more they store up good reasons to continue their teachings. In a word: pride.

Have you been to a Christian bookstore lately? The last time I was, I was struck by the vast amount of material in the "self-help" section. In fact, this section was the one prominantly displayed at the very front of the store - you couldn't miss it when you walked in. Rows and rows of books to help you succeed in business, church growth, with your kids, on the job, etc. I call this the "get stuff for Jesus" section. Books written by teachers who teach you how to amass "things" for yourself, under the guise of Christian prosperity.

While there is certainly nothing wrong with succeeding in life, there is something very wrong with succeeding without ever addressing holiness, repentance, humility, and accepting God's will, no matter what comes. These things are not addressed (or at least never mentioned on the book jackets) in these books. If they are addressed, it's a obligatory 1 page blurb, or half a page, then right back to the "get-rich-quick-for-Jesus" formula/program that the book is promoting.

These are teachers that know what appeals to the flesh - THINGS. The carnal, the material, the temporal. They know this, so they write about it, and people buy their books by the millions - essentially saying "we love you, give us more!". It's a mutual admiration, teacher and student. Both in the mindframe of desiring to hear good things, that make them feel better.

Meanwhile, those books on humility, holiness, and sound doctrine, are tossed pell-mell in the "clearance" bin. Why? Because they don't sell as well. This is not the subject that the shoppers in Christian bookstores are looking for, so these books are marked down and set aside.

Verse 4 sums this up exactly as we see it happening: "And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables".

Ears are closed to objective, certain truth concerning God, Christ, and the duties of man, and embraced are stories, narrative, subjective experiences, fiction, falsehood.

I hear more and more of this happening, every day. Abandoning the objective truths of Scripture (i.e., "well, that's just your interpretation) and welcoming in all sorts of "narrative" and subjective experience and ideas, philosophies and teachings. Many of which, flatly contradict the very object truths of Scripture. Such as; the deity of Christ, the nature of the atonement, God's omnipotance, omniscience, the wrath of God, the will of God, and even the very gender of God!

These things are very, very common, in our day - just as Paul warned Timothy that they would happen.

This section ends with Paul exhorting Timothy with these words:

But watch thou in all things (be sober, circumspect),
endure afflictions (suffer hardships and troubles),
do the work of an evangelist (occupy yourself with the gospel),
make full proof of thy ministry (carry through to the end, your calling).

I believe the application in this text certainly does apply to every believer. Those called to teach are called to do that in critical ways that show the students the very power of the word of God. While not everyone is gifted with the gift of teaching, it is the duty and responsibility of every believer to proclaim the truth of the word and constantly be on guard against false teaching, to be circumspect of every idea, or philosophy that comes along - lining it up with the objective truth of God's word.

Are we teaching God's word like Paul charged Timothy? Are we watching in all things?

I hope this has blessed you today.

SDG ~ Carla