Wednesday, November 7, 2012
And We Know That in All Things God Works...
I've been reading 1st Samuel along with a commentary on the following website:
http://www.enduringword.com/
It is an excellent commentary. I naturally don't agree with everything said because the person writing it IS a fallible person, and the many people he quotes are also fallible people.
But it is wonderful because while I've read every word of the Bible more than once, reading a commentary like this helps me think through the history and the geography and the theology in a new and fresh way.
So I'm reading about King Saul. Much is said in the commentary about how the people of Israel wanted a king for all the wrong reasons...they wanted "to be like other nations." In spite of Samuel's solemn warnings, they said they wanted a king and the Lord gave them...King Saul.
Saul wasn't a roaring success. He started well and then turned away from the Lord from fear, arrogance, and pride.
I've not discussed politics in this blog and I won't very much, but I am deeply troubled by our election. I'm not enamored with Romney but Obama is much farther away from my core political concerns. The issue of abortion is my litmus test issue, and Obama is a darling of Planned Parenthood. And then there is the fact that Obamacare tramples on religious rights. And Obama's campaign included an ad that correlated losing your virginity to voting for Obama and how both change a female from being a girl to being a woman. Ok...so random sexual relations make you a "real" woman. GREAT message to all the precious girls in our country.
It is tempting for me to be fearful about the future of our country. And...we may be going down the tubes. Or maybe we aren't. Actually, for all that people wail about the state of our country, it is true that in times past there were seriously horrific things going on. Slavery comes to mind. Horrible. Rampant racism earlier in the last century. Dreadful. Painful, insidious, constant political corruption -- just reading about Teddy Roosevelt and his fight against the "machine" in New York City (I think that was the city) is very eye opening. Yes, we have plenty of corruption but it isn't nearly as open and blatant than it was at the end of the 1800's.
How about the Cherokee Trail of Tears? (Hmmm, racism issues are popping up a lot in my memory of awful things in our country.)
So, sin is nothing new in our country. And of course, as the country goes, so goes the president. We are living in a season of our country's consciousness when there is a strong move towards "freedom" -- to abort our babies, to have sexual relationships outside of marriage with as few consequences as possible (though the spiritual consequences are ALWAYs there), to allow gays to "marry"when marriage has always been between a man and a woman. There are plenty who argue that gays should be allowed to marry, but the reality is that marriage gives certain privileges like health insurance and the right to adopt children, and the issue of the children disturbs me in particular. Yes, there are plenty of kind homosexual people. But the ideal in God's plan is for a child to have a mother and a father, and mothers aren't like fathers and fathers aren't like mothers. I don't believe gay couples can provide the best environment for children.
I have Christian friends who believe that God is peaceful about gay unions. Well, as I said above, I've read the Bible from cover to cover. And I cannot find ANY justification for that view. It would, frankly, be a lot easier to accept gay unions. The cultural tide is moving in that direction, and we who stand against it are accused of being bigoted and cruel and narrow minded.
But God is God. He is the One who created us. He has the right to say that sexual relations belong ONLY within a marriage between a man and a woman, even if many people want to believe differently.
I am not of the view that we can force morality. Of course, we cannot. But to force employers to pay healthy insurance for gay couples is a violation of religious freedom.
I'm aware that there are plenty of areas of honest disagreement about how best to tackle our country's problems. I believe our country chose the wrong person last night, but ... to God be the glory.
http://www.enduringword.com/
It is an excellent commentary. I naturally don't agree with everything said because the person writing it IS a fallible person, and the many people he quotes are also fallible people.
But it is wonderful because while I've read every word of the Bible more than once, reading a commentary like this helps me think through the history and the geography and the theology in a new and fresh way.
So I'm reading about King Saul. Much is said in the commentary about how the people of Israel wanted a king for all the wrong reasons...they wanted "to be like other nations." In spite of Samuel's solemn warnings, they said they wanted a king and the Lord gave them...King Saul.
Saul wasn't a roaring success. He started well and then turned away from the Lord from fear, arrogance, and pride.
I've not discussed politics in this blog and I won't very much, but I am deeply troubled by our election. I'm not enamored with Romney but Obama is much farther away from my core political concerns. The issue of abortion is my litmus test issue, and Obama is a darling of Planned Parenthood. And then there is the fact that Obamacare tramples on religious rights. And Obama's campaign included an ad that correlated losing your virginity to voting for Obama and how both change a female from being a girl to being a woman. Ok...so random sexual relations make you a "real" woman. GREAT message to all the precious girls in our country.
It is tempting for me to be fearful about the future of our country. And...we may be going down the tubes. Or maybe we aren't. Actually, for all that people wail about the state of our country, it is true that in times past there were seriously horrific things going on. Slavery comes to mind. Horrible. Rampant racism earlier in the last century. Dreadful. Painful, insidious, constant political corruption -- just reading about Teddy Roosevelt and his fight against the "machine" in New York City (I think that was the city) is very eye opening. Yes, we have plenty of corruption but it isn't nearly as open and blatant than it was at the end of the 1800's.
How about the Cherokee Trail of Tears? (Hmmm, racism issues are popping up a lot in my memory of awful things in our country.)
So, sin is nothing new in our country. And of course, as the country goes, so goes the president. We are living in a season of our country's consciousness when there is a strong move towards "freedom" -- to abort our babies, to have sexual relationships outside of marriage with as few consequences as possible (though the spiritual consequences are ALWAYs there), to allow gays to "marry"when marriage has always been between a man and a woman. There are plenty who argue that gays should be allowed to marry, but the reality is that marriage gives certain privileges like health insurance and the right to adopt children, and the issue of the children disturbs me in particular. Yes, there are plenty of kind homosexual people. But the ideal in God's plan is for a child to have a mother and a father, and mothers aren't like fathers and fathers aren't like mothers. I don't believe gay couples can provide the best environment for children.
I have Christian friends who believe that God is peaceful about gay unions. Well, as I said above, I've read the Bible from cover to cover. And I cannot find ANY justification for that view. It would, frankly, be a lot easier to accept gay unions. The cultural tide is moving in that direction, and we who stand against it are accused of being bigoted and cruel and narrow minded.
But God is God. He is the One who created us. He has the right to say that sexual relations belong ONLY within a marriage between a man and a woman, even if many people want to believe differently.
I am not of the view that we can force morality. Of course, we cannot. But to force employers to pay healthy insurance for gay couples is a violation of religious freedom.
I'm aware that there are plenty of areas of honest disagreement about how best to tackle our country's problems. I believe our country chose the wrong person last night, but ... to God be the glory.
Romans 8:28
New International Version (NIV)
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[a] have been called according to his purpose.
Sunday, November 4, 2012
I Love my Kindle
I love reading, and have since I was 6 years old.
We own 3 Kindles now, with the newest (mine) having a luminescent screen which makes it easier to read in low light situations.
Oh, I love my Kindle!
I can borrow books from the library on my Kindle.
I can get free books from Amazon.com on my Kindle.
I can pay a dollar or 2 for entire collections of works from Shakespeare, G. K. Chesterton (the Father Brown Mysteries), and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Sherlock Holmes.) I also have complete collections of Dickens, Jane Austen, and L. Frank Baum, who wrote 22 Wizard of Oz books. I bet you didn't even know that there was more than one "Wizard of Oz" book.
I've even found some obscure exploration books and mountaineering book at low prices for the Kindle.
I've been thinking about finances lately and I do believe the Kindles save us money in the long run, though that isn't why we got them.
Sometimes I do have an urge to buy something because I'm feeling bored or unhappy. That's not a good reason to buy something, but the urge is there. When it hits me hard, I often will borrow a book from the library for my Kindle. It is instant gratification and it costs essentially nothing. Just having a book on my Kindle gives me a weird, satisfied, full feeling :-).
Maybe that sounds strange. But I am a total book nut. I love books. If someone gave me $1000 and said seriously, just buy it on fun stuff, I'd probably buy books.
So it is great having a Kindle where some books are cheap or free or can be borrowed, and the books themselves don't take room in our house.
By the way, one odd thing about the Kindle is that some books are quite expensive, more so than their used paperback equivalents. I don't usually buy those :-).
We own 3 Kindles now, with the newest (mine) having a luminescent screen which makes it easier to read in low light situations.
Oh, I love my Kindle!
I can borrow books from the library on my Kindle.
I can get free books from Amazon.com on my Kindle.
I can pay a dollar or 2 for entire collections of works from Shakespeare, G. K. Chesterton (the Father Brown Mysteries), and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Sherlock Holmes.) I also have complete collections of Dickens, Jane Austen, and L. Frank Baum, who wrote 22 Wizard of Oz books. I bet you didn't even know that there was more than one "Wizard of Oz" book.
I've even found some obscure exploration books and mountaineering book at low prices for the Kindle.
I've been thinking about finances lately and I do believe the Kindles save us money in the long run, though that isn't why we got them.
Sometimes I do have an urge to buy something because I'm feeling bored or unhappy. That's not a good reason to buy something, but the urge is there. When it hits me hard, I often will borrow a book from the library for my Kindle. It is instant gratification and it costs essentially nothing. Just having a book on my Kindle gives me a weird, satisfied, full feeling :-).
Maybe that sounds strange. But I am a total book nut. I love books. If someone gave me $1000 and said seriously, just buy it on fun stuff, I'd probably buy books.
So it is great having a Kindle where some books are cheap or free or can be borrowed, and the books themselves don't take room in our house.
By the way, one odd thing about the Kindle is that some books are quite expensive, more so than their used paperback equivalents. I don't usually buy those :-).
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Finances: Clothing Part 3
As I said previously, I have been taught how to buy clothes inexpensively. My paternal grandmother (now passed on) was a superb clothes purchaser. We always headed straight for the sales racks. She would keep track of sales and enjoyed "sidewalk days" in various towns when many retailers would have items on sale out on the sidewalk.
My mother and mother-in-law both enjoy going to thrift stores. I realized that when I said we'll spend $1500 or less this year on clothes, it is true both my mom and MIL buy some clothes for our children. I would say they spend less than $200/year on our children but those gifts are a factor. Also, my amazing mother makes dresses for our girls and shirts for our boys twice a year. The picture at the top of my blog has the children in their Easter finery from my mother.
So, I know that the way to buy really nice clothes inexpensively is to either wait for major sales on new items, or carefully search the racks in thrift stores.
Neither works amazingly well for me. As I said, I dislike clothes shopping. I am really really busy with my family. I realize that I just am not a candidate for spending a lot of time shopping. It drives me too crazy and my brain always comes up with a good excuse for avoiding the whole experience entirely.
So what do I do?
First of all, I use "hand me downs". I have received hundreds of garments from other people whose children have outgrown their clothes. And yes, I've given away hundreds of garments. We none of us need all new clothes for our children. I am blessed to have friends who are generous, and I try to be generous in return.
Just today, a sweet friend gave me a bunch of baby boy clothing. Our 2nd son is 8 years old. He was followed by 3 sisters and 4 miscarriages. I thought we would never have another son, and felt God's direction to give my baby boy clothing to friends who needed it. So I did, and had very little on hand when the 20 week ultrasound showed Daniel is indeed a boy!
And friends came through, as usual. We've had to buy a few items for him, but relatively little.
I'm also a BIG fan of Once Upon a Child. It is indeed a thrift store, but the store purchases clothes from people and they are picky. So their clothing is almost all in good shape. I go in, I sweep through rapidly, I buy a bunch of stuff, and I'm gone. In 20 minutes or less. That's my idea of shopping.
I don't worry very much about fashion. Ok, I don't worry at ALL about fashion. Yes, it is nice to look nice but I'm not going to be concerned if I or my husband or my children don't conform to the latest styles. The whole "style" thing seems like a not too subtle way the fashion industry encourages us to buy clothing every year when we already have plenty.
Now, don't get me wrong. There is nothing evil about enjoying shopping and buying fashionable clothes. However, I don't think it is valid to break the budget on clothing. There is a passage in the New Testament that talks about the beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's eyes. The same passage says that our beauty should not come from braided hair or fine clothing. Again, it is nice to look nice. But to obsess isn't good.
Last but not least, we find it easy to dress "unfashionably" because our kids aren't in a peer school situation. I've read that wearing designer clothing is a big deal in the public school system. It was when I was in high school. Our children can wear pajamas all day if they feel like it. No one is going to give them a hard time.
So there you have it. I feel like we do it all wrong in some ways in keeping our clothing prices down since I rarely shop sales. BUT, we do something even better...we rarely go clothes shopping at all :-). That's the very best way to not spend much.
My mother and mother-in-law both enjoy going to thrift stores. I realized that when I said we'll spend $1500 or less this year on clothes, it is true both my mom and MIL buy some clothes for our children. I would say they spend less than $200/year on our children but those gifts are a factor. Also, my amazing mother makes dresses for our girls and shirts for our boys twice a year. The picture at the top of my blog has the children in their Easter finery from my mother.
So, I know that the way to buy really nice clothes inexpensively is to either wait for major sales on new items, or carefully search the racks in thrift stores.
Neither works amazingly well for me. As I said, I dislike clothes shopping. I am really really busy with my family. I realize that I just am not a candidate for spending a lot of time shopping. It drives me too crazy and my brain always comes up with a good excuse for avoiding the whole experience entirely.
So what do I do?
First of all, I use "hand me downs". I have received hundreds of garments from other people whose children have outgrown their clothes. And yes, I've given away hundreds of garments. We none of us need all new clothes for our children. I am blessed to have friends who are generous, and I try to be generous in return.
Just today, a sweet friend gave me a bunch of baby boy clothing. Our 2nd son is 8 years old. He was followed by 3 sisters and 4 miscarriages. I thought we would never have another son, and felt God's direction to give my baby boy clothing to friends who needed it. So I did, and had very little on hand when the 20 week ultrasound showed Daniel is indeed a boy!
And friends came through, as usual. We've had to buy a few items for him, but relatively little.
I'm also a BIG fan of Once Upon a Child. It is indeed a thrift store, but the store purchases clothes from people and they are picky. So their clothing is almost all in good shape. I go in, I sweep through rapidly, I buy a bunch of stuff, and I'm gone. In 20 minutes or less. That's my idea of shopping.
I don't worry very much about fashion. Ok, I don't worry at ALL about fashion. Yes, it is nice to look nice but I'm not going to be concerned if I or my husband or my children don't conform to the latest styles. The whole "style" thing seems like a not too subtle way the fashion industry encourages us to buy clothing every year when we already have plenty.
Now, don't get me wrong. There is nothing evil about enjoying shopping and buying fashionable clothes. However, I don't think it is valid to break the budget on clothing. There is a passage in the New Testament that talks about the beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's eyes. The same passage says that our beauty should not come from braided hair or fine clothing. Again, it is nice to look nice. But to obsess isn't good.
Last but not least, we find it easy to dress "unfashionably" because our kids aren't in a peer school situation. I've read that wearing designer clothing is a big deal in the public school system. It was when I was in high school. Our children can wear pajamas all day if they feel like it. No one is going to give them a hard time.
So there you have it. I feel like we do it all wrong in some ways in keeping our clothing prices down since I rarely shop sales. BUT, we do something even better...we rarely go clothes shopping at all :-). That's the very best way to not spend much.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
The Great Paper Crisis of 2012
I realized yesterday that we are almost out of printer paper. What a crisis! We go through a LOT of paper.
We spent some time looking in nooks and crannies, and have found enough to get by today. We hope.
Obviously, a trip to Sam's Club has risen in importance so that we can end this unsettling and unnerving state of affair.s
We spent some time looking in nooks and crannies, and have found enough to get by today. We hope.
Obviously, a trip to Sam's Club has risen in importance so that we can end this unsettling and unnerving state of affair.s
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Miscellaneous Pictures
Yep, I had a birthday.
He is too cute sometimes.
A manly moment.
Funny thing, he is very cute when he is awake, too!
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Fall Festival, Part 2
AMAZING bouncy house!
Naomi on a big pony.
Ice cream Sundaes
Angela on the bull.
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