The Whirlwind

"For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind" Hosea 8:7

From what I hear, this is the last Harry Potter movie to be released, and for that I am truly thankful. Now, I look forward to the end of the Twilight saga, and maybe I can get a little peace of mind. I'm NOT one of these people who sits around and picks everyone around me for a little sin here and another there. Believe me, I have enough in my own life to keep myself busy. I also truly do believe that there is liberty in Christ. There are some issues of conduct that the Bible doesn't speak directly to, or is not clear on, and I do not try to force my conviction on these issues onto others around me. If you turn to Romans 14 in my Bible, you will see where I have jotted down a quote from Augustine: "On essentials, unity. On non-essentials, liberty. In all things, charity."

I understand that different families have set different standards as far as media goes. Some shun it altogether, others allow closely monitored movies and books, others won't allow any movies that portray any kind of fantasy whatsoever, etc. I can respect any of those decisions (and others still) and ask God for the wisdom to do what is right for my family in our home and in our circumstances with our own unique children, and I don't part fellowship with others who see it differently than I do.

However, I am truly shocked and deeply saddened at the majority of my Christian friends on Facebook who see nothing wrong with witchcraft (Ex. 22:18), the occult (Lev. 20:27, a capital crime), vampires (and soul damnation), and the drinking of blood (Lev. 17:14). IF YOU'RE A CHRISTIAN AND DON'T KNOW THESE THINGS ARE ABOMINATIONS, STOP READING THIS BLOG RIGHT THIS SECOND. TURN OFF THE COMPUTER AND START READING YOUR BIBLE. J.K. Rowlings' books are longer than the New Testament. Instead of Harry Potter, you could read about how the blood of our precious Lord and Saviour atones for sins and gives us a home in heaven, and as you're rejoicing in these timeless truths penned under inspiration of God, you won't have a taste for the evil, dark arts of your greatest enemy, Satan.

I am horrified at the Christian moms and even preachers' wives who are taking their daughters and sons to see these movies and even list the movies and books in their own profiles. I can't help but think of the Scripture in Luke 18:8 "when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?" I expect my lost family and friends to be fascinated by the dark arts, but Christians should be repulsed by anything that leads souls to hell.

My heart is especially heavy for the young people who have not been saved. Their hearts are vacant, and demons just love to find a swept and garnished residence in which to take up living. Is it worth gambling with such delicate little souls, all for the thrill of a few cool special effects and a clever story? I think eternity will tell us that there will be many parents who will wish a thousand midnights that they had summoned the courage to say "No".

Children are given only one command directly in the entire Bible, and that's to obey their parents. All the other commandments apply to children, but it's the parents' responsibility to instill them and enforce them in the lives of these immature little humans. I am reminded of the law of sowing and reaping (Gal. 6:7-8),one of the immutable laws of nature. You ALWAYS reap WHAT you sow, only MORE of it. It is impossible to sow occultism and reap salvation. That would be against the law.

A child of God should not have the same hobbies and appetites as sinners. When Christ is preached and men get saved, the occult is no longer popular. Think of what happened in that wicked city of Ephesus when Paul began to preach there:

"Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver. So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed."
Acts 19:19-20

Many Christian homes need to have a good, old-fashioned book (and DVD) burning!

Garden Harvest

I canned 9 pints of salsa from our garden harvest this week.

It's Through the Blood

I've had this song on my heart all day. So thankful for Jesus!

They Make Me So Proud

I know what the Bible says about being puffed up with pride, but seriously....just look at these little geniuses.....YOU'D BE PROUD TOO!

This little angel is 11 years old. I'm hoping the self-respect thing kicks in real soon.

The dentist suggested I help Seth brush a little more along the gumlines at night. Maybe I should consider this.

Bub came running in from swimming at Gran's house and yells, "Mama, look! Gran put jell-o on our hair!" (translation: gel)

And Seth has managed to accomplish what I've failed to do in 3 years....get Summer to obey, without challenge, the first time she's told. I think I'm going to make me a list of commands like his and try that!

Whole Grain GOODness!

This delicious chocolate chip muffin recipe is made with all whole wheat flour. I use my favorite brand, King Arthur WHITE whole wheat flour. If you have never tried different whole wheat flours, I encourage you to look into King Arthur White Whole Wheat. Most whole wheat flours you buy or grind yourself are made from red whole wheat berries. There is no difference in quality or nutrition, the difference lies in the time of the year that the wheat is harvested. I have found the white whole wheat to be much more palatable for my family, and I can still feel good about the health benefits of cooking with whole wheat.

This recipe is a favorite not only because of its healthy ingredients, but also because it's a quick, one-bowl recipe that I can whip up in no time. Our favorite version is this chocolate chip recipe, but I also use this as my "base" recipe for all muffins. Be creative! Try white chocolate chips (always a winner!) or diced apples or blueberries with 1/2 tsp. cinammon added. The possibilities are endless!

CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS

3/4 c. butter, softened
1 1/2 c. sugar
3 1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 large eggs
3/4 c. milk
3 cups King Arthur white whole wheat flour
12 oz. bag milk chocolate chips
coarse sugar for sprinkling, if desired (I use Demerara sugar)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 24 standard sized muffin cups (or line with baking cups, my preferred method).

Beat together the butter, sugar, baking powder, salt, and vanilla until fluffy. Beat in the eggs, then stir in the milk. Mix in the flour, then add the chocolate chips.

Spoon about 1/4 c. batter into each muffin cup. (Remember whole wheat flour doesn't rise quite as much, so the cups will be a little fuller than a muffin mix.) Sprinkle lightly with sugar if desired. Bake for 20 minutes*.

*20 minutes is for light colored tins (the best kind for not burning the bottoms of your muffins!). If using a dark, non-stick type pan, check after 16 minutes.

These muffins are very filling, so be sure and freeze leftovers for a quick, healthy snack later!

When the Bough Breaks

"When the boughs thereof are withered, they shall be broken off: the women come, and set them on fire: for it is a people of no understanding: therefore he that made them will not have mercy on them, and he that formed them will shew them no favour." Isaiah 27:11

My heart is so heavy with the grave injustice that was served to little Caylee Anthony. I've shed many tears through the years on behalf of the innocent little children who've suffered at the hands of perverts and murderers. It's horrible enough when trusting little children are snatched from fit and loving parents, but when the assailants turn out to be the parents, it's a testimony to the complete degeneration of our society. As if that weren't bad enough, our "justice" system is now on the side of evil, and too often allows murderers to go unpunished.

It reminds me of the nation Israel in the Scripture referenced above. I truly believe God raised up our nation, as He did Israel, for the purpose of shining the light of the gospel to the world. And sadly, just as Israel was overcome with pride and became a nation of "people of no understanding", so has the United States. The boughs are withered and broken, and we are in danger of crumbling.

So this afternoon, I called off afternoon lessons and let my children see me shed some tears of righteous anger and sorrow for the little girl whose own mother threw her out like a bag of garbage. I've not been able to get this Scripture off my mind:

"

Arise, cry out in the night: in the beginning of the watches pour out thine heart like water before the face of the Lord: lift up thy hands toward him for the life of thy young children..." Lamentations 2:19

And as for Casey Anthony, the 12 jurors who shirked their duties, the lawyers who gained fame and wealth defending her, and the parents and family who lied on her behalf....your prospects are not good. In fact, the Bible says it would be better for you to have a millstone tied around your neck and drowned in the depths of the sea (Matthew 18:6). At least we can take comfort in knowing that after her short, miserable life here on earth, Caylee is in the presence of the Savior now.

My Rosebud Turned 3!

She's growing up so fast...

She's driving now!

And I learned that I can still jog 5 MPH when I have to. Yay me!

And then we topped the day off with Little Bear. She loved it!

Marxism vs. Christianity

I would like to share some of the notes from the Christian Worldview Class I'm teaching right now. Francis Schaeffer called Marxism a Christian heresy because it takes Biblical ideals like equality, peace, sharing, and giving to the poor, and twists these ideals to form a tyrannical government that is actually the complete opposite of Biblical Christianity. It's never been more relevant to freedom-loving Americans!

You can call me "southern", and you can call me "baptist",

but don't you dare call me "Southern Baptist".

Thanks to the efforts of Richard Land (whose office receives millions of dollars from their annual budget), the Southern Baptists now officially hold the same position on illegal (as in "NOT" legal, lawbreakers) aliens as does the Communist Party USA and our Marxist President. This is shameful!

From the APB:


Southern Baptists support path to legal status in immigration reform
By Bob Allen
Wednesday, June 15, 2011

PHOENIX (ABP) – The Southern Baptist Convention adopted a debated resolution June 15 calling for “a just and compassionate path to legal status” for undocumented immigrants.

President Obama supports immigration reform that includes a pathway to citizenship for an estimated 11 million people who are living in the country illegally. Opponents say amnesty encourages others to enter the United States illegally and compete for American jobs.

“This will be known as Southern Baptist amnesty,” said Wiley Drake, pastor of First Southern Baptist Church in Buena Park, Calif.

“That is exactly what this is,” said Drake, a former convention vice president. “This is amnesty any way you phrase it.”

Messengers voted 766-723 against a motion by Richard Huff, pastor of Corona de Tucson Baptist Church in Tucson, Ariz., to delete a paragraph that asks the government “to implement, with borders secured, a just and compassionate path to legal status, with appropriate restitutionary measures, for those undocumented immigrants already living in our country.”

Huff said he agreed with other parts of the resolution that opposed “nativism” and any bigotry or harassment against undocumented workers, but giving them amnesty rewards them for breaking the law and puts them in line ahead of those seeking citizenship through legal means.

“They came here illegally and now we say: ‘We are going to reward you. You are already here?’” Huff asked. “The right of citizenship is too precious to reward those who are here illegally.”



Read the full article here.

Say Cheez!

Last week, I took the kids to Berry College for pictures. The photographer was LeAnne Acrey, and I think she did a great job. Here's a link to her FB: L.A. Front Porch Photos. I really like how she gave me the edited photos as well as the unedited. Everyone has their individual styles and tastes, not to mention it's nice to be able to rotate and crop for your specific needs like blogging, scrapbooking, printing, etc. I thought the pictures turned out great!

I Miss President Reagan

The following transcript is one of Ronald Reagan's famous radio addresses. In this address (which aired September 6, 1977), Ronald Reagan, the great orator, eloquently gives his thoughts on the "Good News Bible" (also called the Good News for Modern Man and Today's English Version) in comparison to the Authorized Version or the King James Bible.

"What would you say if someone decided Shakespeare's plays, Charles Dicken's novels, or the music of Beethoven could be rewritten & improved?

Writing in the journal "The Alternative", Richard Hanser, author of The Law & the Prophets and Jesus: What Manner of Man Is This?, has called attention to something that is more than a little mind boggling. It is my understanding that the Bible (both the Old & New Testaments) has been the best selling book in the entire history of printing. Now another attempt has been made to improve it. I say another because there have been several fairly recent efforts to quote "make the Bible more readable & understandable" unquote. But as Mr. Hanser so eloquently says, "For more than 3 1/2centuries, its language and its images, have penetrated more deeply into the general culture of the English speaking world, and been more dearly treasured, than anything else ever put on paper." He then quotes the irreverent H. L. Mencken, who spoke of it as purely a literary work and said it was, "probably the most beautiful piece of writing in any language." They were, of course, speaking of The Authorized Version, the one that came into being when the England of King James was scoured for translators & scholars. It was a time when the English language had reached it's peak of richness & beauty.

Now we are to have The Good News Bible which will be in, "the natural English of everyday adult conversation." I'm sure the scholars and clergymen supervised by the American Bible Society were sincerely imbued with the thought that they were taking religion to the people with their Good News Bible, but I can't help feeling we should instead be taking the people to religion and lifting them with the beauty of language that has outlived the centuries. Mr. Hanser has quoted from both the St. James Version & the Good News Bible some well known passages for us to compare.

A few thousand years ago Job said "How forcible are right words!" [Job 6:25] The new translators have him saying "Honest words are convincing." That's only for openers. There is the passage [Eccl. 1:18], "For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow". Is it really an improvement to say instead, "The wiser you are, the more worries you have; the more you know the more it hurts." In the New Testament, in Mathew, we read "The voice of the one crying in the wilderness. Prepare ye the way." [Matthew 3:3] The Good News version translates that, "Someone is shouting in the desert. Get the road ready." It sounds like a straw boss announcing lunch hour is over.

The hauntingly beautiful 23rd Psalm is the same in both versions, for a few words, "The Lord is my shepherd" but instead of continuing "I shall not want" we are supposed to say "I have everything I need." The Christmas story has undergone some modernizing but one can hardly call it improved. The wondrous words "Fear not: for; behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy" has become, "Don't be afraid! I am here with good news for you." The sponsors of the Good News version boast that their Bible is as readable as the daily paper -- and so it is. But do readers of the daily news find themselves moved to wonder, "at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth"? Mr. Hanser suggests that sadly the "tinkering & general horsing around with the sacred texts will no doubt continue" as pious drudges try to get it right. "It will not dawn on them that it has already been gotten right."

This is Ronald Reagan. Thanks for listening."

Source: AV1611.ORG

A Father's Prayer

The following prayer was written by General Douglas MacArthur -


Build me a son, O Lord, who will be strong enough to know when he is weak, and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid; one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat, and humble and gentle in victory.

Build me a son whose wishbone will not be where his backbone should be; a son who will know Thee….Lead him, I pray, not in the path of ease and comfort, but under the stress and spur of difficulties and challenge. Here let him learn to stand up in the storm; here let him learn compassion for those who fail.

Build me a son whose heart will be clean, whose goal will be high; a son who will master himself before he seeks to master other men; one who will learn to laugh, yet never forget how to weep; one who will reach into the future, yet never forget the past.

And after all these things are his, add, I pray, enough of a sense of humor, so that he may always be serious, yet never take himself too seriously. Give him humility, so that he may always remember the simplicity of greatness, the open mind of true wisdom, the meekness of true strength.

Then I, his father, will dare to whisper, “I have not lived in vain.”

Soapbox

Bear with me. I must get this off my chest. Apparently, I am one of only a handful of sane people left in my little Georgia hometown. If one more nice little old Christian lady tells me how excited she is that the heathens have moved in and asks me am I going to watch, I think I might just explode.

You see, Billy Bob Thornton has moved his film crew in to film "Jayne Mansfield's Car". The film also stars Dwight Yoakam, Robert Duvall, Dennis Quaid, and Kevin Bacon. Now, I admit that I am not familiar with his work, and I do not know the content of the script as far as language and lewd scenes go; however, here is a list of Billy Bob Thornton movies and their MPAA ratings:

Billy Bob Thornton Filmography One thing you'll notice about his movie list is that they're almost all Rated R.

There is a good reason that I am not familiar with his work. I am a Christian. I do not watch movies that are full of adultery and fornication and pornography and drinking and immorality and heathen reprobates who take the name of my Savior and use It for a curse word. Since we do not go to movie theaters and we do not have cable television, and we do not let our children spend the night at friends' homes or go to public school where these are available, I thank the Lord that our children don't even know curse words and have never even seen a lewd scene and wouldn't know what it was if they did. We are not forest dwellers who hitch up the wagon once a year and head to the city for supplies; we are just redeemed souls, saved by God's grace, trying to live for Him, and very selective about what we allow into our home. We do have a television, iPods, a Wii, and we even have Netflix. I love Netflix because it always leaves a complete trail (no deleting) of everything watched. That keeps the whole family accountable because it flashes up "recently watched" every time you turn it on. I have made my children a "que" of family friendly selections, and they are not starving for screen time. Even so, by diligently staying on top of all their influences, I've been able to shield them from harmful influences. It isn't easy monitoring the movies, the internet filters, and even the iPod internet filters and restrictions......but, Mamas and Daddys, who said that nurturing a tender soul to adulthood would be easy? It's worth every minute!

The plot of this movie is something about a woman who leaves her family and moves to England. 20 years later she dies and her "new" family brings her body back to bury her in her small town. In the process, the new family and the old family meet up. "The movie is about relationships," they say. I don't really know what that means, but I imagine there will be very little of redeeming value since the script was written by Thornton himself, who is covered in tatoos (a heathen practice, by the way), has been married 5 times and currently lives in adultery with his girlfriend and 2 year old child.

I'm not ignorant. I realize that Hollywood is big business and that most people, even those who name the name of Christ, go to the movie theaters just about every weekend. I expected the heathens to be jumping up and down happy, but I really wasn't prepared for all my Christian friends to be this happy. People are taking off work and going to watch the filming. Will they even cringe when God's name is cursed? People are renting out their cars, businesses, and equipment all to help the effort. Everyone is fighting for a chance to be an extra in the film!

Having said all that, now I am forced to close down my crisis pregnancy center for 2 days because the streets will be completely blocked off! This will be during a week when we normally have a high volume of people coming in due to a yearly fundraising project we do. And then, as if I wasn't disgusted enough, some of the film crew came into the center today to get permission to have Life Matters Outreach in the background of some of the shots! To the complete surprise and amazement of many, I said "no thank you" and gave my office manager (my mother) permission to sign for me declining the invite and allowing them to cover up our signs or else take them down for filming.

I could live with all this inconvenience if all the Christians around me weren't posting pictures of themselves and Billy Bob on Facebook and just so bubbly that he is making yet another film to corrupt the hearts and minds of morally bankrupt America. Does Christian America not have an ounce of discernment or principle left?

"Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore shall they fall among them that fall: in the time of their visitation they shall be cast down, saith the Lord." Jeremiah 8:12

Proof

This is funny; however, I would contend that there's little hope in the common sense area for anyone who would vote for any color Marxist for any principled reason.

The Curly Headed Cowgirl Conks Out

- Posted using my iPhone

Gone Fishing! and Other Fun Stuff

We found this awesome cecropia moth caterpillar on our apple tree. We actually have found 2 of them. I don't like apple tree pests, but I'm willing to share a few leaves with a beautiful creature like this. The caterpillars are huge, about 4 1/2 inches long and about an inch thick. They could grow up to 6 inches before they cocoon. What's really cool, is that they only produce one generation each year. That means that when and if we can get it to cocoon, it won't emerge until next June! According to our research, they will cocoon and spin a soft brown silky cocoon. Then a few weeks later it will transform into a dark brown, hard shelled cocoon. In the fall, we should store the cocoon in a ziploc bag in the refrigerator and take it out in the spring. Isn't that just amazing?

Wife's Diary, Husband's Diary

This has been circulating on the internet, so I can't be sure of who wrote it, but I thought this was pretty funny.

Wife’s Diary:

Tonight, I thought my husband was acting weird. We had made plans to

meet at a nice restaurant for dinner. I was shopping with my friends

all day long, so I thought he was upset at the fact that I was a bit

late, but he made no comment on it. Conversation wasn't flowing, so I

suggested that we go somewhere quiet so we could talk. He agreed, but

he didn't say much.


I asked him what was wrong; He said, 'Nothing.' I asked him if it was

my fault that he was upset. He said he wasn't upset, that it had

nothing to do with me, and not to worry about it. On the way home, I

told him that I loved him. He smiled slightly, and kept driving.

I can't explain his behavior I don't know why he didn't say, 'I love

you, too.' When we got home, I felt as if I had lost him completely,

as if he wanted nothing to do with me anymore. He just sat there

quietly, and watched TV. He continued to seem distant and absent.

Finally, with silence all around us, I decided to go to bed. About 15

minutes later, he came to bed. But I still felt that he was

distracted, and his thoughts were somewhere else. He fell asleep - I

cried. I don't know what to do. I'm almost sure that his thoughts are

with someone else. My life is a disaster.

Husband's Diary:


Boat wouldn't start, can't figure it out.

D-Day

My little Bubbie loves the military. As I type right now, he is dressed in full camoflauge, braving the heat, lurking out behind our house with a backpack, canteen, helmet, and gun...keeping watch in case any Nazis might show up. When I look at him, I see everything that has been wonderful and true and right about the United States military. Some of the most noble, brave, and unselfish men have called themselves American soldiers, and they have my highest respect. That's why it just makes my blood boil to think of the moral predicament Commandant Obama has put our soldiers in, by forcing them to share rank and quarters with a bunch of sissified, morally degenerate perverts. I don't have the heart to break this news to my Bub, not that he has a clue was a homosexual is since we homeschool and don't have cable television.

Today, however, I'm thinking of the men who braved Omaha Beach on D-Day, June 6, 1944. I was only 9 years old when President Reagan traveled to France to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the successful liberation of France, yet I remember watching the speech and being filled with thankful pride for my country, my president, and our military. Since I know the imposter will not do anything meaningful to remember the men who gave their lives fighting against dictators and communists like himself, I want to post this wonderful speech by American born President Ronald Wilson Reagan.

A heartfelt, personal thank you to the American soldier, and especially to those WWII veterans on this special D-Day.

Piano Recital

I probably won't be posting very much in the next few weeks. I've got a class coming up that I'm teaching (www.whiterosegeneration.com), and I'm determined not to get behind in our homeschool while I prepare for this. Hopefully the devil doesn't read my blog and he won't throw any kinks in my plan, but even so I'm sure that won't leave much computer time for me!

The Stringers have been very busy lately with school and church, and Caleb and Madelyn also had a piano recital yesterday. I'm so proud of their hard work and dedication. Way to go, guys!

Happy Birthday to my Awesome Husband!

I'm so thankful that I let the Lord write my love story. He sent me the most wonderful man to be the leader of my home and the father of my children. It's been a true joy to walk along beside him as we have built such a wonderful life together with the help of our Lord. How blessed it is to have a husband who is also my brother in Christ. Happy Birthday, Jason!