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This Week's The Welcome Home message "The First Seat on the Right Side of the Aisle" reflections of a mother of a groom
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October is breastCancer awareness month
When you want to say,
Welcome Home, how do you do it?
A few things...
This is my blography - simply my personal thoughts; this blog is just a small part or purpose of this website. The chief aim of this site is to bring glory to God and good food of His Word to families. May each visit fill you with fresh bread and lingering words to savor.
Someday maybe my children will read "mama's blog" and catch a glimpse of some of what was "important" each day, "snap-shots" of the day, what was going on in the world and what really stirred up some of my thoughts. Whatever is "documented" here will pale in comparison to the importance of their lives to me: really, my husband, my children —they are my story — they are my legacy.
So... I'm a believer, a follower of Jesus Christ, my LORD and because of Him, I'm a help-meet for my husband, the mother of eleven children and a daughter-in-law and happy gramma to three. I share slices of life because of what God is doing and has done --- and with the hope of being an encouragement to others to press on toward the mark (Philippians 3.14)
Some days I find it difficult to escape to the quiet area to write. But, it is on those days I am most likely perfecting domestic skills or the craft of being a keeper at home.
But that's one of my life goals after all... that of being a quintessential keeper at home and all it connotes.
Would that it be said of me in my home and of you in yours:
Proverbs 31.28-30 "Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her. Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all. Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised."
I've not "arrived," but in the course of following and serving the LORD Jesus, and being a help meet for my husband, that's where I'm headed.
dear-to-me Blogs I try to read at least every couple of days: in no particular order no particular agenda; some thoughts might surprise the reader, some might astonish; but all inform.
I'd probably link to Phil Johnson's stuff but... which would I choose to post here?
(as always... my disclaimer:
As with any link on our site: we don't necessarily endorse everything that's said and, of course we don't endorse every link that may be posted on a site. As Sarg (hillstreetblues) used to say: Be careful out there!
Political:
I've been reading: ♥ The Bible ♥ too many BLOGS!!!!
♥ The Mommy Manual by Barbara Curtis
♥ Diary of Private Prayer -John Baillie (read regularly)
These are a few of the places we regularly visit on the Net!
A few websites... (I have more to add when time allows)
Verse For Loving Hearts Glenys Robyn Hicks writes quality Christian verse for all occasions. 'Verse For Loving Hearts' is a home-based business in Melbourne Australia, offering a compassionate and confidential service for expressions of heartfelt emotion... personalized house plaques, words for greeting cards, in fact, anything at all that you need to express.. examples of glenys work
♥ cmomb.com Christian Moms of Many Blessings
♥ parentingwithpurpose
Titus 2.3-5 The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.
oikourov oikouros, oy-koo-ros'
from 3624 and ouros (a guard; be "ware"); a stayer at home, i.e. domestically inclined (a "good housekeeper"):--a keeper at home.
Hence this blog: Views and slices of life; and thoughts, between sips of coffee, of a quintessential keeper at home
CURRENT MOON moon info
I'll be Seeing You
I'll be seeing you in all the old familiar places That this heart of mine embraces all day through In that small café, the park across the way The children's carousel, the chestnut trees, the wishing well
I'll be seeing you in every lovely summer's day In everything that's light and gay I'll always think of you that way
I'll find you in the mornin' sun And when the night is new I'll be looking at the moon But I'll be seeing you |
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October 28,
2005 |
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Is the boat going to capsize?
It seems, in life, that when everything looks bleak and seemingly *everyone* is thinking the same thing or that everyone is repeating a mantra, that there’s something suspect about it all. That’s sort of how I see it today anyway. It’s sort of like everyone has run to one side of the boat… trampling one another to get to the rail, shouting and pointing at some object in the deep. Only, that object or objects can’t really be seen, and conformity is drummed up in the crowd and so the crowd begins to chant along with the blind guides. Trouble is, the blind guides can’t figure out what to do next---but the crowd is in near chaos and wrought with emotion. Pandemonium fuels the throng of people leaning over the edge and the boat takes on water… that’s how these days seem to be, to me, in America.
But God.
But God
who is
rich in
mercy.
May He
have
mercy on
us.
May He
remove
the
scales
from the
eyes and
make the
blind to
see.
“And you
hath he
quickened,
who were
dead in
trespasses
and
sins;
Wherein
in time
past ye
walked
according
to the
course
of this
world,
according
to the
prince
of the
power of
the air,
the
spirit
that now
worketh
in the
children
of
disobedience:
Among
whom
also we
all had
our
conversation
in times
past in
the
lusts of
our
flesh,
fulfilling
the
desires
of the
flesh
and of
the
mind;
and were
by
nature
the
children
of
wrath,
even as
others.
But
God, who
is rich
in
mercy,
for his
great
love
wherewith
he loved
us,
Even
when we
were
dead in
sins,
hath
quickened
us
together
with
Christ,
(by
grace ye
are
saved;)
And hath
raised
us up
together,
and made
us sit
together
in
heavenly
places
in
Christ
Jesus:
That in
the ages
to come
he might
shew the
exceeding
riches
of his
grace in
his
kindness
toward
us
through
Christ
Jesus.”
---Ephesians
2.1-7
October 27,
2005 |
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Thoughts on the day...
When Wes woke me up this morning, I’d been dreaming an intricate, bizarre dream in which my husband and I were attending a large church where instead of being a place of worship and praise to the LORD, it was a sort of theater/banquet/recreation hall where distinct features of all religions were being practiced --- like a conglomeration of language, slang, cultural ritual, fetish or idol worship, etc. I wondered why this was being embraced and celebrated so enthusiastically. O, the dream went on and on and as my husband and I watched---moved our chairs to another location, his video camera was confiscated----there would be no reporting of this. So… I guess I was glad to be awakened from that dream. So glad for my husband’s tenderness that helped transition into the day.
Proverbs 27.9 “Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: so doth
the
sweetness
of a
man's
friend
by
hearty
counsel.”
So…
dreading the
thoughts
with which
my day began
we studied
the Word
together,
and as a
family, had
our Bible
study. For
the month of
October
we’ve made a
change in
our usual
“read
straight
through” the
Bible and
have been
reading
Psalms and
Proverbs
beginning
with the
Psalm
corresponding
with the
calendar
date and
every
thirtieth
psalm after
that and the
chapter of
Proverbs
that
corresponds
with the
date (Psalms
27, 57, 87,
117, 147;
Proverbs
27). We
used do this
all the time
but now only
do this
every once
in a while
during the
year with
our family.
Proverbs 27.17 “Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the
countenance
of his
friend.”
As I
consider the
strangeness
hovering
over the day
even before
it started …
curiously,
it’s
remained
strange.
After Wes
and the boys
left for
work, and as
we got
things
underway
here in our
home, I sat
down to
reflect on a
few things…
to scan the
mail and
news, then
to consider
an email my
husband
received
from a
friend of
ours
regarding
the economic
state of our
country,
etc., etc.
This, after
yesterday
where I’d
spent some
time reading
a bit of the
Humanist
Manifesto
and the NEA
(National
Education
Association)
and the
“foundation”
of the
public
school
system in
America. I
was
researching
this as I
was seeking
to compare
the
foundation
of family as
instituted
by God and
then
considering
home-schooling
as opposed
to the
government
system set
in place and
the agenda
that can do
nothing but
undermine
and destroy
the family.
Proverbs 27.13 “Take his garment that is surety for a stranger,
and take
a pledge
of him
for a
strange
woman.”
Then as
I’ve been
writing the
“Someday An
Heirloom
Marriage”
Bible study
for women,
I’ve been
considering
the things
that erode
marriage,
sabotage the
relationship
between
husbands and
wives. I’ve
been
considering
the
immoral-amoral
society in
which we
live and the
near
destruction
of
propriety,
modesty and
innocence---the
lack of
respect,
manners,
decency. I
consider
that our
society
doesn’t
blush at
immodest or
profane
things---that
honesty and
wholesomeness
are waning
qualities in
much our
society----including
the
“church!”
Modesty… a
blog for
another day.
Proverbs 27.20 “Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes
of man are
never
satisfied.”
What
amazing
thoughts
have
collided---related,
unrelated,
interrelated.
I was
thinking
yesterday…
poor, poor
America.
The once
great
country.
Poor, poor,
pitiful
America… the
once strong
nation… now
like an self
destructive,
adulterous,
drug addict:
anemic and
hemorrhaging
to death.
America,
addicted to
everything
it
loves---but
seeming
unaware that
everything
it loves is
empty---like
a Hollywood
set: a
façade with
actors
playing
roles and
portraying
lives of
other
plastic
people. And
the “church”
seeming to
happily
subsist on
twinkies and
kool-aid of
whatever
purposes
that meet
its
felt-needs
today---instead
being
nourished
and living
out the
Way,.. on
the milk and
meat of the
Word. I’ve
been
thinking
this a long
time… it was
especially
powerful to
me
yesterday---and
it had
*nothing* to
do with the
wonderful
events of
yesterday
--- the
wonderful
joy of
having our
son home.
So, as I
finished my
mail, a
cursory
glance at
the News… I
was
thinking…
yes, you
just had to
know that
the Miers
nomination
was a fiasco
from the
beginning
and that
from the
beginning,
it was going
to fail; and
you just had
to know that
because our
society is
based on an
entitlement
mentality,
many would
be griping
that *only*
ice was
provided the
first day
after yet
another
catastrophic
hurricane.
Yes, you had
to know that
Exxon-Mobil
and Shell
were going
to post
record
profits---while
you and I
spent record
high prices
at the
pump. You
just had to
know that in
today’s news
there would
be story
after story
of doom and
gloom.
Scarier,
though, is
that though
perhaps some
of the
actual
stories
being
reported are
lies… it’s
what’s not
being
reported
that’s
alarming.
Proverbs 27.12 “A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth
himself; but
the simple
pass on, and
are
punished.”
And then I
read Peggy
Noonan’s
piece in the
Journal. In
“A Separate
Peace,”
she writes
“that the
wheels are
off the
trolley and
the
trolley's
off the
tracks…”
And the, I
consider
that I need
to get
going... or
the
wheels on
this
family's
trolley will
come off...
unless the
trolley's
already off
the tracks…
Your Comments
email: pamela AT achristianhome.org Or... just sign Our Guestbook
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October 26,
2005 |
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Today's the day of days!!
In our family, there’s nothing like are reunion! Be it a reunion at the end of the work-day, a reunion after any length of time apart is reason to celebrate. But I think probably tops on the list are reunions that happen at SeaTac. Not so much because of the often emotional setting of the airport, but because arriving at SeaTac generally means a reunion that follows a long-distance separation---not just a length of time apart. It means that the separation signifies some event or some adventure to be recounted to the family. It means some element of risk or was experienced---or grief or loss or the joy and excitement of some grand adventure… like Wes’s trip to Liberia several weeks ago, and the boys’ “Most Excellent Adventure” last month---or of Kathryn’s a couple of weeks later---and mother’s visit from Indiana in a couple of weeks from now. All of these and many, many more---endearing events in the seasons of life.
The trip to SeaTac is shorter each time I drive it because each time I make the trip---I recognize as a genuine gift from the LORD---I don’t take days for granted like I used to. I don’t esteem time lightly like I used to do. When I discovered that life wasn’t all about me---but it is all about everyone---then those trips became very meaningful. So, today... it's not all about the trip for *me* to see my boy--- whom I adore and have ached for and have missed daily-hourly since he left (ooops, I almost slipped back into the all-about-me syndrome of motherhood). No, now I have the awesome privilege to be the driver of the van that carries a whole bunch of thrilled brothers and sisters who will have the distinct privilege of going into the airport to greet their brother after he disembarks the plane and makes his way down the corridor to find them jumping and straining to see a glimpse of him in the crowd of other people’s loved ones. I will have that precious time of anticipation as I circle the airport---waiting to see them all standing on the walkway…
I can’t wait.
Tell ya all about it later. ;-)
October 25, 2005 |
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The Blessings of the LORD...
In frequent consideration of the blessings of the LORD, I’m humbled by His care and provision. In great things and in small things… I often feel as if the LORD has blessed as Ruth was blessed. But more so than this because He has been Careful when I’ve been careless, Mindful when I’ve been indifferent, Providing though I’ve wasted, Protective though I’ve wandered.
Ruth 2.8-10 says: “Then said Boaz unto Ruth, Hearest thou not, my daughter? Go not to glean in another field, neither go from hence, but abide here fast by my maidens: Let thine eyes be on the field that they do reap, and go thou after them: have I not charged the young men that they shall not touch thee? and when thou art athirst, go unto the vessels, and drink of that which the young men have drawn. Then she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and said unto him, Why have I found grace in thine eyes, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger?
Then I consider, why are You mindful of me, LORD? Why do You lavish on me all that You have---seeing You *know* who I am. On days like today, when there is devastation all around being reported in the news, grief and loss, hardness of heart and sorrow all around---I’m mindful of His great love for His children which He loves with everlasting love---no matter how things *seem* today. “The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms…” ---Deuteronomy 33.27
Many times it’s as if the LORD has set a bound for me as Boaz set for Ruth, “And let fall also some of the handfuls of purpose for her, and leave them, that she may glean them, and rebuke her not.” Ruth 2.16, because it so often seems as though handfuls of blessings have been literally sprinkled over my life---I find it impossible to fathom the love and mercy of the LORD---I never want to neglect or be forgetful of His dealings---I never want to take them lightly or for granted---nor do I want to presume that I had anything to do with some of the ways in which He has so blessed. Considering the children He’s lent me to care for---how astounding it is to comprehend these matchless gifts---each one precious, unique and so full of “potentiality!” It’s humbling---it’s staggering---really. I often mull over passages of my book: A Diary of Private Prayer by John Baillie ---I think of all the books we have, aside from the Bible, it’s surely one of my most favourite treasures. Well, so, the first day's prayer entry is this:
Eternal Father of my soul, let my first thought today be of Thee, |
let my first impulse be to worship Thee,
let my first speech be Thy name,
let my first action be to kneel before Thee in prayer. |
For Thy perfect wisdom and perfect goodness:
For the love wherewith Thou lovest mankind:
For the love wherewith Thou lovest me:
For the great and mysterious opportunity of my life:
For the indwelling of Thy Spirit in my heart:
For the sevenfold gifts of Thy Spirit: |
I praise and worship Thee, O Lord |
Yet let me not, when this morning prayer is said, think my worship ended and spend
the day in forgetfulness of Thee. Rather from these moments of quietness let light go forth,
and joy, and power, that will remain with me through all the hours of the day; |
Keeping me chaste in thought:
Keeping me temperate and truthful in speech:
Keeping me faithful and diligent in my work:
Keeping me honourable and generous in my dealings with others:
Keeping me loyal to every hallowed memory of the past:
Keeping me mindful of my eternal destiny as a child of Thine. |
O God, who has been the Refuge of my fathers through many generations, be my Refuge
today in every time and circumstance of need. Be my guide though all that is dark and doubtful.
Be my guard against all that threatens my spirit's welfare. Be my strength in time of testing.
Gladden my heart with Thy peace; through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen. |
A Diary of Private Prayer---John Baillie
October 24, 2005 |
The Bookstore... Tell us about the bookstore. (That is a line from “You’ve Got Mail”) Well… to answer some of the questions we’ve been receiving: we are still working out lots of little quirks that we’re fine-tuning as we get “The Welcome Home bookstore” in order. What we’re trying to provide is a simple location for people to obtain the books they’re looking for --- a place we can recommend many titles at reasonable prices. We were attempting to do a small scale version of this ourselves, but found it to be entirely too cost prohibitive as far as added expenses and :time goes --- and, in addition, as far as developing an inventory: that would’ve been exorbitant. As we’ve been preparing to offer items to create a “welcoming” environment in homes, we also have found the cost of commercial accounts and merchant accounts to be expensive---a monthly expense we couldn’t reconcile. So, when the opportunity came along for us to create our “own” Bookstore within an online book distributor, we decided to explore it further. We’re pleased with what we’ve discovered thus far.
Now we’re facing the happy dilemma of acquiring some resources that aren’t available from mainstream Christian book distributors so that we can offer them through our store. In all of these endeavors, we are cognizant of the fact that there are lower prices elsewhere and there are different resources elsewhere, but even knowing this, we’ve decided to simply make them available, give our recommendations and highlight the books we feel are most helpful to Christian homes. The difficult part of all this, for us, has been that we are book-lovers and so we are having to exercise tremendous self restraint when browsing the books to add to our “top picks” list on the front page.
We know that because of other online book-sellers and the steep discounts they can offer, we’ll not be able to compete with the absolute lowest prices---especially with used books garnering such a large share of the market---but no matter, it’s fine with us. Over the many years of having “A Christian Home” website and making articles and links available to Christian families, money has never been an object or a question. The LORD has provided each month what’s been needed and we’ve never sought to profit or to solicit advertising to cover expenses---they’ve just been covered adequately---so, that’s what we’re trusting with the online bookstore---and that’s simply what it’s for: another great resource to add to the innumerable resources we offer for free on this site. We pray families will be changed by the LORD working through the books and articles they read and through the music they listen to----we just want to make an attempt to provide a path for that to happen.
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October 22, 2005 |
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I need more hours in my day...
All the while I've been blogging, I find it most interesting to read about other people---much more interesting than the "News," unless it's people writing about what *they* think about the news---and I frequently link to what others are saying/doing, bcz their lives are far more interesting than my own and what they've got to say, far more instructional that what I can piece together.
So then, I must tell you, I write about her, share her comments from time to time, highly recommend her books and Blog-entries, but I have never met Barbara Curtis. When she shares things about her husband, I sometimes think he must be related to mine---thus, we'd be related, too. When she shared about her husband's garage... I thought about mine. Well, you've gotta read her entry here about her husband and the treasures he finds. I love what she shared about him---about her mother-in-law and her observations of "then and now." My husband has treasures, too. His treasures, his dad's treasures, his grandpa's treasures... He has, I think, every receipt, contract, important paper or file he ever had. I think that his dresser contains more treasures of other people in this family than his own clothing. His garage/shop is a young man's dream of a treasure hunt. You may not find just what you're looking for at the time (though, Wes can) you will find things you never thought of needing or never knew existed. It's certainly no Ikea out there and a wide-eyed professional organizer would turn down the job and run the other way in fear and trembling, but his shop's a pretty interesting place to hang out. I'll bet Tripp's garage is a pretty cool place to hang out, too.
Your Comments
email: pamela AT achristianhome.org
My great big thanks to those of you who have written to let me know of all the broken links!! *YES* there are *M*A*N*Y*
October 21, 2005 |
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I need more hours in my day...
What a common phrase---I even have the book, More Hours in my Day, by Emilie Barnes. I can't remember when I last read from that book---it's obviously been awhile. I sort of have this terrible habit of picking up a book, really getting into about four chapters and then putting it down to do teh same with another great book and then years laterr coming back to the first to read (or reread) more or the rest of the book. I know authors don't write for people to simply get the gist of the book---they write for people to read the whole thing---to digest the whole thing--I know when I write something, it is intended that the whole piece be read. But we don't have time---we don't have enough hours in our day to do all we intend to do, do we? I know I don't. But on the other hand, I do realize that I have all the hours this day that God intends for me to have---I just need to set about ordering the time I do have instead of wasting time I don't have to waste.
So, I was scurrying about the kitchen doing a quick tidy up---I have this little game I play many times each day: I heat my coffee (yes, sometimes for the umpteenth time) for a minute and a half. In that amount of time I race to see just how much cleaning I can get done in the kitchen. Or sometime I might heat the water in the tea-kettle and use that time to spotlitize our house. Spot-li-tiz-ing is a word we use aroun our home and it simply means to make the place look spotless---it's a word I use when I don't want to spend the time explaining what needs to be done to those who *already* know what I mean when I want get it all spotless. Spotlitize. It is amazing just how much can be done before the tea-kettle whistles. I can unload the dishwasher or fold a load of clothes---unless, it's a "white-load" or I can totally sweep the floor or do a quick once-over tidy. It's not spotlitized---but it's tidy. When others are working alongside---we can divvy up the rooms and each take five minutes to make a difference!! in that room. It's really amazing to do this a couple of times a day---things stay pretty neat---but invariably, this plan will break down at the most inopportune times.
When someone is baking cookies or especially brownies, someone always wants to be the one to spatulate the bowl. They don't just want the beater, they want the beater, spatula *and* the bowl. This little word came about during a time when one of the children, while licking spatula & bowl, was commenting that the others had taken quite a few samples from the cookie batter earlier and one said to that one: "O, yes ___________, you say that as you're spatulating the bowl!" So: Spatulate.
Well, so the reason we are looking for more hours in our day is bcz we've been burning the midnight oil trying to get things set up for our online bookstore. We've still got a long way to go before we can present some of the things we'd like offer---but we are learning. Plus there are several logistical things to be worked out---we just need some more time to put them in place. We've been wanting to set up a book/gift shoppe here for some time, but don't have the "system" set up to do so. So, when the opportunity came along to have an on-line bookstore *and* a place for us to sell other items along with our own in the future, we decided to pursue it. There are several books that we recommend that aren't listed in the bookstore yet--- and so those are the sorts of things we need to continue to explore. So far, we're happy with what we're learning and what we'll be able to make available in a pretty simple format and process. We'll still also promote books that have been helpful to us which are sold by individuals---one, in particular is The Hope Chest - A Legacy of Love by Rebekah Wilson. And there are products we'll continue to highlight and recommend here on our site---so, nothing's changed in that respect. In the six years we've had this website, that's always been one of the foundational objectives: to be a, not ---the--- but ---a--- web-resource companion ---after the manner of Titus 2. Not just Titus 2.3-5, but Titus 2 in general. We're thinking that a bookstore simply broadens our ability to encourage families.
We're beginning the countdown of the days till Timothy returns home. Three months has felt like a very long time for him to have been gone---O, we love our boy and, O how we've missed him! As we've been watching the weather at Catalina, it's pretty obvious that the waters have been pretty rough and that has necessitated a trip back to Long Beach on the Express and leaving the boat moored at the island instead of taking the boat back to Long Beach. I asked Timothy if it was unnerving to leave the boat behind---and he said, Yes, a little! Well---today they've gone back to the Island---hopefully they've returned to find everything "ship-shape" ;-)
Your Comments
email: pamela AT achristianhome.org
October 19, 2005 |
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Old love, old friends
I have the sweetest smelling candle on my desk---on this misty, dreary afternoon, candlelight is somehow inspirational to me as I sit here occasionally looking out the window to see the light swishing of the weeping willow branches that hang from the nearly one-hundred year old tree. I treasure a bunch of old things. I treasure the Word---I treasure God's faithfulness and His promises. Of all the things I treasure most, in addition to these and in addition to my family, I suppose it's old love and old friends. One of the greatest treasures long marriage has given me is: old love; years have given me: old friends. Old love and old friends can't be bought, can't be hurried along, cannot be contrived and cannot occur by accident or happenstance. Old love is the marvelous product of years of shared experiences, shared trials---shared joys and a common pursuit of wellbeing and happiness within a bond of contentment and commitment. I suppose much of the same can be said of old friendship thought oftentimes the daily , weekly or even yearly communication is sporadic. There are some old friends that I rarely see or rarely spend time with and yet each next conversation occurs with seeming unfettered ease and without awkward hesitations in communication or nervous pauses that some separations produce.
I love that a phone call from an old friend can seem like a mere continuation of a previous conversation even if months or years have transpired between conversations. I love that old friends need no reintroduction and no stumbling for excuses or defenses---and I love that old friends overlook failings or character flaws or physical imperfections. I love that about old love, too. My husband, my old love, overlooks my failings---my many imperfections and yet helps me correct or improve without being critical or harsh---O, how I seek to emulate his loving behaviour---he's been the inspiration the LORD has used. These are the things that reveal the distinction between close acquaintances and close friendships. I sometimes think you gotta have plenty of both to recognize the difference.
A phone call from an old friend confirmed these thoughts in my heart today. O, how timely was that call. I was writing up another lesson in the marriage study and was contemplating the keys to strong "go-the-whole-distance" marriages. Receiving that phone call was a breath of fresh air---like a sweet memory I'd not reviewed in a while. This happens from time to time --- I love to reconnect with old friends---to affirm them and to give and receive love and concern. Old friendship takes a firmly held decision to overlook faults and be willing to travel the distance as companions. I treasure the people in my life who've gone this distance with me and who've allowed me the privilege of the same. Time is sort of the cement and then commitment and forgiveness characterize the foundation of both old love and old friendship.
I love the old weeping willow tree outside my window... it's a continual reminder to me the enduring of winds, rain, floods, sunshine, tire-swings, songs of birds and the winds of the passing of many, many seasons and the continued existence and steadiness of something planted "forever ago" as a little tree----it's sort of my objective for marriage----what started with a couple of simple words: I do---is my enduring hope: still saying I do, a hundred years from now.
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October 17, 2005
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~Halfy Birthday~ to Kathryn!
Lessons from the easel of life
It always feels a bit like being up on the easel when situations occur that seem unexplainable or that are just simply exasperating. Over the course of a couple of weeks I've been experiencing some ongoing trials with my computer and, try as I might, I can't seem to get everything reconciled. When this website goes down or files get lost or mixed up, I'm sort of nuts with emotion until they get resolved. —Sort of like when relationships are messed up and things can't seem to be ironed out----I just ache over them inside---even if it seems on the outside that I am not bothered---I am in turmoil on the inside until things are resolved.
I don't particularly like being on the easel. I don't like it when life's colours seem to be running together or when smudges from misunderstandings distort my picture. I ache when I'm painted with a broad brush by people who don't mind broad-brushing away my existence—or the horrible feeling of shame when I've broad-brushed them in like manner. I don't like being splattered with paint and sometimes resist being redrawn or touched-up by the Master Painter. But I know when He's doing a work I am going to be so glad in the end and so grateful for His handiwork for His glory. Still... I've continued to be puzzled by so many things---I can't seem to understand.
So, analogous to this, when troubles come up with this program or when our host drops files or whatever, this site seems to really burden my thoughts with worries. And then---and I'm actually really happy to get the feedback---when I receive letters telling me that links don't work or pages are missing or whatever---O, I feel awful. Especially when I don't know where in the world some files went and why some links don't work or outside articles are no longer available---or how files were rewritten. I say, Doh! [I think you gotta have teenage sons to know what: Doh! sounds like. It's not: duh... and it's not: dough... it's got the inflection of the "Uh" in "Uh-Oh!" but has more punch! to it. Try it. Say: DOH! and you'll understand what I mean] I need to get this resolved and sometimes the only thing to do is shut it down and walk away. For a day. Or, two. I know when I stop laughing at trouble---then I really need to walk away. It's when troubles happen, I often laugh the most. Like, for example, one time, I was placing a 48ounce container of Rojo's Salsa in the fridge---and suddenly, it dropped and cracked as it hit the floor and salsa went flying, it seemed, everywhere. I called to the children: Quick, get the chips! and we laughed so hard as we sat there eating chips and salsa. I know... it's sort of gross---you go visual on that one. We were laughing so hard and ate bites between fits of laughter. And, no, I do not know if the floor was actually clean enough to eat from. But there was enough salsa on the floor for everyone and it all worked out. And we lived... and still laugh abut that. When there is trouble---I guess I just laugh from shear panic. However----this does break down---- I DO NOT laugh when I see a new batch of kittens ---- there is *nothing* funny to me about a new batch of kittens. I don't think they are cute and I certainly don't call them adorable. I never laugh any of the six or eight times a year one of the children gleefully bursts through the door announcing, "Mama! Guess what?!?! We have new kittens!" Picking myself up off the floor-----another: Doh! I say to them---carefully enunciating every word, "WE do not have new kittens-----daddy has new kittens---*you* have new kittens, but *WE* do not have new kittens!"
Well, so, In my latest computer/website fiasco, my husband was helping me and, at one point, I said something like... O, just pull it all down---we'll just start over. That turned out to be a good idea---but not the way I had originally meant. I meant let's just, as it were, pull the plug and drain the tub. My husband, ever calm and practical, said he'd take care of the basic problem. Grateful for those tech-support guys who are working during, what is for us, the middle of the night. As they were changing over files and routes I was just standing here drinking coffee. It's taken about 7 years to compile this site and so, I am so glad Wes didn't listen to me.
And for the man (and others) who reminded me that he wrote a year ago to tell me that links were broken... and then again a few days ago, wrote again, I apologize. As for the number of women's pages outweighing the number of men's pages... well, let's see, hmmm---I will work at putting up a few of the gazillion files I've been meaning to put up as they're steadily accumulating over the years as my husband sends me links and ideas and as our friends continually find cool stuff for me to read and post.
These problems can be corrected and pages improved... and for something like 396 hours to do it all, I would be delighted to get busy at the task... but for today, I'm just sort of reveling in the fact that we even got this far. That, and I'm still decompressing following the ladies retreat this past weekend where Kathryn and I did a couple of workshops and stayed awake too much of the night after drinking waaaay too much coffee.
And, in addition, I'm mulling over the incredible experience our family had... [Our former next door neighbor's wife died after many years enduring Alzheimer's] as we attended her Catholic funeral Mass today. It was a really instructive occasion for us all---for our children, especially, to experience another passing, but more importantly, for them to witness things we have told them about----we have told them about the bondage of adding to Scripture and bondage that comes from deviating from Scripture. The were able to witness first hand----and more importantly, as we learned in the van on our drive home, they *saw* the deviations from Scripture----they *saw* the religious service and and *saw* the misrepresentation of the elements that were served in "communion." They heard Scriptures being read---in part---and they *knew* the story was incomplete. O, how I praise the LORD for His wonderful works. I was glad to be there today bcz the husband, our former next-door-neighbor, is a treasure to us. I trust the LORD to finish the story there---in all those lives and in ours. It was a different kind of being up on the easel or on the Potter's wheel today. And perhaps bcz I've been up on the easel or on the Potter's wheel a whole lot in the last eighteen months or so, I am glad for the work and the reshaping and highlighting He's doing.
By the way... I really liked a piece I got today---It's an editorial written by Rush Limbaugh and I think it was extremely well written and I think an accurate account of conservative thinking regarding American politics/way of life and consideration of the current debacle over the nomination of Harriet Miers. The piece is entitled, Holding Court--- I'm glad I got it, glad I read it and am posting it here.
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email: pamela AT achristianhome.org
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Pamela, I love your writing: your style, your eloquence, and your thought patterns! :-) I want to thank you for the hours you and your family spend and the sacrifice you make to maintain this website. It's no small thing. I have mentioned to you before, but it bears repeating, that your site is a great encouragement and "friend" to me. We are on the foreign mission field and while I love the ministry and doing what God had called us to do (I love Jesus with all my heart and would never ever trade His will and purpose for my life), sometimes those old home sickness pangs kick in and it's so nice to go to your site during those times. It helps to take the focus off "me" and put it back on Jesus and on others where it belongs! Your site and your wonderful "slices of life" have become an oasis for me. My first priority is the Word of God, of course, but after that, I enjoy the friendliness and, for want of a better word, camaraderie I find on your website. I always feel like I've come home! Many, many thanks. Keep up the good work! And may the Master Painter continue to create the masterpiece He has begun in you. I know He will because His Word says so! Lots of love to you and to your family!
Whew--- I'm so filled, blessed and humbled by this letter-----and it's for reasons like this that we have the privilege to take care of this website. This letter is to me like feeling the warm sunshine and a soft breeze while dangling my feet in the water and watching the children... I needed this sweet letter. We do pray the LORD will bless you and others who are far from home or are serving in situations that take them away from familiar things and other people they love. O, that He would just be willing to continue working with us---with me---I am already blessed beyond measure. Love to you, too---------ps |
Really early.... October 17th
And then there were some more late nights and a few more troubles and some more coffee... but joy comes in the morning, and in the early morning hours, we think we got some of the problems solved and attempted to republish this website... and then went to bed while visions of sugarwebsites danced through our heads. |
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Much Trouble with site program & server --- more later
And then my husband sent me this: 10/12
"Trials are medicines which our gracious and wise Physician prescribes because we need them; and He proportions the frequency and weight of them to what the case requires. Let us trust His skill and thank Him for His prescription." Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727)
October 11, 2005 |
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Life's Great Hindrances
I find, more and more, that what I used to consider my greatest hindrance was actually my greatest teacher. I used to believe that all my troubles were attributable to lack of finances and consequently, thought all of them could be solved by a surplus. I considered all the disadvantages and often almost totally overlooked the great trust and creativity I was developing and gaining over the years. I used to overlook what God was placing right before my eyes. Troubled with how things were going to work out---crippled by fear that they wouldn't, days were difficult and money seemed so scarce. Little did I know at the time that I would look back on the more difficult days and remember them with sort of bittersweet emotion. Sorry for the young woman who was so fearful but happy for the way the LORD did provide and for all they ways she learned to cope, learned to be creative, learned to be hopeful. But the younger woman who used to live in my shoes was often plagued by the "what will people think" albatross, and was sometimes shackled by doubts and insecurities as I suppose we all are from time to time, but when they become interwoven in every thought, then they're like that albatross. The LORD worked through all those sorts of situations and blessed me with a sort of "blindness" to my situation---sort of a "rose coloured glasses" tenor to my life---and brought me through those valleys. I began to see things less and less for what they were and more and more for what I hoped they would be. Sure, the lack of finances still was a hindrance, but I stopped allowing myself to feel as though that defined me or my family. I decided to stop getting tripped up in the trappings of the have's and have not's in life---they weren't helping me. I decided to not let my possessions define who I was or who I am---other people may have judged me in that manner---but I never wanted to be that shallow and I knew the LORD didn't want that for me either. He was taking me through the school of contentment.
Learning to trust God for things unseen or things unknown is perhaps more difficult for some than for others---I know that for myself, it was a struggle to trust that what I could not see was already seen and covered by the LORD. My fretting and my doubting never helped me or the situation I faced, regardless of whether the situation was financial, physical or vocational. Looking back, some of the times of the greatest doubt or greatest fear are now the sweetest memories to me. Some of the deepest valleys produced the richest fruit and it's faith from those lessons that has guided me through the more recent years and the struggles or trials we've faced. When trails have been forged or mountains scaled, the path is a bit less daunting each time it's traversed and with each passing, faith is strengthened and trust is deepened. With each passing year, the have's and the have not's are less and less noticeable to me and my concern is less self-focused. Gains and losses are the great equalizers in life---they happen to all of us. Same with fear and doubt---but some people are just better at hiding fears and doubts than others.
Because I know my Redeemer lives and ever lives to make intercession for me---for us---, I know that I can trust Him beyond a shadow of doubt, that what He has promised to do, that will He do---He promised to never leave me nor forsake me and He promises in His Word that He will complete that which He has begun. So the LORD has used trials as teachers, loss as gain, and lack: to fill me. His faithfulness truly has been great and His mercies have been new every morning. Now when financial set backs come or when there seem to lack of funds, I have learned to anticipate the Hand of the LORD and to watch for what He will do. Twenty-two years in the swimming-pool business in the chilly Northwest has given our family ample opportunity to watch the Hand of the LORD both guide and provide---sometimes in the most surprising and unusual ways. As with so many other things in life, I'm learning to see this much more quickly than I did in the early years.
I want to share a poem Glenys sent me and then share a comment she made regarding the regulations for safe sleep for children.
One Who Understands
Of all life’s pain and sufferings nothing can surpass
Agonies of parents whose child’s taken in death’s grasp.
The emptiness, the anger, the denial and disbelief
Seem like your only companions as you struggle in your grief.
The awkward silence of others shows no words can convey
The depth of their sharing in the pain that’s come your way.
For platitudes and sympathy can do little to relieve
The pain of separation of the parent left to grieve.
Until you lose a child, no one can fully comprehend
The brokenness and sorrow that makes your heart rend.
But through shared prayer and God’s grace one can see a ray of light
In this time of deep loneliness of the soul’s darkest night,
For there’s One who’s borne this pain whilst even knowing why
His only Son had to suffer and then to slowly die..
For as His own Son once resurrected, returned at last to Him,
So too your own dear child will return to you again.
For by sharing the pain you’re suffering, God can take you by the hand
In the tender love and compassion of One Who understands.
© Glenys Robyn Hicks 2004
‘Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.’ 2 Corinthians 3-5
More about Verse for Loving Hearts - and glenys' work
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Oh Pamela, it is heartbreaking enough to lose a child without someone adding to the torment by covertly pointing the finger at you... making you agonize forever if it was your fault by giving the child a blanket! All my children slept with us and had blankets that were super-glued around their mouths! There was no way they would sleep without their blankey! Give them their blanket and their eyes would glaze over as they pulled it up to their face! And most of them rolled over to sleep on their tummies! I find today that there are so many regulations on how to bring your children up that the parents are losing not only their confidence but their authority to bring their children up well! As in all things, bureaucracy has gone mad! May the LORD comfort not only that poor mother but all mothers who have lost children. That's hard enough to deal with, without these know-it-alls adding to the pain! It is the same here in Oz. The bureaucracy and finger pointing if a child dies of SIDS makes the parents look like murderers! God have mercy on the parents! Thank you for allowing me to let off steam! Glenys
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October 10.5, 2005 |
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A slice of life in a large family
It was a little less than a week away and it felt like an eternity. But it was worth it all to Kathryn and to us for her to have the privilege to go to California to visit Timothy and Aunt Martha and to spend the time with them on the boat at Catalina. Now, if I were just reading this for the first time, I'd think what in the world were they doing running around, flying here and going there... well, life's as strange to me to live it as it might be to read it. It's sort of like me receiving all the credit card or bank loan offers that I receive. I have no job, no income, no marketable skills and made no request to receive the offers. They just happen--- Well, that's how it's seemed the trips to California have been for some of our children. No outside jobs... little tiny income, limited and yet budding marketable skills... and so on and so on. So when Timothy called and asked if Kathryn could fly down that morning... and we said yes... and she left... and had a wonderful time with them. Just before she was to return home, I asked her what I might fix for her for when she got home and she said nothing---really, nothing. She'd had everything anyone could want to have and really felt blessed to have been there with them. While she was gone, we'd made some changes we knew would be a happy surprise for her.
While we were visiting friends on our way to our family reunion this past summer, we had the great joy of spending a couple of nights with our friends in their home. We came away refreshed and filled with encouragement and some ideas we could use in our home. The encouragement has lingered and some of the ideas were just recently implemented. The greatest idea we received from them was how to accommodate overnight guests in our home and have it be obvious to the guests that they were really being welcomed home when they're here. We always seem to manage quite well---but I often feel like the sleeping arrangements are inadequate or are a bit uncomfortable! At our friend's home (8 children/four bedroom home) we stayed in a bedroom with a comfortable double bed and a table that was cleared for us to use for our things. That wasn't the unique part or the part that grabbed our attention---the part that grabbed our attention was the fact that the bedroom belonged to the oldest son and he had the distinct privilege of having his own room.
Anyone who has many children might gasp at the thought of one of the children having that luxury. But I could see the wisdom in that decision right away. That decision was not made lightly, nor was it without some strong qualifications. The first was that the son's strong character, wise behaviour and attitude preceded the decision and he could be trusted with the privilege. Second (and there may have been more---I don't know) there was an agreement made that that room would be used solely for guests whenever the need arose. And the computer that was in that room was, I believe, the family computer.
So... over the past several weeks we've been thinking and thinking about implementing that Idea here in our home--sans a computer in that room. So, we made an initial adjustment to move a bunk-bed and all of one of the boys' things into the other boys' room---this meant chopping another bunk-bed end off. Old farmhouse attic bedrooms aren't conducive to bunk-beds and tall bookshelves, so Wes has had to be pretty clever in reducing the height (on one end) without compromising the design too much. And this time, it was especially challenging bcz he this particular bunk-bed was his when he was a young boy, it was Daniel & Michael's and it was Timothy & Samuel's. Now it's a shortened bed for Samuel and Stephen. We then placed everything of Timothy's in a tall dresser and kept the rest of his room (books, books, and more books) intact. The room seemed virtually empty! Now, four of the boys in two bunk-beds in the other room has worked out very nicely---Stephen was always in there anyway, so there wasn't much of a change in many ways (not uncommon in large families is the fact that the children never seem to sleep in their own beds---and seem to never mind sharing small spaces).
While Kathryn was gone, we made plans to have another family stay with us over the weekend. Then the idea really began to take shape. Kathryn had a "sleigh bed" in storage---while she had the double bed (which she shared with 'melia) on a platform in her bedroom. So, while she was gone, we brought down the sleigh bed---head and footboards, and we set up her bed in Timothy's bedroom. This left a gaping space in the girls' room---where Kathryn's bed had been... thus our Craig's List search intensified as we scoured the list for bunk-beds. Had to be the right kind---attic bedrooms, dontchaknow. But we found one---and for a great price *and* it was pretty close to our home! It's the kind we thought would be best for the girl's room---A "C" style bunk-bed with a futon that folds out into a bed for the lower bunk.
A funny IM conversation before she came home: Kathryn IM'ed, and suggested that we quickly pack up her extra things in her room, then set up her bed in Timothy's room and then the girls in the other family could sleep on the floor in our girls' room, and.... Little did she know that we had already done all that --- that we had already set up a new futon bunk-bed in her room, and had already packed her special things in plastic bins and had already set up her computer in another area in their room. It was sure fun to surprise her when she got home. So now, Naomi loves her new "top bunk" and little 'melia slept alone in her bed all night for the first time in her life---at four years old, that's pretty amazing. For the little girl who comes to me at night and asks, "Canjou hold me in your arms so I can go to sleep?" this is a big step. Maybe tonight the sweet little dolly will ask me if I can hold her in my arms so she can go to sleep---I will say yes. I'm happy to watch her blossom into a sweet little girl, but I'm so sad to say this long goodbye to the last baby as I watch her slowly slip away.
As an aside... (thinking back on babies and bedding and all) in perusing the news just now---what an astonishing article regarding new safe-sleep regs for babies. Now: no babies sleeping on their sides. No blankets. No teddybears. Infants should sleep alone, on their backs, in their own cribs or approved beds. Another overstepping of government---another frenzy for parents---more panic stricken first-timers. There are so many laws and regulations that we're probably breaking them everyday and don't know it. In that article, a mother had put her child to bed (on his back with his blanket) after giving fever-reducer and woke the next morning to find the child had died. From the article: "An autopsy said Riley had a respiratory virus and bacterial sepsis. Still, there was the issue of his blanket." Do you see how twisted things have gotten? The autopsy didn't show the baby was asphyxiated. (!!!!) This could begin an entirely new lengthy blog regarding the sleep of babies. 11 of 11 of our children slept with us. 11 of 11 had favourite blankets. And slept with them. And teddybears. And slept with them. And when they napped, probably more than half slept on their tummies---or were sleeping on their backs and rolled over to their stomachs. 11 of 11 werebreastfed. Were they the "lucky" ones? Much as many would hope, the efforts of what seems like the safe-sleep police cannot prevent deaths in ---all--- babies. There will be incidents that could've been prevented---but to allow (as in the aforementioned article) a mom to linger wondering if it was the blanket is cruel. A bold statement for the newspaper to make demonstrates how these things can be blown out of proportion. Now this may sound insensitive to those who've had a baby die in their sleep---I actually hope these parents will see the Truth---you cared for your baby, the LORD chose to take the baby home---and it is/was His to choose.
——blink—— So, back to the bedroom saga... It was fun to continue putting things in place in both the rooms with Kathryn's & Hannah's help (Naomi and dolly watched with great pleasure!) and to get ready for friends to stay. Since we've never had a "guest room" before, this added to the happiness of preparing the room. Our friends seemed to enjoy having it prepared for them. And, though it still needs painting, which I hope to get done before his return, I was glad for the special opportunity. I smile as I think: It's sure going to be a surprise to Timothy what's been done in his absence---however, his great reading chair, table and light are still in the same place, as is his wall of books----Bible studies, commentaries, missionary books, biographies and his school books. Ahhh, about school... Timothy is still in school---he just doesn't know it. ;-) I'm wondering if Timothy will dare leave home again for awhile---I don't want him to feel he's in a guest room---it's still his room---and no telling might happen if he leaves! At the first of the year during his language study trip to Mexico, we began the now infamous while-you-were-out (of your mind) bathroom project---the project in which his bedroom closet was commandeered for what would become the spacious 3x6' shower room. Many things get done when he's away... and many things don't get done, however, but he truly is clay squarely in the Hand of the Potter. And we couldn't ask for more.
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The Gaither Homecoming - Lynda Randle
One of the great blessings of the Gaither homecoming videos or concerts is the delight in hearing the old songs and old hymns sung by people with tremendous musical ability and talent. And we sure we blessed to be able to hear all of that this past Friday night. Thankful to enter the arena after standing in the rain for quite awhile, we quickly found our seats and listened to the music and sang along much of the time. Our personal performances were greatly enhanced by our back up singers ~wink~ and those around us were probably blessed by the volume of the music drowning out our enthusiastic singing.
It was a good time... but I must say, I often cringe at the worldly glitz and glamour of some of the performers and the message that style gives to the watching world and the temptation to emulate what's inappropriate. It's sad ---to me-- that Jesus is presented to the world in that way. I heard a man from the Hollywood area one time say that the reason he dressed and performed in that manner is that the "movie stars" wouldn't relate to him were he to be dressed much differently than they---that the movie stars expect a certain appeal and appearance and they turn away from things that seem simple, straitlaced, too conservative and narrow-minded. I suppose if it were up to us (meaning our works and not the work of the Holy Spirit) to draw people to Christ, we would contrive all sorts of ways to do so---and likely fail miserably. But, in truth, the influence and one's socioeconomic position in the world do not matter at the foot of the cross---the ground is level there (Praise God) and all the posturing and presentations mean nothing in the scheme of things eternal.
One of the singers I so appreciate every time is, Lynda Randle. Her sincere heart for the LORD is so evident both on and off stage. We appreciated talking with her and her family so sincerely a living testimony to the LORD as demonstrated by their words and actions. I'm thankful to have her book God on the Mountain, Seeing you through the valleys. It was available there and is also on her website. It's a small book with a great message. If you like Mahalia Jackson, then you'll really like Lynda Randle. Lynda sings in a range I can sing along with and feel like I am a compliment to her (ha)----she and I can get lots of work done together as we sing our way through mounds of laundry, piles of ironing or stacks of dishes---singing always seems to make it all breezy!
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email: pamela AT achristianhome.org
The comment below is in regards to my October 6 posting: A very hot topic...and more
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Hi Pam. I saw that in the Christianity Today article [The "---" means:xxx and is not a prngrphic site though I sure was hesitant to click it] ---church.com was the group hosting the events. My brother in-law is close friends with some of the guys who started that program. They have had quite an affect on the internet community as well as our communities in general. On Thursday night of last week my brother-in-law was on ABC world news tonight sharing about prnography and his choice to be accountable and honor God and give his wife the best gift-a godly and faithful husband. ---church.com has an online accountability program where you choose a couple people to be accountable to and the program e-mails those people any questionable sites you go to. My husband and his brothers all have this. This way they know that someone will be calling them to talk if a site pops up that is inappropriate. Granted the system isn't perfect and when my hubby checks his football team's scores sometimes they pop up but it is a great tool. It was actually kind of cool because when his laptop was stolen the person didn't disable the program so we still got e-mails telling us which sites they visited-we were able to track them to a phone number but unfortunately nothing came of it. We did however get to pray for them and hopefully all of Aaron's bible software (that he really wishes he still had) will be convicting. Maybe someday they will come to know the Lord who knows! Anyway, I am rambling. If you go to the ---church.com website on the left there is a link to ABC and you can watch the news segment ( if you have windows). Have a wonderful day! EmilyThank you, Em, for writing--- I know this is a critically important topic and yet I often hesitate to write what ought to be written regarding the epidemic proportions of the damage of prngrphy. I was hesitant about the manner in which the "Prn Sunday" seemed to be presented---but as I've thought of it further, it seems to me that in that venue, it was/is appropriate---though I could not be more opposed to the new church-in-a-box phenomena today. We're watching the total reformation of the church becoming a new and different gospel---. I am thinking now, that the enemy would like nothing more than for the pulpits to be silent or to gloss over this blight in the church. So, I see I was wrong on that... I don't regret questioning the packaging, but I guess I needed to be open to various methods used to address this "silent" and "secret" killer of the family. I was hesitant to click the link in the original Christianity Today article. See one prngrphic site and you've got an image imprinted on the mind forever. So, ***church.com is not a prngrphic site. There are programs, filters, etc. you can research there---though, a weak person may find it to be too informative and too candid. I am not hot-linking it here. You'll have to google it or type it in. But---the way I see / hear men deal with each other----it's hard to understand, it is a fact that they don't first think of communicating with flowers and chocolates, lunches and scented thank-you notes and hours of affirming talking together. This site ***church.com has none of that. When dealing with an epidemic problem, I guess there's no time for flowers and chocolates or teas and sprout sandwich lunches. When a person is wallowing in mud and manure, drinking in the dregs of immorality, pretty scented notes aren't the answer and a long lunch won't take care of the problem. |
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October 10, 2005 |
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News today or a day long ago!
I receive a newsletter by email that always seems to have the most interesting facts. It's called: History Buff and you can subscribe to received it by email. The website is quite interesting and could captivate your attention for hours and hours! This month's letter, for example, is noteworthy because of the topic and its current relevance regarding acts of terror. You may have to reread parts if you skim it too quickly. ;-)
This is part of what I received by email and I'm quoting it here:
The Reign of Terrorism
Picture this: There is a mad bomber on the loose that mails packages to important people that explode when opened and are meant to kill the person that opens the small package and anyone else near the opener at the time. Further, in the same era, a man drives up to a federal building, parks his vehicle and quietly walks away. The vehicle explodes shortly after and causes extensive damage to the building. Many people are killed in the explosion. The events, coming so close together, cause a panic among many Americans. In just one year the United States Congress submits no fewer than seventy new bills aimed at helping to prevent terrorism. When did these events happen? While most would answer that these events happened in the early 1990’s, (the Unabomber and the destruction of the Federal Building in Oklahoma City) the answer would be correct. However, these same two events also happened in America in 1919 and 1920.
On April 29, 1919 a small package was delivered to the home of Senator Thomas Hardwick in Atlanta. Mrs. Hardwick sat at a table and began opening the day’s mail. Among the envelopes she found a small package. The return address was from Gimble Brothers, the famous department store in New York. The package also had the word “Sample” stamped on it. She handed the package to their maid and resumed opening the other mail.
While the maid untied the string securing the package an explosion occurred. Shrapnel flew about the room. The maid’s hands were blown off. The upper third of Mrs. Hardwick’s body was severely burned. Both had extensive lacerations about their bodies. Amazingly, both women survived.
Letter bombs were also mailed to several other influential people, including the mayor of Seattle, Washington, Ole Hanson; J. P. Morgan; John D. Rockefeller; Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes; U.S. Attorney General Mitchell Palmer; the Postmaster General Albert Sydney Burleson; as well as others. Fortunately, the only letter bomb to explode was the one delivered to Senator Hardwick. The same day, a letter bomb was delivered to the home of the mayor of Seattle. However, since he had already received several death threats due to his public denouncing of terrorism, he was cautious and called the police before opening it. The police were able to defuse the bomb without anyone being injured. Luckily, these were the only two to be actually delivered to the addressee. The rest were sent back due to insufficient postage on the packages. All were defused at various post offices by the police before doing any further harm.
Also, fortunately, the bomber was discovered before he could send out his next round of letter bombs. The F.B.I and the C.I.A. were in their infancy and very small in that period of American history. The attorney General at the time was a man named Mitchell Palmer. Two months after the Atlanta bombing, police were called to the home of Palmer as several reports of an explosion at his home had been reported. After investigating the agents discovered that in fact Palmer had been the mad bomber! Palmer had just spent the evening preparing another batch of letter bombs he intended to mail the next day. One of the bombs detonated prematurely and leveled Palmer’s home, killing him. Within his home were booklets published by radicals whose intent was to overtake the United States government.
The following year on September 16, 1920 a man drove his horse and wagon to the front of the J. P. Morgan building on Wall Street and parked it there. He quietly walked away. This building was the hub of the nation’s financial district at the time. Five minutes later, at 12:05 the cart exploded. The only thing left of the cart and horse were the horse’s hoofs! The building was extensively damaged also. Witnesses described the explosion as a great cloud, like a mushroom, that rose high in the air and it rained debris back onto the street. Shock waves of the explosion could be felt as far away as across the river to Brooklyn. Many other buildings close to the Morgan building also received excessive damage. Windows for blocks around were blown out by the shock wave. With so much damage to buildings, it is fortunate that while two hundred were wounded, only thirty-five people were killed in the explosion. Officials traced to bombing back to radicals who were trying to over
[this is a direct copy of the mail---the sentence is incomplete.] To read an actual newspaper account of the bombing of the J.P. Morgan Building go to HistoryBuff Online Newspaper Archive.
At least in this case, history does repeat itself. It was seven decades before Americans would experience another round of terrorist activities on American soil similar to those of 1919 and 1920.
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Can you name a word in the English dictionary that contains all the vowels, in order (a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes y?) The word is an adverb and means to be playfully jocular or humorous.
Answer: Facetiously
Your Comments
email: pamela AT achristianhome.org
comments: |
Also abstemiously! Hi Pam - love the new look of the Welcome Home. And that story was riveting! It reminds me that progress forward is what we most remember - the victories and successes are glorified, not individual evil. I love that you knew that---Barbara, only *you* would know that. ~smile~ Thank you, thank you. Because of my general lack of knowledge about this computer program, many times, changes you see are as much a surprise to me as they are new to you. ahahaha !
Yes---I went on to read more about that time in the early 1900's and hadn't realized the far reaching aspect of things we think unique to these days---letter/car bombs, terrorism, etc. I think this generation thinks of itself as the first to have experienced all these things---and every other idea called a new wave. The paradigm shift is not to a new thing necessarily---another thing, maybe, but not a uniquely new thing.
Thank you for writing----I had to look it up! Abstemiously---you wrote abstemiously. Temperately, in a sparing manner, without overindulgence. I'll remember that when I face the cookies... abstemious, dear, abstemious---that's what you use when: abstain, dear, abstain, doesn't work. ~wink~ visit her blog----Mommy Life (Barbara Curtis) |
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October 7, 2005 |
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Today's Wes's day!
If you know my husband at all, you know that Southern Gospel music is his absolute favourite and you also know that he's sort of a collector of Gaither Homecoming videos. Not that he is necessarily a Gaither fan so much as he is a fan of many of the "regulars" at their concerts and Homecoming shows. Well... so... tonight's the night for the Gaither Homecoming concert at the Everett Events Center... and he's a happy ticket holder! Kathryn, my mom, and Daniel & Tara gave him two tickets to the concert (and a ticket for parking) for his birthday a couple of weeks ago---and they (the tickets, not the children) have been sitting in the envelope on his dresser ever since. I suppose there've been many days where he has excitedly looked at those tickets and has been so thrilled to have them and the opportunity to attend. In addition to this special treat, friends from the Chehalis area are going to have dinner with us and stay the night with us, as well as to attend the concert, too. They've also picked up a ticket for Kathryn and another friend to attend. And so, it's quite a day around here---getting ready for them and for the evening together.
From your friends at the ACLU
I received this funny email this morning with a link to a hypothetical situation that is both humourous and chilling at the same time. If it weren't so plausible, it would be very funny----but in the end, though you might be laughing... you'll be tempted to take cover! Here you go: Ordering from the Pizza Palace in 2010 (be careful... you might be tracked there) ;-) No... seriously, if you click the "Take Action" link on that page you will be taken to the ACLU website where you will be asked to enter information on a form to be sent to congress (right.) and they will be notified that you want to urge them to protect your privacy. Then, if you leave a box "checked," then you will receive further updates from your friend and mine: the ACLU. I would suggest leaving off with any communication involving the ACLU for any reason. Protect your privacy: don't give your personal information to the ACLU. Of course, they already have it, you know. ;-)
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October
6,
2005 |
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A very hot
topic---and
more
Each day as
I scale the
mountain of
email---and
I don't mean
personal
letters and
notes
specifically
written to
me
personally,
but rather,
the mail
that worms
its way into
my computer.
No, not
viruses or
spiteful
intrusions
into my
system but a
more
malicious
intrusion
than that
and that is:
internetporn.
Not a day
goes by that
I don't find
dozens of
email offers
to sell me
some sort of
drug to
enhance a
body part or
correct a
dysfunction
or offers of
pharmaceuticals
claiming
some
remarkable
transformation---either
physical or
mental.
But the
distasteful
mails don't
stop there
and aren't
limited to
pharmaceuticals
only;
and while my
filters
don't
actually let
most of the
mail through
to the
"inbox,"
some offers
do clear
that hurdle
and I am
faced with a
decision to
scan and
delete the
mail.
But then I
wonder
sometimes...
while I am
deleting the
mail...
someone,
somewhere is
not
deleting.
In fact,
tens of
thousands
aren't
deleting
those mails
and the
sewage of
the internet
is being
pumped into
millions of
homes or
offices
around the
world.
And so... I
was sort of
taken aback,
at
first---no,
actually, I
was shocked
by a
newsletter I
received
this
morning---shocked
that I might
be reading a
hijacked
copy of
Christianity
Today.
I gasped as,
while
scanning the
newsletter,
my eyes fell
upon the
title of
article:
"Is You
Church Ready
for P*rn
Sunday?"
I was
thinking...
WOW----we've
been "out"
of the
"Institutional
Church" for
a bit now...
but
omygoodness,
what's
this?!?
Was this the
next phase
of the PDC
(purpose
driven
church---oh,
yes, that's
trademarked)
movement?
Is this the
answer to
the PDC's
"felt needs"
service?
So, I read
the article
further and
could see
that the
discussion
might have
value and
serve a good
purpose. [I
cringe using
that
trademarked
word,
purpose,
lately!]
So--- then I
clicked the
link (this
one)
and read
further.
It's an
interesting
premise---it's
a topic (an
epidemic ,
really) that
needs to be
addressed
and as the
author
states, the
church needs
to address
it for what
it is: a
scourge to
families and
homes.
Terrorism is
relatively
small
compared to
the
stranglehold
and problem
of prnogrphy
in our
society.
Prnogrphy
takes and
terrorizes
more
hostages
every
day---it's
just that
it's often
shrouded in
such secrecy
that there's
an illusion
of a small
existence---another
lie of the
enemy of our
souls---just
like:
bread eaten
in secret is
pleasant.
(Proverbs
9.17 Stolen
waters are
sweet, and
bread eaten
in secret is
pleasant...)
So... then
along comes
Prn Sunday
and all the
related
materials
that you can
order online
to complete
the
experience---makes
me think of
the
downloadable
sermons
available to
pastors and
teachers
today.
Can you
imagine
bringing a
guest to the
service...
come on in,
we're going
to hear all
about
prnogrphy.
It's a topic
that screams
to be
addressed---I'm
not so sure
the
no-accountability
atmosphere
of a Sunday
am service
is the
appropriate
venue. But
the truth
is, in many
ways, the
church has
needed to
address many
things
related to
lust and
immorality,
modesty and
modest
behaviour
for a long
time---and
it's obvious
that a bit
of judgment
has come
upon the
church for
its lukewarm
approach
or response
to sin and
personal
responsibility
for sinful
acts.
Speaking on
modesty, by
the way, and
I was, we
have copies
of a thin
book
Christian
Modesty and
the Public
Undressing
of America
by Jeff
Pollard
and
in addition
to that, we
share many
articles
regarding
modesty and
modest
behaviour,
click
here.
Your
Comments
Some
comments
received
will be
posted below
the
original,
related
blog entry
A comment on
this topic
is posted
above the
October 10
entry
It's
sure a
wonderful
blessing to
have Kathryn
home again!
Another
week...
another trip
to SeaTac
airport!
It's amazing
to me how
short the
once long
and arduous
trip to the
airport is
to me now!
I recall, in
times past,
that the
hour-long
trip seemed
like it took
forever and
now, it
seems such a
short time
until we
reach mile
marker 13 on
the 405 and
before I
know it,
we've reach
mile 3 and
then start
to merge
right to get
into the
lanes
leading to
the airport.
I'll write
about
Kathryn's
trip to
Catalina...
later on.
October 4,
2005 |
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A
Happy Birthday to
you...
It's our
daughter-in-law,
Tara's, twenty-ninth
birthday today.
What a dear and
patient
daughter-in-law she
is. We
celebrated birthdays
here this past
weekend and Daniel
will be taking her
out to dinner to
celebrate her
special day.... and
a couple of our
olders will go watch
their children for
the evening.
We're happy to help
them and sure
remember the days
when going out was a
treat but was
difficult when the
children were young
and we needed
helpers to watch
them.
Days are long but
weeks fly by!
So... Happy,
happy birthday,
sweet Tara.
Mind
boggling... still
It still thoroughly
amazes me: the
selection of Harriet
Miers as the nominee
for the Supreme
Court. Such an
incredibly weighty
decision made with
such *seeming*
disconnect from
reality.
Really... I am
thinking it's as
plausible as needing
a replacement chef
for a renowned five
star hotel
restaurant and
making the selection
from... say...
a group of people
who've owned five
star restaurants.
You don't know how
they'll cook---you
don't know *what*
they'll cook... you
simply know they are
great owners.
Okay, maybe that was
far fetched.
So, maybe hire a
Starbucks barista
(since she makes
terrific coffee)
because that means
she'll likely do
very well as the
head chef at the
White House.
Okay... well, maybe
that example wasn't
that far fetched.
Sorry. I'm
still trying to
figure this one
out---so I'm doing
some mental
gymnastics here.
I wonder if the name
wasn't one selected
from slips of names
that were placed in
a hat.
Something like...
hmmm... we need a
woman here, so...
write all the names
of women in
Washington who have
law degrees---but
make sure they've
never sat on the
bench or made any
actual significant
public decisions and
make sure no one has
ever heard of
them... and make
sure..... and then
draw one of the
names. That
oughtta do it.
I think one of the
other most
significant and
surprising things is
the strange blanket
approval she's
(Harriet Miers)
receiving
from a broad
spectrum of
individuals and
groups. It's
odd --- who's so
whole-heartedly
endorsing this
nominee and odder
still why John
Roberts didn't
receive such high
accolades.
This will all be
very interesting in
the broad scheme of
things.
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comments
received
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the
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October 3,
2005 |
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You be the
Judge.
Or you, or you.
Sometimes I
think I sure
hope there'll be
someone left in
the country to
turn out the
light.
Between the
mails I've been
receiving and
the news I've
been reading, I
wonder what in
the world is
going on.
What a strange
twist of events
is presented
each day in the
news. I
sometimes think
it's like all
the events is
are sort of
pulsed in the
blender and then
posted on the
news-sites.
On the one hand
you have that
skewed version
of current
events.
Then, on the
other hand, you
read of the "top
pick" for the
next Supreme
Court nominee
and you have to
wonder if the
phone book was o
the middle...
touch on Miers.
Okay---there you
go! So
much for job
experience and
prior decisions
for the public
to use to form
an opinion
regarding
President Bush's
nominee to the
Court. I'm
guessing a bride
would use more
discretion in
choosing a cake
decorator that
what
*seems* to be
the amount of
discretion used
in that
decision.
So... like a
bride who might
choose a chef
who's never
baked a cake
before, I guess
that's what will
have to happen
here: watch and
see how the
first judicial
decision is made
and how you
think she did...
and then that
will have to
happen over and
over again
before her track
record as a
judge is
established and
can be
evaluated.
At this point,
there's not much
to go by.
See, now there's
a new twist.
In his most
clever move yet,
President Bush
has chosen a
nominee who
cannot cause
division in the
House, can't be
fodder for
division because
there's really
not much to
deliberate and
nothing to
criticize.
A stroke of
genius!
In times past,
senate
deliberations
were weighty and
arduous; a
candidate's
qualifications
were either
altered,
misrepresented
or so blatantly
obvious that a
pretty fair
assumption could
be made
regarding their
future
performance.
Not so, in this
case----and
really, the
Senate ought to
thank Mr. Bush
for this
relatively
simple process.
In this case,
there's really
nothing to
--judge-- about
this potential
judge:
she's never been
one before.
Well... except
perhaps her
children (does
she have
children?) could
be contacted and
asked how their
mother judged or
handled childish
squabbles.
Or, how about a
chat with her
husband.
Maybe he could
shed some light
on her
judgment---how
they handled
where they'd
spend Christmas
and Easter---who
would turn out
the light or
which way the
tissue should
hang from the
roll (does she
have a
husband?).
Or, perhaps
someone could
contact her
neighbors,
relatives or
friends and she
how well they
believe she made
decisions----or
maybe someone
from the
Enquirer could
be
contacted---no,
wait, they
usually have
stories about
*known*
individuals.
In this case...
the Justice will
simply have the
marvelous
freedom to form
her own persona
from day to
day... from case
to case. I
wonder how long
it will take to
see why she was
the choice.
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October
2, 2005 |
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Another day...
Yet another attempt to get this page up and running! I don't know what I did to foul up my computer ---I'd sure like to think it was not error between the chair and the keyboard----at least not while I was in the chair, anyway! So... I hadn't realized how instantly a click could change everything in the box that sits next to my desk and contains what might be the strangest hobby I've ever undertaken----this website. Well, I suppose it didn't change everything---however, I, in essence, have had my super highway system rewritten and I can't figure how to navigate with some key intersections missing. Couple that with some very foolish keystrokes and I have eliminated a few days worth of work. Next time I see something like this or that file is incompatible or exists on the remote site but not on the destination site---I won't be so hasty to say... hey, okay... overwrite them all. Sometimes I have had to face the grim reality that sometimes me working on and attempting to maintain a webpage is almost as dangerous as granting 14 year old boys driver's licenses and giving them keys to sports cars and gasoline credit cards----there's often no telling what'll happen next. My apologies to all the exceptional 14 year old boys who could be responsible at any age and would be the exception to the rule regarding young men and sports cars.
October 1, 2005 |
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And so it goes
Happy Autumn!
What an amazing
week this has
turned out to
be. And
I'm beginning to
think: what week
would be
complete without
a trip to the
airport!
Or... what week
would be
complete without
a birthday!?
Or what week
would be
complete without
some deep
stinging
reminder that
we're all in
process and have
not arrived!?
So... this week
also brought a
few computer
glitches and
mild
exasperation
attempting to
get the
situation
resolved.
Thankfully,
Daniel took care
of my computer
for me and it's
up and running
without much
trouble now.
My trouble now
consists of
attempting to
restore special
links, files and
programs that
were lost or
reconfigured.
However... the
computer worked
well enough to
do what needed
to be done
earlier in the
week.
So... about that
trip to the
airport.
Wes answered the
phone Friday
morning to have
Timothy on the
other end say
something
like... Dad?
Yes(?) Hey... I
have some bad
news. Oh?
Yes. Oh.
Yeah, the guests
that were
scheduled to be
on the boat this
weekend
cancelled; hey,
can Kathryn come
down today?
Uh..............(long
pause and
whispering to
me: what do you
think? I nod,
sure!)
Okay---that'd be
fine.
Great... can she
get online and
check Alaska to
see if they have
a flight to Long
Beach this
morning?
Sure.
[Life is not
always like
this----these
are bizarre
days!]
From
the time we
received the
call to the time
we left for the
airport was a
little over two
hours... and
what a blessing
this was for
Kathryn.
So, Timothy
talked on the
phone to each of
the
children---and
then to each of
the children
"one more time,"
while Kathryn
made her
arrangements and
ran up to pack
her things in
order to leave
on time.
I was happy to
have the time
the drive to the
airport allowed
us. It's
been sort of a
different week
and so I can't
think of a
better
opportunity for
her than to get
way and to be
able to enjoy
spending some
time with
Timothy and Aunt
Martha.
It's been tough
having him gone
this long---but
I guess I am
really seeing
how the LORD is
softening the
time all the
while preparing
us all for his
eventual
departure... and
for me, the
maturing of the
children really
shows me how
short the time
is and to savor
the moments and
treasure the
memories.
We had the great
privilege of
celebrating
birthdays here
last night...
Wes's
fifty-something,
Michael's 24th
and Tara's 29th
birthday.
I sure missed
Kathryn as I
prepared her
Garlic Chicken
pizza,
Hawaiian
pineapple and
canadian bacon
pizza and bread
sticks.
They all said it
was
delicious---but
I knew hers is
better! So
while everyone
was here, I
thought of
her...
For dessert,
instead of
making cakes
(cake is an item
few in our
family really
likes very
much---except
German
Chocolate), I
decided to make
a "sundae-bar"
and had all
sorts of things
for ice cream...
toppings from
the hershey's
chocolate sauce
to butterscotch,
caramel, and
pineapple
toppings, along
with whipped
cream, sliced
strawberries,
bananas, apples,
oreo's, peanuts
and almonds.
I think the
grandchildren
liked the oreo's
best and the
caramel topping
was more popular
for sliced
apples than with
the ice cream.
I'm glad it all
worked out so
well... mostly
for the
"birthday boys"
and "birthday
girl," but for
everyone else,
too.
I've been making
my way through
the Making It
Home magazine
and I sure like
it! I
guess there are
some benefits to
an ailing
computer---though
I don't know of
many!
I
had been waiting
with great
anticipation for
the
Making It Home
magazine to
arrive and have
had to read it
in small bits of
free time.
With all the
responsibilities
of making it
home(y) around
here, and making
it school and
making it clean,
there hasn't
been enough time
for Making it
Home.
But... what
great articles
and great
encouragement.
In between
running to the
airport ~smile~
we've been
really trying to
stay at the
"dailies" and to
not get
sidetracked.
We've also been
attempting to
get every room
clean, every
drawer and
cupboard clean
and every closet
clean. I'd
say we're making
great
progress---and
this is the
point we often
fall behind in
the game---when
things are
almost done and
we get lax in
our work.
So, knowing
this, and
recognizing the
tendencies in us
all to rest in
our small
successes, we
are pressing on.
Your Comments
email: pamela AT achristianhome.org
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