Today I am thankful that God has blessed me with sons that have enough common sense to not flush things down the toilet that don't belong, or stick their heads in the toilet.  There hasn't been any playing with the poo or sticking things up noses.  My sons do not run through the house with sharp objects.  They don't eat play dough or dirt, or crayons.  They do not throw temper tantrums or nag me incessantly to buy them things when we go to the store.  My sons do not go around smacking and biting each other or other people.  We do not suffer glares from fellow patrons at the restraunt when we go out.  

My sons are not perfect, but they do use their brains, and in a good way.  Perhaps it is genetic.  Perhaps it is because their father and I have been rather diligent about keeping an eye on them and haven't just let them run helter skelter about the place.  Now, if I could just get them to clean their rooms.  :)

This summer has been a complete suckfest.  Ok, the second part of this summer has been a complete suckfest, sprinkled with small amounts of witty comments and such.  
There has been a most unwanted summer cold thing going around Winnsboro this month.  Cough, fever, etc.  Not fun and not wanted.  It has made its way through my entire household, which is a rarity in itself.  Usually a couple of us manage to make it out unscathed.  It has even reached people in my family who are outside my immediate household.  Maybe that's the problem with small towns.  What goes around comes around.  
All health and wellness aside, I have come up with a new saying tonight:  "There is a fine line between sarcasm and unsolicited advice.  I enjoy walking that line on a fairly regular basis."  I wonder how much trouble that is going to get me into.  I sort of posted it on Pastor Rose's facebook page. (note: currently biting lower lip in amused worry)
Also, this evening as Everette and I were cooking dinner, Elisha (4 yr old) comes into the kitchen and asks "What's for dinner? Because whatever it is, I don't like it. Is it meatloaf?"  
Now mind you, what was for dinner was steak, pasta with pesto and corn.  By the way, it was very delicious.  Later, at the table he says, "what's that?".  I said "It's Pesto sauce".  "I don't like it."  "How can you say you don't like it when you haven't even tasted it?"  At this point I realize that I lost this battle long before it even started.  Sadly I feel there are many more ahead for me like this one that I will inevitably lose.  
Everette made Mac n Cheese for lunch today.  Elisha didn't want that, he wanted a sandwich.  Now usually that means a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  Alas, today he didn't want the peanut butter.  I don't get it.  But apparently he feels the need to assert some sort of authority and control in his little world.  Ok, I can roll with this.  I hope.  

Yesterday I had a realization about eight years too late.  Why is that when a woman suffers a miscarriage, she isn't offered grief counseling?  Her loss is as great as anyone else's.  Why are we sent home to deal with this loss alone?  Husbands don't get it.  Families don't get it.  Friends don't get it.  Unless you have gone through it, you don't get it.
I had a miscarriage in 2003 and it was the most devastating thing to happen in my life.  I now know I went through all the stages of grief. Shock, denial, bargaining, guilt, anger, depression, hope.  

Shock: At first I was sort of on autopilot, going through the motions when I was told there was something wrong.

Denial:  I tried to convince myself that the doctor was wrong.

Bargaining:  I begged and pleaded with God to make it right.  I probably made a ton of promises, some of which would have been impractical.

Guilt:  I felt that anything I had done during the pregnancy had compromised it.  Swimming in the ocean, drinking coffee, eating subway sandwiches that weren't toasted.  All sorts of things.

Anger:  I was so angry at God for not saving my pregnancy.  I was angry that it took four weeks for someone to come up with a solid answer.  Angry that my husband didn't seem to be upset and he even thought that after a couple of months that I should have gotten over it.  Angry that people would say things that were hurtful when they were trying to make me feel better.  Maybe they were trying to make themselves feel better.  Angry that I had nowhere to turn to just let it all out!

Depression:  I felt like God had let me down and I couldn't trust in Him anymore. I was sad all the time.  Each day that went by, I thought about how big my baby would be now.  And when spring came, and my due date approached, I wept over the knowledge that I would not be having a baby now.  When a year passed, my heart ached wondering what my child would have looked like at a year old.  Even now, I wonder what sort of person he/she would have become.  My heart ached constantly for what was not to be.

Hope: This last one took the longest to reach.  I know that my baby is in the arms of the angels.  I know that I can survive such pain and still carry on.  That when we experience loss, God does not leave us empty for long.  I know that God’s Word says “For in Me you might have peace.  In the world you shall have tribulation.  But be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

How much faster might I have reached that stage of hope if I had had someone to talk to, who could guide me through these stages?  I am going to pray about this one.  I feel like there has to be something I can do to help other women who have experienced this sort of loss.  Counseling, support groups, something.  You should never have to walk the path of loss alone.

Tonight I have decided to make a list of some great things about California.  So here I go.

1.  Beaches, beaches, beaches:  Let's face it, this state is not land locked.  And it doesn't take more than a few hours from any point in the state to reach a beach.
2.  Beautiful weather, though we tend to skip one or two seasons occasionally.
3.  Wine Country
4.  Avocados: California is well known for its Avocado orchards.
5.  Oranges:  You have two options, California or Florida.  Have you seen the size of a California orange?  Their huge!
6.  Garlic!!! Gilroy has a garlic fest.
7.  Sequoias.  Have you seen those trees?  Their huge!  And people say everything is big in Texas.  Ha.
8.  Natural lakes, as opposed to a thousand man made ones.
9.  Aerospace industry:  Have you ever seen the SR-71 or F-117 fly by?  I have.
10. Growing up, we got to watch the Space Shuttle land several times (when weather was bad in Florida)
11. California has every type of landscape: Mountains, valley, beach, forest, desert, etc.
12. Diversity
13. Disneyland!!!
14. California is home to Saddle Back Community Church (Rick Warren's church, author of "The Purpose Driven Life") and New Song Community Church (Hal Seed's church) which made the movie "To Save a Life".
15. Ski Mountain High: during the winter you can take in some awesome skiing.
16. California is heading up several eco-friendly projects, like solar energy, wind energy, etc.  They have strict emissions laws, wildlife reservations (even on a military base).
17. California has very strict building codes.  Something you don't see in certain other states where houses are unsafe to live in, yet people still do.  Also, they know how to pave a street.
18. California has a wide variety of opportunities and colleges.
19. Knott's Berry Farm, Six Flags Magic Mt., San Dimas water park, San Diego's Sea World, Legoland.
20. Californians are supportive of their military.  And they don't protest military funerals!

This is what I have so far.  As I think of more, the list will grow.  If you think of more, feel free to add them in a comment.  Please no hating here.  If you don't like it, say it in your own blog.  God Bless.

The black hole that is the Twilight Saga

A couple of years ago a few friends talked me into going to see the latest Twilight movie at that time. It was the second or third in the series. Since it was the midnight premiere, they insisted that I sit and watch the first one on the computer while we waited in line. So the first one was ok. The second one was a like Chinese water torture. The first half of the movie was basically Bella (the lead character, who by the way is a teenage girl in love with both a vampire and a werewolf) being depressed. Mind you, this isn't a short movie, so I found myself wanting to slit my own wrists watching her mope about. I must have seen the third movie at some point after, and swore I wasn't going to see the fourth movie. Then last week I saw the first previews for the movie and found myself strangely drawn to it like a moth to a flame. It isn't out yet, and so to get my Twilight fix, I went and bought the book. It was Sunday and the library was closed, so that wasn't an option. Now I am sucked into this black hole and can't get out. The thing is, I am way past page 200 and so far the book has only covered a handful of days. This is driving me crazy! I keep reading, waiting for some advancement into the story, but so far it is dragging on moment by moment, thought by thought of the two lead characters. Oh, will it ever end? I will update soon with that answer.

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Books

Could books be going the way of the 8-Track? With the ongoing closeout of Borders Books Stores nation-wide, and the increasing push of Nook and Kindles, this consumer wonders if books are about to become obsolete. Already some colleges and a few high schools are requiring students to carry a Nook or Kindle in place of their regular load of books. All books are instead loaded onto the device, making their physical load much lighter.
However, I love books. I love going to book stores. I LOVE sitting at Barnes and Noble, sipping a delicious coffee drink and previewing a book I am considering buying. I love books. I like to have a large collection of books. I have cook books, classic literature, kids books (lots of kids books), cook books, etc. I have a few books by a favorite author that have been autographed. Some books that are very special to me.
So I will continue to buy books. Continue to borrow books from the library. Hopefully, there will always be books, and bookstores. I hope you feel this way too.

"Van Impe ministry abandons TBN in clash over Islam"

The following is a reprint of an article written *By Bob Unruh
© 2011 WND
It has appeared on several sites, including http://www.wnd.com/?pageId=311473


A Christian ministry's decision to expose as "false teachers" several celebrity ministers it believes are corrupting biblical teachings has prompted a rift, with Jack Van Impe Ministries dropping plans to work in the future with Trinity Broadcasting Network, where it has broadcast for more than two decades.

"I Will Not Be Silenced! I will not allow anyone to tell me what I can and cannot preach," Van Impe said in a statement when TBN would not allow his program to air.

"When I see heretical teaching leading to apostasy, I will speak out," he said. "The Bible says 'All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:' (II Timothy 3:16). The Apostle Paul also gives instructions in Titus 1:9-11, 13 'Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers. For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers … Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake…Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith.'"

Van Impe said he immediately called his media agents and told them, "I no longer wanted to air my program on Trinity Broadcasting Network; we will take the tremendous amount of money that we were spending there to obtain new stations that will allow us to continue to reach every square mile of America with the truths of the Bible without this network."

The dispute arose over the issue of advocating for "Chrislam" and other efforts that are designed to find "common ground" between Christians and Muslims. TBN declined to air one of Van Impe's programs that contained sharp criticisms of leaders such as Rick Warren of "The Purpose Driven Life" fame and Robert Schuller.

In a statement from Van Impe Ministries today, Executive Director Ken Vancil said his organization rejected an effort by TBN to reinstate the programming and would work to develop alternative broadcast outlets where they were needed.

"We would not be able to minister effectively if we had to look over our shoulder wondering if a program was going to be censored because of mentioning a name," Vancil said. "While there is hurt over this incident, we hold no animosity towards TBN. Dr. Van Impe has often expressed his appreciate to Paul and Jan (Crouch, of TBN) and all that they have accomplished."

But he confirmed that Paul Crouch Sr. "cautioned" him as recently as Monday "regarding Dr. Van Impe's naming of names and publicly rebuking ministers and their teachings."

The dispute erupted just last week, when Van Impe's ministry planned to air sharp criticism of Christians who say they want to "reach out" by incorporating beliefs or practices of Islam into their Christian organizations.

The program specifically mentioned Warren and Schuller, prompting TBN to prevent the broadcast.

"We received a call from Matt Crouch of TBN informing us that they would not run that program. … The reason he gave was that we specifically mentioned Rick Warren and Robert Schuller and that it is TBN's policy that broadcasters are not allowed to rebuke other ministries," Van Impe said.

"This is a rather hypocritical statement in light of the fact that they have never said anything in the past when we have rebuked others such as Bishop Spong, Bishop Pike, and in the past few months Harold Camping and Rob Bell," he continued. "They also stated that they would not run any future program where we offered our DVD Reclaiming & Restoring Biblical Christianity as a premium for a donation to our ministry. A DVD that exposes false teachers and the heresies that they proclaim."

TBN did not respond to WND's request for comment on the dispute.

Vancil said after TBN's decision not to air the program that there was no future between the two groups.

"This was not an easy decision; we have had a relationship with TBN for 23 years. … But at this point we feel it is time to part ways," he said. "We have been able to over the years develop an independent network of broadcast stations all across America as well as broadcasting on TBN and Daystar. Our media agents have worked diligently and determined that we need to add 14 stations to be able to continue fully covering every mile of America.

"Praise God I am pleased to announce that negotiations have progressed in these 14 markets and that contracts will be presented to the Van Impes for approval in a matter of days," he said.

In the program that was cut, which remains available on the Jack Van Impe Ministries website, the ministry launches its campaign regarding "apostate ministers."

Van Impe explains that the Bible prophesies a one-world government and a one-world religion during the end times, and his concern focuses on the move among some Christian organizations to adopt some Islamic thought and incorporate elements of Islam into their worship.

"We've got too many of these mush-mouth preachers. All they're doing is two stories and a movie review," he said. But the Bible actually outlines that its messages also are to "reprove and rebuke" Christians for failing to live for God.

According to the broadcast, "Chrislam is a term that may be used more often among apostate churches."

Such Islamic and evangelical Christian leaders, the report explained, are working to find a way to promote "common beliefs the two religions supposedly share."

Specifically cited were Warren and Schuller.

During a subsequent broadcast, also available on the ministry's website, the advance of "Chrislam" thoughts and practices into Christian churches was described as a "tsunami of compromise."

"This compromise is going to permeate Christianity," Van Impe said. "I'm calling for the old-time religion to be restored.

"God called me to preach. And I will not stand down for any man, for any church, for any Christian organization," he said.

The report noted that there are some Christian missionaries overseas who have "eliminated 91 verses in God's Holy Word because they wanted to please Islam and the Muslims."

Those references identify Jesus as the Son of God.

Other developments include moves by some Christian churches to remove clear Christian emblems such as crosses.

He said what churches need today is that "old time religion" and less "self-esteem psycho-babble."

Criticized on the program were recommendations attributed to Warren that churches change music to a contemporary rock style, eliminate hymnbooks and the choir, eliminate the Sunday evening or Wednesday prayer services, remove the word "church" and refer to it as a "campus," and reduce the use of the words "unsaved," "lost," "hell" and "heaven."

Other ministries have voiced criticism similar to Van Impe's.

Joe Schimmel, senior pastor of Blessed Hope Chapel in Southern California and chief of the Good Fight Ministries, openly has questioned whether church leaders are affirming Allah.

Schimmel, who is best known for "They Sold Their Souls for Rock n Roll," which exposes satanic influences behind much of yesterday and today's popular music and how it negatively influences youth, suggested in a WND column, "Could it be that we are witnessing the formation of the prophesied one-world religion under the Antichrist? (Revelation 13:1-18) "

He cited Brian McLaren of the emerging church movement, who planned for an Islamic Ramadan celebration. And he mentioned Warren's agreement to address the Islamic Society of North America, which "the Department of Justice categorized two years ago as a co-conspirator in financing a foreign terrorist group!"

Another church leader, Tony Campolo, "a proponent of the so-called 'evangelical left' claimed that 'even if' Muslims 'don't convert, they are God's people,'" Schimmel wrote.

"Even more chilling is the fact that over 300 prominent Christian leaders signed a letter issued by the Yale Center for Faith and Culture claiming that world peace is dependent on Muslims and Christians recognizing 'Allah' and 'Yahweh' as the same God. This letter, titled 'Loving God and Neighbor Together,' was written in response to a signed document by 138 Muslim leaders titled 'A Common Word Between Us and You.' McLaren, Warren, Robert Schuller and Bill Hybels were just several of the signatories to this outright betrayal of Christ!" he said.

TBN previously had a conflict over its intolerance for criticism of Islam. It was in 2006 when Hal Lindsey, WND columnist and one of the world's most popular non-fiction authors, clashed with the network because TBN wanted him to soften his views on Muslims. Lindsey refused.