I Really Don't Have Time to Blog

Feast of the Presentation

2012-02-02T18:43:00.000-08:00

Time to put away the Christmas decorations!

40 days after His birth, Jesus was presented at the temple (Luke 2:22-36). The church celebrates this event in Jesus's life with the Feast of the Presentation.

It is also the source of beautiful song of Simeon which is a part of our liturgy known as nunc dimittis (Latin for "now dismiss"). Lutherans sing this following the celebration of communion.

Now dismiss Thy servant, O Lord, In peace,

according to Thy word:

For mine own eyes hath seen Thy salvation,

Which Thou hast prepared in the sight of all the peoples,

A light to reveal Thee to the nations

And the glory of Thy people Israel.

#3

2012-01-12T19:41:00.000-08:00

Sleep!!! 8 hours a night. Every night.

Zzzzzz Zzzzzz

Resolution #2

2012-01-09T15:05:00.000-08:00

Drink water. 8x8

Slosh. Slosh. Slosh.

New Year's Resolution #1

2012-01-02T18:33:00.000-08:00

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Yes, in an election year. I like a challenge.

Tidings of Comfort & Joy!

2011-12-19T15:27:00.000-08:00

A very merry Christmas to all of you out there in cyberspace! 2011 was indeed a very interesting year, I look forward to what 2012 will bring. God bless & keep you.

A New Tradition?

2011-12-02T22:08:00.000-08:00

We had a lovely Thanksgiving at my in-laws. Delicious food, great company, good times. But when it came time for desserts my youngest, Sally, asked for pumpkin pie - but sadly there wasn't any.

My in-laws, now in their 70s, were tired of eating the same old thing every Thanksgiving and served pulled-pork sandwiches, baked beans, macaroni salad, scalloped potatoes and for dessert chocolate cake or banana cream pie. As I said, the food was great, I didn't think twice about it until Sally asked for pumpkin pie. And I realized what is routine, and perhaps boring, for us is neither routine nor boring for a six year old. The smell of a roasting turkey is not an ingrained memory for her.

I can't re-do Thanksgiving. Our tradition has always been to spend it at either my parents' or Mr. Bee's parents' homes. My parents are gone too soon, and I enjoy being with my in-laws whatever they decide to serve. We will keep going there.

Christmas is a different story and I have decided to start a new chapter, beginning with Christmas dinner. Turkey, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberry relish, pumpkin pie. Digging out the china, white table linen, cloth napkins, crystal candlesticks. What good does all that stuff do tucked away in cupboards? Some of it we received as wedding presents 23+ years ago and have never used!

I've never done the big dinner before. I am excited and a little nervous, but ready to start a new family tradition. I think Sally and the other kids will appreciate it someday. I'm making a memory. A good one, I hope. :-)

For the Lord God Omnipotent Reigneth!

2011-11-23T19:39:00.000-08:00

Last Thanksgiving

2011-11-18T19:01:00.001-08:00

I wanted to post about this last year because I found it really veryinteresting, but then with the hub-bub of the holidays I forgot until anotherThanksgiving rolled around again.

A Minnesota Family hosted Thanksgiving dinner for 32 people and theonly thing store-bought was the salt. On the menu:

Venison roast with wild mushrooms

Pork roast with garden herbs

Wild turkey breast

Squirrel booya

Sweet and sour red cabbage and beets

Roasted potatoes with herbs

Baked squash with homemade butter

Corn on the cob

Green beans

Tomatoes

Sautéed kale

Cornbread

Popovers

Serviceberry pie

Boxelder syrup flan with a hazelnut crust

Rhubarb

Rhubarb/serviceberry wine

Hard cider

Grape wine

The family that hosted the dinner didn't prepare everything, the guests(friends & family) pitched in many of the homegrown items for the meal. Ittook a ton of planning, but how cool is that?!

Que Sera, Sera

2011-10-20T07:33:00.000-07:00

I almost forgot! According to Harold Camping of Family Radio, the world will end tomorrow (as opposed to last May 21st when obviously it did not).

(Big Sigh)

100% of all end-of-the-world predictions have been wrong. It's like playing a lottery you have no possibility of winning. Has Mr. Camping ever read Matthew 24? Perhaps he is really trying to predict his own passing?

When I was in junior high one of my friends told me the world was going to end on such-and-such a day. She knew because there had been a speaker at her church and the speaker showed them all the signs from the Bible that had "come true". My friend told me to read the Book of Revelation and that it would scare me to death. I did read it, or tried to, but found it too confusing and gave up. Decided to pray instead. And wouldn't you know, here we are +/-35 years later, still waiting for the world's demise.

Whatever will be, will be. The future's not ours to see. Que sera, sera. What will be, will be.

UPDATE: There was a 4.0 magnitude earthquake near the Family Radio headquarters!!! I cannot imagine the reaction inside that building. ROFL

I tried to find something about end times predictions in the late 70s to pinpoint what my friend was talking about and I found this list of predicted dates of the end of the world on Wikipedia (Martin Luther made the list!).

Christian by Grace. Lutheran by choice.

2011-10-13T14:38:00.000-07:00

Two epiphanies in my life:

I was raised in a conservative, by-the-book United Methodist Church. When I left home I was surprised to discover that not all UMC's are the same and my home church was one of a dying breed. I starting attending a very big UMC that was nothing like the church at home. It had a praise band, three pastors, drama troop, gazillions of clubs & activities. Worship was nothing like my boring old home church. Professional musicians were regular guests and there was always something new and exciting.

I was very happy one weekend when my mom came for a visit and I could take her to my new church and show it off a bit. It was a great service featuring an oboist from the Chicago Symphony. After the service, mom looked at me and asked, "When does church start?" (Awkward pause) I answered, "That was church." And she said, "No, that was people putting on a show."

Epiphany #1: Mom was right. And I realized that what I liked about that UMC was that it was cool and I felt that by going there it made me cool too. And I also realized, that even though they were singing about Jesus, and preaching about Jesus, it wasn't about Jesus. Scripture was not the centerpiece - the performance was. We were not gathering to hear God's Word, we were gathering to be entertained by skits and musical numbers - and (worse) to see & be seen.

The second epiphany I'm thinking of happened before the first one. While in college my friend Ellen invited me to Sunday worship at her Wisconsin Synod Lutheran Church. It was the campus WELS church and the congregation was mainly college-age people like myself. The liturgy totally lost me. I felt like I was juggling the hymn book and the bulletin and had no clue what I was suppose to be doing. Even though I was a life-long church-goer it felt totally foreign. I looked around and was amazed to see there were some people who didn't use the hymnal - they knew the service by heart. One young guy even had his eyes shut.

Epiphany #2: This was true worship. There was something mystical and transcendent and authentic in that liturgical worship. A raw spiritual energy. I couldn't put a name on it, but I felt it and part of me yearned for more. However, it was several years before I returned. That's how the 2 epiphanies tie together -- after my mom made me realize how shallow my Methodist Church was, I sought out a Lutheran Church to see if liturgy was the answer. It was.

That is why my short answer to why I converted to Lutheranism is, "I came for the liturgy and stayed for the doctrine."

Song in my heart this July

2011-07-12T15:40:00.000-07:00

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way;
When sorrows, like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.
It is well with my soul,
It is well, it is well with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
It is well with my soul,
It is well, it is well with my soul.

He lives–oh, the bliss of this glorious thought;
My sin, not in part, but the whole,
Is nailed to His cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
It is well with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

And, Lord, haste the day when our faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll,
The trumpet shall sound and the Lord shall descend;
Even so it is well with my soul.
It is well with my soul,
It is well, it is well with my soul.

-Horatio G. Spafford, 1873

simul iustus et peccator

2011-05-18T14:27:00.000-07:00

I'm full of myself—after all, I've spent a long time in sin's prison. What I don't understand about myself is that I decide one way, but then I act another, doing things I absolutely despise. So if I can't be trusted to figure out what is best for myself and then do it, it becomes obvious that God's command is necessary.

But I need something more! For if I know the law but still can't keep it, and if the power of sin within me keeps sabotaging my best intentions, I obviously need help! I realize that I don't have what it takes. I can will it, but I can't do it. I decide to do good, but I don't really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway. My decisions, such as they are, don't result in actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time.

It happens so regularly that it's predictable. The moment I decide to do good, sin is there to trip me up. I truly delight in God's commands, but it's pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight. Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge.

I've tried everything and nothing helps. I'm at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me? Isn't that the real question?

The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does. He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different.

With the arrival of Jesus, the Messiah, that fateful dilemma is resolved. Those who enter into Christ's being-here-for-us no longer have to live under a continuous, low-lying black cloud. A new power is in operation. The Spirit of life in Christ, like a strong wind, has magnificently cleared the air, freeing you from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny at the hands of sin and death.

--Romans 7:15-8:2 The Message

Some days are just like that, aren't they?

Mother's Day

2011-05-09T14:33:00.001-07:00

My mom has been gone a year tomorrow. I miss her.

It was a bittersweet Mother's Day.

I've been reflecting on all of the things I learned from her. And thinking of what a good example she was of sacrifice, resilience and faith.

What I learned from my mom that is especially important in my life right now is stability. The constancy and reliability of character that is so necessary in a family. And so difficult sometimes.

Being there. With a hug. A word of encouragement. Or just conversation.

24-7-365.

That's the kind of mom she was and that is the kind of mom I hope to be.

Holy Thursday: The Elements

2011-04-20T19:37:00.000-07:00

This past Holy Week I attended a Passover Seder put on by a Messianic congregation. It was amazing! I learned soooo much. These are just some of the random things I've been thinking about....

Above is a Passover Seder plate. Note the egg (beitzah) in the 10 o'clock position.

From Ask Moses.org:We place an egg on the Seder Plate to commemorate the Chagiga sacrifice (holiday offering,) which was offered in the Holy Temple on the 14th of Nissan, and eaten during the Seder, along with the Paschal Offering...In addition to its role on the Seder plate the egg serves another purpose at the Seder. Before the beginning of Shluchan Oreich, the meal part of the Seder, we eat the egg...because an egg also represents our mourning of the destruction of the Holy Temple...The egg is eaten as an appetizer before the meal...and is traditionally dipped into salt water before being eaten.

“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!"

Matzah - Unleavened bread. The Passover Seder is part of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Matzah looks a lot like a cracker. It has holes & stripes. Three matzah are set apart on the seder table. The middle matzah, which symbolizes the Paschal Lamb (or Isaac), is called the afrikomen (that which is coming). It is broken and hidden until the end of the meal. After the meal, the afrikomen is found and passed around the table and all participants break off a piece. After saying the blessing over the bread, it is consumed.

And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

The blessing over the cup is recited and the third cup wine in the seder is consumed. This third cup of wine is known as the "cup of blessing" or "cup of redemption".

And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood."

Attacks on Catholic Christians. Sad & Sadder.

2011-04-17T14:56:00.000-07:00

Last weekend: --A fire is started under a 75-year-old man's statue of Jesus in his backyard prayer garden in St. Paul. --In Lakeville, a man walks into a church during mass and pours urine on the altar and Book of Gospels. I'm not accustomed to this type of overt, threatening, physical persecution and I don't want to be. This shouldn't be run-of-the-mill stuff in the Upper Midwest. It is sad that these atrocities took place. And sadder how unconcerned secular society is.

More Counterfeit Christianity!!

2011-04-12T19:44:00.000-07:00

The very same week I published the example of Counterfeit Christianity from Family Time Radio, I received an Anointed Unusual Bible Faith Church Prayer Rug from St. Matthews Churches. This scam is well-documented on the Internet. The "rug" is a piece of paper about the size and weight of a paper place mat. I'm suppose to kneel on it and pray for something I need then send it back to the church along with a letter telling them my name and address and asking them to pray for me. Will they pray for me? I don't know. Will they prey on me? Definitely.

There are five pieces in the envelope - an instructional letter, the prayer rug, a special prophecy, success stories, and a return envelope. The only Gospel message is on the back of the prophecy sheet. It says, "Due to Christ's death on the cross and His resurrection, we all who are redeemed can gain eternal life. Christ died on the cross for our sins (St. John 3:16)." What I find most disturbing about the mailing is the trinket I'll receive if I return the letter and rug with my prayer request: a Deuteronomy 8:18 Prosperity Cross. (Deut. 8:18: "You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day.")

The "prosperity" found through the cross is NOT worldly wealth. I would say the prosperity of the cross is defined in Colossians 1:19-20: "For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross."

Or in 1 Peter 2:24: "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed."

Yes, pray for what you need. Yes, ask fellow believers to pray for you. But, no, don't get caught-up in prosperity gospel scams. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Matthew 6:33)

Counterfeit Christianity

2011-03-15T15:41:00.000-07:00

I got this flyer in the mail some time ago. What really caught my eye is the date: May 21, 2011 – my wedding anniversary! The end of the world on my anniversary?! Maybe I need to rethink my dinner plans....Or maybe not.

Eschatology is my least favorite subject so I didn’t rush to read through the flyer. It is a legal-sized piece of paper divided into four columns, printed on the front and back in smallish (for my old eyes) print. It is from Family Radio.

So this week I finally read the flyer. First time through I thought (among other things) Where’s the Gospel? The second time through I found what I think is suppose to be the Gospel. It is the only time Jesus is mentioned. From the bottom of page 2 and top of page 3 of the flyer:

Because God is so great and glorious He calls Himself by many different names. Each name tells us something about the glorious character and nature of God. Thus in the Bible we find such names as God, Jehovah, Christ, Jesus, Lord, Allah, Holy Spirit, Savior, etc. Names such as Jehovah, Jesus, Savior, and Christ particularly point to God as the only means by which forgiveness from all of our sins and eternal life can be obtained by God’s merciful and glorious actions.

This forgiveness was made possible because Christ took upon Himself each and every sin of each and every person He saves from the wrath of God. The Holy Bible describes this astounding action as it was demonstrated by Jesus, who never ceased to be God, being put to death on the cross to show how He paid for sins. He then was raised from the grave and returned into heaven.
That is why the Bible has much to say about those who place their complete trust in Christ, who did all the work required for salvation, after they become saved from the wrath of God.

To make things more interesting, the last two paragraphs are deleted from Family Radio’s html version here, but are still found on the website’s pdf version here.

Family Radio claims to be a Bible-based Christian broadcasting ministry with no church affiliation. If Family Radio is Christian, and its founder Harold Camping claims to be Christian, why are they ashamed of the Gospel???

Salvation comes by the grace of God alone through faith in Jesus Christ alone as Lord and Savior who was crucified and died on the cross for our sins.

…but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. – Romans 5:8-9

Lent 2011

2011-03-13T11:51:00.001-07:00

Jesus sinners doth receive;
Oh, may all this saying ponder
Who in sin's delusions live
And from God and heaven wander!
Here is hope for all who grieve--
Jesus sinners doth receive.

We deserve but grief and shame,
Yet His words, rich grace revealing,
Pardon, peace, and life proclaim.
Here their ills have perfect healing
Who with humble hearts believe--
Jesus sinners doth receive.

Sheep that from the fold did stray
No true shepherd e'er forsaketh:
Weary souls that lost their way
Christ, the Shepherd, gently taketh
In His arms that they may live--
Jesus sinners doth receive.

Come, ye sinners, one and all,
Come, accept His invitation;
Come, obey His gracious call,
Come and take His free salvation!
Firmly in these words believe:
Jesus sinners doth receive.

I, a sinner, come to Thee
With a penitent confession;
Savior, mercy show to me
Grant for all my sins remission.
Let these words my soul relieve:
Jesus sinners doth receive.

Oh, how blest it is to know;
Were as scarlet my transgression,
It shall be as white as snow
By Thy blood and bitter Passion:
For these words I now believe:
Jesus sinners doth receive.

Now my conscience is at peace,
From the Law I stand acquitted;
Christ hath purchased my release
And my every sin remitted.
Naught remains my soul to grieve,--
Jesus sinners doth receive.

Jesus sinners doth receive.
Also I have been forgiven;
And when I this earth must leave,
I shall find an open heaven.
Dying, still to Him I cleave--
Jesus sinners doth receive.

- Erdmann Neumeister, 1718

The Nativity: Facebook Style

2010-12-17T17:20:00.000-08:00

Catch Up

2010-11-03T19:47:00.000-07:00

I've been enjoying a long, sunny autumn and not thinking much about blogging. It seems Facebook consumes more of my online time. (I'm on Facebook with my real name, which isn't Sue Bee, sorry!)

I meant to post something nice for Reformation Sunday and I had a good Luther quote picked out, then I lost it. If it comes back to me I'll have to post it right away.

Enjoyed the very exciting election yesterday -- and in Minnesota it isn't over yet!

That's all for now...

Daily Dose of Common Sense

2010-09-23T20:44:00.000-07:00

"If you complain of neglect of education in sons, what shall I say with regard to daughters, who every day experience the want of it? With regard to the education of my own children, I find myself soon out of my depth, destitute and deficient in every part of education. I most sincerely wish ... that our new Constitution may be distinguished for encouraging learning and virtue. If we mean to have heroes, statesmen, and philosophers, we should have learned women." - Abigail Adams (1744–1818), U.S. matriarch; wife and mother of United States President. Familiar Letters of John Adams and His Wife Abigail Adams, During the Revolution, letter dated August 14, 1776 (1875).

Amen.

2010-09-09T19:23:00.000-07:00

(Hat tip to Thursday's Musings)

Candy Gone AWOL

2010-09-08T15:18:00.000-07:00

My dear husband, Mr. Bee, likes watching pro-wrestling (but I love him anyway). In pro-wrestling quite often one of the stars will get "jumped" backstage or in the parking garage, or seemed to be seriously injured in the ring. Mr. Bee always assures me (& our littler kids) that if it is on camera it is a "work." That means it is scripted, planned, a part of the show. You see it because they want you to see it.

At first I thought Candy deleting her blog was a "work". She's done it before, only to put it back up after a couple of days. But this time seems a bit different, it isn't just the blog that's gone -- it's everything else (Facebook, PhotoBucket, etc.) too, even her husband's pages. Strange & more than a little creepy.

I have theories, but I'm not going to go there...what I want to say is that Real Life has a way of grabbing our attention when we are busy doing other things and I pray whatever has happened that no one is ill or has been harmed. Since it isn't a "work" then it really isn't any of my business, but I admit I am curious (yes, shame on me).

In a odd way Candy is like a friend, I feel she is someone I know fairly well having read her blog for the past several years. I disagree with her at times -- and agree with her at times! It'll be a weird blog-o-sphere without her.

...because of the angels

2010-09-02T20:16:00.000-07:00

That is why a wife ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels. - 1Cor 11:10

======================================================

Hurtful are women, my children; because, since they have no power or strength over the man, they act subtly through outward guise how they may draw him to themselves; and whom they cannot overcome by strength, him they overcome by craft. For moreover the angel of God told me concerning them, and taught me that women are overcome by the spirit of fornication more than men, and they devise in their heart against men; and by means of their adornment they deceive first their minds, and instil the poison by the glance of their eye, and then they take them captive by their doings, for a woman cannot overcome a man by force.

Therefore flee fornication, my children, and command your wives and your daughters that they adorn not their heads and their faces; because every woman who acts deceitfully in these things has been reserved to everlasting punishment. For thus they allured the Watchers before the flood; and as these continually beheld them, they fell into desire each of the other, and they conceived the act in their mind, and changed themselves into the shape of men, and appeared to them in their congress with their husbands; and the women, having in their minds desire toward their apparitions, gave birth to giants, for the Watchers appeared to them as reaching even unto heaven. - The Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs: The Testament of Reuben Concerning Thoughts.

Interesting...

Ideals & Idealism (a rerun in honor of the 90th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment)

2010-08-19T00:00:00.000-07:00

[Originally posted September of 2008] My oldest has turned 18 and is preparing to vote for the very first time. She is looking carefully at the candidates and weighing her choices quite seriously. There are several local and state contests, as well as the highly publicized national election. I am proud of her and how responsible she has become. I dare say quite a few of our adult citizens could learn a lesson from her.

I've been thinking a lot lately about suffrage. I wrote a paper in high school about the women's suffrage movement. While I don't recall a single word of the essay, I do remember asking my mom if my grandmothers had marched in picket lines and if they had shared with her what it was like to vote for the very first time (they would have been 32 and 34 in 1920). To my great disappointment, my grandmothers not only didn't picket, they never voted. Not once. My teenage-self was shocked! Embarrassed! Appalled! All those big teenage emotions!

My adult-self is much more understanding.

Reality check: Some women were for women's suffrage. Some were anti-suffrage. Most were apathetic.

The anti-suffrage women were by-and-large part of a group labeled the Cult of Domesticity or Cult of True Womanhood. The domesticity cult believed "true women" would possess these four virtues:

1. Piety - women were believed to be more religious and spiritual than men

2. Purity - pure in heart, mind, and body

3. Submission - held in "perpetual childhood" where men dictated all actions and decisions

4. Domesticity - a division between work and home; men went out in the world to earn a living, home became the woman's domain where a wife created a "haven in a heartless world" for her husband and children. [source: Wikipedia]

On the flip-side the suffragettes argued that women would bring a moral voice to elections and surely with women voting, corruption and vice in politics would be eliminated. The needs of children would be women's focus.

Both sides of the issue had high ideals. The Antis painted a beautiful, romantic picture of home life. Happy and peaceful. The Suffragettes implored us to put our values into action and use our vote to improve the human condition. Make the world a better place for all.

88+ years later women are still divided. The Cult of Domesticity still exists - visit any number of the so-called "Proverbs 31 woman" sites. They remain small in number and virtually invisible to the public eye. In this election they won't vote for McCain/Palin (unless their husbands tell them to) because McCain is a moderate and they believe Palin should be home taking care of her family.

The suffragettes mutated into liberal feminism....Since I can't think of a single nice thing to say about liberal feminists, I'll say nothing at all. They won't vote for McCain/Palin because they vehemently despise McCain & Palin.

The majority, then and now, are somewhere in the middle. Just the same as my grandmothers. You see, Grandma Myrtle and Grandma Iris didn't vote because they didn't follow politics. They weren't cult of domesticity types, both were wage earners. Although the census says "homemaker" the reality was they earned money by taking in laundry, cleaning houses, and working seasonally at the canning factory. Plus they raised 11 and 10 children respectively. The majority of women have always fallen into this category. Hard working, family loving, quietly doing what needs to be done.

The ideals of the suffragettes are still alive and reside somewhere in the middle, with the women like my daughter who still believe their vote matters and they can change the world for the better from the ballot box. And perhaps she is right, perhaps her generation can succeed where the past 3 have failed miserably.

She has already succeeded in making this cynic a bit more idealistic.

Couldn't have said it better myself

2010-08-18T12:52:00.000-07:00

"The man who is ostentatious of his modesty is twin to the statue that wears a fig leaf."

- Mark Twain

Salute to Legalism Part 3

2010-08-11T15:06:00.000-07:00

He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” --Luke 18:9-14

Who is the legalist? The one who brags about his or her righteous acts, or the one who does not? We are redeemed by God's mercy, not by how we act or what we wear, and that should leave us feeling very humbled. Very humbled indeed.

The Song In My Heart This Sunday

2010-07-31T19:19:00.000-07:00

What is this bread?
Christ’s body risen from the dead:
This bread we break,
This life we take,
Was crushed to pay for our release.
O taste and see–the Lord is peace.

What is this wine?
The blood of Jesus shed for mine;
The cup of grace
Brings His embrace
Of life and love until I sing!
O taste and see–the Lord is King.

So who am I,
That I should live and He should die
Under the rod?
My God, my God,
Why have You not forsaken me?
O taste and see–the Lord is free.

Yet is God here?
Oh, yes! By Word and promise clear,
In mouth and soul
He makes us whole–
Christ, truly present in this meal.
O taste and see–the Lord is real.

Is this for me?
I am forgiven and set free!
I do believe
That I receive
His very body and His blood.
O taste and see–the Lord is good.

This Is Intense

2010-07-16T20:57:00.001-07:00

Children are baptized during a mass baptism ceremony in the town of Mtskheta outside Tbilisi, July 13, 2010. About 700 children were baptized by the Georgian Orthodox church during the 12th mass baptism ceremony led by Patriarch Ilia II. -- REUTERS

N.W.O.

2010-07-12T15:02:00.000-07:00

My fancy new scale gave me a sad wake-up call. I am what is known as Normal Weight Obese. (Insert loud, long, sad groan here).

What this means is my weight is within the norms for someone my height, and my BMI is in the normal range (22.4). But, my body fat measurement ain't what it should be. It should be mid-to-low 20s. It is 34%.

I'm like the package of bacon I wouldn't buy.

The good news is I don't need to diet. The bad news is I need to exercise.

I think I'll put up a ticker if I can find one and see how long it takes to lose 10% of the lard I'm packing.

Six of One/Half-Dozen of the Other

2010-07-11T20:16:00.001-07:00

Due to the annoying "Asian" pornographers I have suspended accepting comments indefinitely.

You can e-mail me at suebeez2009@gmail.com

The Solstice

2010-06-20T21:06:00.000-07:00

MMMmmm summer!

I have discovered that I need about 8 hours of sleep at night to feel rested and ready to go the next morning. I tried to get by with seven but it just wasn't enough. If I set my alarm for 8 hrs & 15 mins from the time I climb into bed at night, then I usually wake up a few minutes before the alarm sounds in the morning-- I like that. It is a better way to start the day.

The tricky part is going to bed 8 hrs and 15 mins before the time I absolutely have to get up in order to get to work on time.

Did you know so-called Beauty Sleep is the sleep you get before midnight? I haven't been getting much of that! And Summer - glorious summer - the sun doesn't set until 9:05. The evenings are so cool and pleasant for walks or chatting on the deck with Mr. Bee or letting the kids play Ghost-in-the-Graveyard well past bedtime.

I'll catch up on my beauty sleep this fall. ;-)

Survey Says...

2010-06-16T13:48:00.000-07:00

What type of life do you think is best for women in general?

Homemaking & Family Raising
Boys 63% -- Girls 46%

Career
Boys 3% -- Girls 7%

Combination of Homemaking & Career
Boys 20% -- Girls 36%

Undecided
Boys 14% -- Girls 11%

This is from The Purdue Opinion Poll for Young People, 1948. The results are published in the Personal Adjustment Marriage and Family Living textbook I discussed briefly yesterday. From what I read in the text, the young people surveyed were high school age.

I wonder what the results would be today?

Sixty Years Back In Time

2010-06-15T13:40:00.000-07:00

I have a small collection of old books. Mostly children's books and a few women's books too. Recently I bought 2 high school text books from the 1950s at a garage sale. They are Your Marriage and Family Living (1954) and Personal Adjustment Marriage and Family Living (1950). They are more "Sociology" than "Home Economics." The photographs and illustrations are a delight! The content is sometimes surprisingly liberal and not as old fashioned as I expected.

From page 218 Your Marriage and Family Living:

In our great grandparents' time the husband was a patriarch who ruled his family and provided for it. The wife was an obedient helpmate who confined her interests to home and children. Marriage today is approaching the ideal of equality between husband and wife. By discussing problems together, sharing views, sacrificing self-interest, they try to help each other realize the goals for which each strives.

Song in My Heart This Pentecost

2010-05-24T19:59:00.000-07:00

Holy Spirit, light divine,
Dawn upon this soul of mine;
Let your word dispel the night,
Wake my spirit, clear my sight.

Holy Spirit, grace divine,
Cleanse this sinful heart of mine;
In your mercy look on me,
From sin’s bondage set me free.

Holy Spirit, truth divine,
Shine upon these eyes of mine;
Send your radiance from above,
Let me know my Savior’s love.

Holy Spirit, power divine,
Fortify this will of mine;
Bend it to your own pure will,
All my life with graces fill.

Holy Spirit, peace divine,
Still this restless heart of mine;
Speak to calm the tossing sea,
Stayed in your tranquility.

Holy Spirit, all divine,
Dwell within this self of mine;
I your temple pure would be
Now and for eternity.

Andrew Reed, 1817

Tales From the Back of the Fridge

2010-05-21T06:50:00.000-07:00

Buttons Part 2

2010-05-20T14:58:00.000-07:00

My first Buttons post was about the sins of vanity and pride and how what we say and do on Blogger can negatively impact our readers, intentionally or unintentionally.

In the first post I focused on the pride we take in our possessions, achievements etc. But upon further review, I realize people often take pride in the lack of possessions and/or lack of income. Taking pride in NOT having buttons.

Living in poverty as a sign of piousness. Vows of poverty because any effort to make money is greedy, but then announcing to the world how non-greedy, non-materialistic one is, is somehow acceptable.

Buttons. Can't live with them, can't live without them.

Life and Death Lessons

2010-05-16T20:35:00.000-07:00

My mom passed away last week. Though I saw the end coming as her health rapidly deteriorated these last couple of months, I really wasn't ready to lose her yet.

At her funeral something about her dawned on me as the pastor spoke about Mom's life: My mom was not very religious, but my mom was very faithful.

And I realized that the way Mom lived her life personified faith, not religion. I think for the first time I understood, really understood, the difference, and I was so comforted.

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.

- John 10:27-28

Song in my Heart this Holy Week

2010-03-29T14:38:00.000-07:00

Stricken, smitten, and afflicted,
See Him dying on the tree!
’Tis the Christ by man rejected;
Yes, my soul, ’tis He, ’tis He!
’Tis the long expected prophet,
David’s Son, yet David’s Lord;
Proofs I see sufficient of it:
’Tis a true and faithful Word.

Tell me, ye who hear Him groaning,
Was there ever grief like His?
Friends through fear His cause disowning,
Foes insulting his distress:
Many hands were raised to wound Him,
None would interpose to save;
But the deepest stroke that pierced Him
Was the stroke that Justice gave.

Ye who think of sin but lightly,
Nor suppose the evil great,
Here may view its nature rightly,
Here its guilt may estimate.
Mark the Sacrifice appointed!
See Who bears the awful load!
’Tis the Word, the Lord’s Anointed,
Son of Man, and Son of God.

Here we have a firm foundation,
Here the refuge of the lost.
Christ the Rock of our salvation,
Christ the Name of which we boast.
Lamb of God for sinners wounded!
Sacrifice to cancel guilt!
None shall ever be confounded
Who on Him their hope have built.

-Thomas Kelly, 1804

Piety?

2010-03-27T21:23:00.000-07:00

The most important virtue of the Proverbs 31 woman is found in verse 30:

Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

This is the only attribute that matters, the rest are meaningless if the woman doesn't first and foremost fear & love the Lord.

Technically, I'm Not Blogging...

2010-03-03T15:10:00.000-08:00

...I'm cutting & pasting. :-)

Some things are worth repeating. And this is one of those things.

For neither you nor I could ever know anything of Christ, or believe on Him, and obtain Him for our Lord, unless it were offered to us and granted to our hearts by the Holy Ghost through the preaching of the Gospel. The work is done and accomplished; for Christ has acquired and gained the treasure for us by His suffering, death, resurrection, etc. But if the work remained concealed so that no one knew of it, then it would be in vain and lost. That this treasure, therefore, might not lie buried, but be appropriated and enjoyed, God has caused the Word to go forth and be proclaimed, in which He gives the Holy Ghost to bring this treasure home and appropriate it to us. Therefore sanctifying is nothing else than bringing us to Christ to receive this good, to which we could not attain of ourselves. --Luther's Large Catechism, The Apostles' Creed, Article III, #38 & #39

Up On The Soap Box

2009-11-06T07:35:00.000-08:00

(I'm posting this here to make cutting & pasting easier - I'll know where to find it next time I'm looking for it!)

The OT contains 3 kinds of laws: the moral law which tells people what their duty is to God and other people; the ceremonial law which dictated the religious practices of the Israelites; and the civil law - the state law of the Israelites. The moral law is what God wrote upon the hearts of His people when He created them. Christians recognize the moral law as the 10 Commandments. God still expects us keep the moral law. Lutherans believe the 6th commandment (You shall not commit adultery) means we should fear and love God so that we lead a sexually pure and decent life in what we say and do. (See Luther’s Small Catechism #55-58)

Our sinful nature makes it impossible for us to keep His law perfectly. We all stand condemned under the law, regardless of our sexual orientation. God sent His Son to be our righteousness that we might have salvation by His Grace alone through faith in Christ alone. The law shows us our sin and leads us to repentance and by God’s Grace and Mercy we are forgiven for Christ’s sake, not because our own merits.

Remember the story of Jesus and the rich young man in Matthew chapter 19? The rich man won’t sell all his possessions and follow Jesus – he loves his things more than he loves the Lord. Whenever we have a sin that we won’t give up (won’t repent) we are just like the rich young man. We love our sin more than we love the Lord. For as long as we cling to our sin we have gone our own separate way and are not following the Lord.

The grievous error of the ELCA is to lead people into believing homosexuality is not a sin and turning people away from repentance and God’s gift of forgiveness. (If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. – 1 John 1:8-9). Tell me, should an unrepentant sinner (whatever the sin) serve as a pastor? Someone who does not have the Truth within them?

God can and will forgive all of your sins in the name of Jesus, of that there is no doubt. Put your faith and trust in Him and His Word and not in the words, feelings and logic of humankind.

Song in My Heart this Friday

2009-10-23T05:08:00.000-07:00

Be still, my soul; the Lord is on your side;
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain;
Leave to your God to order and provide;
In every change he faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul; your best, your heavenly Friend
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

Be still, my soul; your God will undertake
To guide the future as he has the past.
Your hope, your confidence let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul; the waves and wind still know
His voice who ruled them while he dwelt below.

Be still, my soul; though dearest friends depart
And all is darkened in the vale of tears;
Then you will better know his love, his heart,
Who comes to soothe your sorrows and your fears.
Be still, my soul; your Jesus can repay
From his own fullness all he takes away.

Be still, my soul; the hour is hastening on
When we shall be forever with the Lord,
When disappointment, grief, and fear are gone,
Sorrow forgot, love’s purest joys restored.
Be still, my soul; when change and tears are past,
All safe and blessed we shall meet at last.

By: Catharina von Schlegel -1752

Repentance

2009-10-13T19:49:00.000-07:00

I take a circular route to work. There is this one uncontrolled intersection not far from my home where it is easier to turn right than to turn left, so my drive to work is sort of like driving counter-clockwise from 6 to 12. Coming home I take a different route and complete the counter-clockwise circle, 12 to 6.

The other day I reversed my course and you know what? Everything looked so different -- the houses, the landmarks, the road itself. I had to concentrate because it felt so unfamiliar!

It was repentance.

Cloth Ears

2009-10-08T20:10:00.000-07:00

I've been reading a lot of ELCA blogs recently and occasionally leaving a comment or two. Overall it has been a sobering experience. I have been shocked to the point where I was ready to tell a woman that she is neither Lutheran nor Christian (but I didn't, thank you delete key). I confess in all the debates between fundamentalist Candy and the VTC women I have never, ever felt that way about any of them.

I think in the ELCA today there exists genuine heresy.

Dr. Robert Gagnon has written an article: What Should Faithful Lutherans in the ELCA Do? It is probably the harshest commentary I have come across, but I am becoming convinced that is what it is going to take.

The lady doth protest too much, methinks

2009-09-17T14:33:00.000-07:00

My dad was an amazing listener. He had that rare combination of intuitiveness, seemingly non-judgementalness, and a kind and gentle nature. He was able to wrestle confessions of misdeeds out of his children by barely uttering a word.

His philosophy was if you give a guy enough rope sooner or later he'll hang himself.

As a parent I see how often this is true. What should have been a simple yes or no answer turns into a very long tale that obviously took some time to conjure up. Truth usually isn't very complicated. Talk, talk, talk and before you know it you've got yourself tangled in a web of deceit.

That's when Dad would kick the chair (figuratively).

I'm not nearly the good listener my dad was (I'm more like my mom). But sometimes I do get it right.

#6 & #7: Summer Wrap Up

2009-09-11T19:06:00.000-07:00

We had a very nice time at the beach and we had a real picnic while we were there. :-)

Labor Day has passed and the leaves are rapidly changing and even falling from some trees! Summer is over. I did not do everything on my list, but I came close...

Not done:
4. Go to the county fair. We were refinishing kitchen cabinets that week.
5. Take a field trip to a historic site. Just didn't find the time. Does reading a wayside marker count?
8. Shop the farmers' market at least twice. Technically I've only been to it once so far. The kids have gone about 3 times! I'll probably go again this weekend.
12. Teach Fifteen how to drive. Fifteen is now Sixteen and he is doing very well driving. A little more practice and he should get his license first try.
13. Stay up late and watch a meteor shower. I tried!
15. Read four good novels. I read...one.

Now to start a fall to-do list....

Warms My Lutheran Heart

2009-09-04T17:40:00.000-07:00

Hat Tip to Teresa!

He Meant What He Said and He Said What He Meant

2009-08-25T21:52:00.000-07:00

Enjoyable discussion on Holy Communion & the early church fathers at Visits to Candyland. I look forward to reading Wednesday's revelations after work, sorry I won't be around to participate... :-(

One last parting thought:
And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” - Matthew 28:17-20

The Song in my Heart this Sunday

2009-08-23T11:22:00.000-07:00

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus' blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus' name.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

When darkness veils His lovely face,
I rest on His unchanging grace;
In every high and stormy gale
My anchor holds within the veil.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

His oath, His covenant, and blood
Support me in the whelming flood;
When every earthly prop gives way,
He then is all my Hope and Stay.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh, may I then in Him be found,
Clothed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne!
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

Pray for the ELCA Congregations

2009-08-21T15:41:00.000-07:00

Tough decisions ahead for many Lutherans.

ELCA votes to allow gay pastors.

The Art of Coincidence

2009-08-20T15:31:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Wednesday August 19th, the weather here was rainy with temperatures in the 60s. Just a day-long moderate soaking rain. No thunder & lightning. No hail. Little wind. No wall clouds. No black sky. No green sky. Only grey. No watches. No warnings.

Yet out of nowhere a tornado descends from the sky and strikes the Minneapolis Convention Center and Central Lutheran Church (across the street from each other). Inside the convention center the ELCA was holding its nationwide assembly. The main topic? Homosexuality.

Here's the story online: Lutherans, assembled in Minneapolis, move toward more open stance on homosexuality

And here is a slide show including a picture of the damage to the church (also ELCA). Note the upside-down cross.

Thankfully no one was injured by the storm.

I usually don't pay heed to those who blame the victims for the storm that harms them. Jesus says, "For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust." (Matthew 5:45b)

But there is something about this scenario. It gives me chills.

#2 & #10

2009-08-11T04:51:00.001-07:00

Corn on the cob was great!

Pickles came out too salty. Will have to try another recipe.

Potential

2009-08-08T06:42:00.000-07:00

(Hat tip to the discussion of Onan at Daughter of Wisdom)

Pictured above is a peek into a Robin's nest that was under my deck this May.

Every year Robins build a nest somewhere around my house. Usually in a terribly vulnerable spot - in a small bush, in the rain gutter, or on the brick ledge by the front window. And every year the eggs or chicks are destroyed. Usually crows find them. Sometimes a cat. Sometimes a storm disrupts the nest and spills the tender contents on the ground. Most often I don't know what happens - one day a bird is sitting on the eggs in the nest and the next day the bird is gone and so are the eggs.

The Robins' nest always becomes a "circle of life" lesson.

However, failure does not stop the Robins. They keep trying year after year. They build the nest, they lay the eggs, and they guard them as best as they can from enemies who are much bigger and stronger. When the chicks hatch they tirelessly feed them and defend them until the violent end.

And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.” So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” Genesis 1:20-22

The birds, acting on instinct, are faithful to God's plan for them. They do it, even though the situation is never ideal. They do it, even though odds are that their work will be destroyed. They do it, and work very hard to preserve and protect it. They do it because the ability to do it is a blessing from the Lord.

They do it because if they didn't do it they would surely become extinct.

The Lord commands:

And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Genesis 1:28

And the Lord promises:

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord,the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.

Psalm 127:3-4

If only being faithful to His Word and trusting in His Promise was as easy for us as it is for the birds.

As for the Robin's eggs in the picture above - three of the four hatched and after about 2 weeks they fledged. It was wonderful!

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Matthew 6:25-26

Does Dead Faith Justify?

2009-07-31T05:56:00.000-07:00

We say that justification is effective without works, not that faith is without works. For that faith which lacks fruit is not an efficacious but a feigned faith. - Martin Luther

Is Water Baptism Necessary for Salvation?

2009-07-29T19:29:00.000-07:00

The answer is Yes. Yes it is.

Jesus commands: Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, - Matthew 28:19

And He promises: Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. - Mark 16:16

Some of Luther's thoughts on the subject:

"Therefore they are presumptuous, clumsy minds that draw such inferences and conclusions as these: Where there is not the true faith, there also can be no true Baptism. Just as if I would infer: If I do not believe, then Christ is nothing; or thus: If I am not obedient, then father, mother, and government are nothing. Is that a correct conclusion, that whenever any one does not do what he ought, the thing in itself shall be nothing and of no value? My dear, just invert the argument and rather draw this inference: For this very reason Baptism is something and is right, because it has been wrongly received. For if it were not right and true in itself, it could not be misused nor sinned against. The saying is: Abusus non tollit, sed confirmat substantiam, Abuse does not destroy the essence, but confirms it. For gold is not the less gold though a harlot wear it in sin and shame.
Therefore let it be decided that Baptism always remains true, retains its full essence, even though a single person should be baptized, and he, in addition, should not believe truly. For God's ordinance and Word cannot be made variable or be altered by men. But these people, the fanatics, are so blinded that they do not see the Word and command of God, and regard Baptism and the magistrates only as they regard water in the brook or in pots, or as any other man; and because they do not see faith nor obedience, they conclude that they are to be regarded as invalid. Here lurks a concealed seditious devil, who would like to tear the crown from the head of authority and then trample it under foot, and, in addition, pervert and bring to naught all the works and ordinances of God. Therefore we must be watchful and well armed, and not allow ourselves to be directed nor turned away from the Word, in order that we may not regard Baptism as a mere empty sign, as the fanatics dream." - Martin Luther, Large Catechism

#3

2009-07-14T04:56:00.000-07:00

It was a beautiful day to visit the animals.

Rule #1: Get Up Early In The Morning

2009-07-08T15:07:00.000-07:00

A young wife ought to rise betimes in the morning, and after she be once awake should never doze. Dozing is both weakening to the body and enervating to the mind. It is wonderful how much may be done betimes in the morning. There is nothing like a good start. It makes for the remainder of the day the occupation easy and pleasant. How glorious, and balmy and health-giving, is the first breath of the morning, more especially to those living in the country! It is more exhilarating, invigorating, and refreshing than it is all the rest of the day. If you wish to be strong, if you desire to retain your good looks and youthful appearance, rise betimes in the morning; if you are anxious to lay the foundation of a long life, jump out of bed the moment you are awake. The early risers make the healthy, bright, long-lived wives and mothers. But if a wife is to be an early riser, she must have a little courage and determination; great advantages in this world are never gained without; but what is either man or woman good for if they have not those qualities?

- Wife and Mother; or, Information for Every Woman (1886)

#9

2009-07-05T18:10:00.001-07:00

OOOoooo! AAAAhhhh!

(Sorry, no picture.)

#11

2009-06-30T21:49:00.001-07:00

Easy peasy lemon squeezy!

1 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice (it takes about 6 lemons)
1 cup of sugar
2 quarts of cold water

And it is gone before you know it!

flutter flutter flutter

2009-06-30T15:22:00.000-07:00

The Butterfly Effect is the theory that the flutter of a single butterfly's wings effects the weather throughout the world. As one website put it: "The fluttering of gossamer wings can change the world."

Butterflies - lovely, gentle, hard working pollen collectors - quietly changing the world. Not with a baseball bat. Not with harsh words. Changing the world with a flutter.

I feel like letting my gossamer wings flutter and see what happens. See what changes.

Be the butterfly....be the butterfly...

#1

2009-06-29T23:05:00.000-07:00

10 jars of strawberry jam. 2 bags whole strawberries frozen. 1 bowl full in the fridge for eating. Yum!

#14

2009-06-23T19:22:00.000-07:00

S'mores made on a campfire. MMMMmmm...

A Little Revelation

2009-06-16T12:08:00.000-07:00

Quick thoughts on the book of Revelation:
1. I think it is important to realize that evil thoroughly understands what is written in Revelation. It is not a mystery to him. One can have knowledge without having true saving faith. And one can have strong faith with little knowledge.

2. Seeking to use the book of Revelation (or any part of the Bible) as a divine horoscope does little to create or strengthen saving faith – in fact it detracts from it. Seek Christ in His Word. What does John’s Revelation reveal about Jesus? That is the knowledge we should pray the Holy Spirit give to us.

3. The argument that Jerusalem is the Whore of Babylon is far more convincing than the argument that she is Rome. (Sorry, Martin.)

Backseat Parenting

2009-05-22T22:22:00.000-07:00

Two cases in the news in our region:

1. A Wisconsin mom, Leilani Neumann, convicted of murder because she did not seek medical attention for her ill 11 year old daughter and her daughter died. She tried to heal the girl with prayer.

2. A Minnesota mom, Colleen Hauser, is on the run to prevent court-ordered chemotherapy for her 13 year old son. She claims she wishes to treat his cancer with natural therapies for religious reasons.

It sure is easy to quarterback from the armchair. Or drive from the backseat.

I wonder what Mrs. Neumann would say to Mrs. Hauser? Probably keep running...

Update (5/26): Mrs. Hauser has had a change of heart: Parents agree to chem for boy who fled

Means of Grace

2009-05-13T15:21:00.000-07:00

A nice post on communion at Pr. McCracken's website Kyrie Eleison: "What we take for granted - what is granted without merit"

The Methodist church I grew up in was "old school" liturgical. When I left the nest I discovered it was probably one of the last such Methodist churches on earth. Too bad.

The Shack - a very brief book review

2009-05-12T15:46:00.000-07:00

I liked it.

The theology isn't Lutheran but if you think of the shack (the building in the book) as a metaphor for the cross, it is sort of Lutheran.

Theology issues aside (since it is fiction) I found the story thought-provoking. The writing isn't exceptional and the dialogue is often painfully awkward, but the story is overall inspirational.

Lessons Learned

2009-04-29T14:49:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking about what is different in my life now that I am a Working Outside the Home Mom (WOHM). Stuff I've learned, observations I've made etc etc.

1. The only difference in housework: no lunch dishes. Otherwise, I have just as much housework to do in waaaaaay less time.
2. Daycare is not as bad as I thought, nor is it as good as the centers advertise.
3. Teenagers sometimes feel neglected too!
4. As a SAHM I usually had my weekends free. As a WOHM I work 7 days a week.

More thoughts to come...

Is there a context clause?

2009-04-22T19:49:00.000-07:00

Before President Obama's speech last week, his staff requested Georgetown University to cover Jesus' name (the christogram IHS) & the cross because "it seemed most respectful to have them covered so as not to be seen out of context."

What does "out of context" mean? Perhaps they meant to say "out of church"...??

So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.

It was worth all the while

2009-02-25T19:59:00.000-08:00

Word reached me this week that an old friend died. Technically he was an old boyfriend. Even more precisely, my ex-fiance.

It was a long time ago. It ended badly. My fault.

Do I regret breaking up with him?....No. I was miserable. I loved him but not the way a wife should love a husband. I didn't love him the way he loved me. I didn't love him the way he deserved to be loved -- Unconditionally.

We exchanged a few emails about 7 years ago. The last time we talked was over 25 years. Yet this has really hit me hard.

He was relatively young (mid-forties). Wife & kids. Grandbabies too.

I have an easier time accepting that I will die someday than I do accepting that my loved ones, friends, family, etc. have to go too.

Yes there are lots of comforting Bible passages for times like these. Some terrific hymns too.

But I think he'd like Green Day:

Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road
Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go
So make the best of this test, and don't ask why
It's not a question, but a lesson learned in time

It's something unpredictable, but in the end is right
I hope you had the time of your life

So take the photographs, and still frames in your mind
Hang it on a shelf in good health and good time
Tattoos of memories and dead skin on trial
For what it's worth it was worth all the while

It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right
I hope you had the time of your life

What's For Dinner?

2008-12-23T19:51:00.000-08:00

Let's go to Long John Silver's!

From Me To You

2008-12-18T05:40:00.001-08:00

The garment of life, be it tattered and torn,
the cloak of the soldier is withered and worn.
But what child is this that was poverty-born,
the peace of Christmas Day.

The branch that bears the bright holly,
the dove that rests in yonder tree.
The light that shines for all to see,
the peace of Christmas Day.

The hope that has slumbered for 2000 years,
the promise that silenced 1000 fears.
A faith that can hobble an ocean of tears,
the peace of Christmas Day.

The branch that bears the bright holly,
the dove that rests in yonder tree.
The light that shines for all to see,
the peace of Christmas Day.

Add all the grief that people may bear,
total the strife, the troubles and care.
Put them in columns and leave them right there,
the peace of Christmas Day.

The branch that bears the bright holly,
the dove that rests in yonder tree.
The light that shines for all to see,
the peace of Christmas Day.

The branch that bears the bright holly,
the dove that rests in yonder tree.
The light that shines for all to see,
the peace of Christmas Day.

May you know True Peace this Christmas!
Love, Sue

My Imaginary Friends

2008-12-16T19:19:00.000-08:00

I have tons of friends that live only in my head. I met them in books, movies, and on television. Sometimes they are lovely to be with. Sometimes scary. Always entertaining.

Harmless diversions that keep my brain company.

Leprechauns. Trolls. Goblins. The Boogieman. Mummies. Zombies. Witches and wizards. Vampires. Werewolves. Munchkins. Elves. Talking Animals. Fairies...

And dare I say unicorns and dragons too?!

Most of my friends have names: Harry Potter. Edward Cullen. Jo March. Elinor Dashwood. Jack Sparrow. Willy Wonka. Calvin & Hobbs. Patrick Star. Dorothy Gale. Santa Claus. The Tooth Fairy. Stellaluna. Bilbo Baggins. Ariel.

Would it be a sin for me to believe in the true existence of any of these friends? After all, I can picture them. Hear them. I feel as if I know many of them.

How boring life would be without them!

So I ask - is my soul, my very salvation, at risk because I have imaginary friends??

Low Tide

2008-12-06T22:11:00.000-08:00

Oops. Forgot to blog in November.

This is the longest I have managed to keep a blog going and I'm really, really tired of starting over (I've done it 3 or 4 times already). So I'll make a little effort. Do I have any readers anymore? Probably not.

Let's see...

At eight-year-old's swim lessons I was reading Parents magazine. Paging through it I was struck by one thought - and it wasn't what a lousy parent I am. No. I was looking more at the ads than the editorial and I kept thinking I don't need any of this stuff. My kids don't need any of this stuff. Nothing. Not one thing in that whole magazine (the December issue) do we actually need.

I struggle with materialism. It is so hard to separate out the waaaaants from the neeeeds. And if I, a reasonably intelligent adult woman, have a hard time keeping my priorities straight, how hard it must be for children.

Financially we are not in very good shape. Just five short years ago we had six months salary in savings. Now we have about half a month. There is plenty of blame to go around. My fault. His fault. The real estate crash. I've got regrets. I've got hard feelings. And there is no relief in sight.

It is to the point that I am in a panic over our finances. Not a good place to be in before Christmas. The "budget" is tight this year. Normally Mr. Bee receives a Christmas bonus but there is none this year.

And it doesn't help that our clothes dryer just died.

The tide is really low...And I'm waiting for my ship to come in.

Initially in mid-October when this situation was growing rapidly worse, I was feeling very pessimistic. I was thinking we weren't going to celebrate Christmas at all. Now I'm looking at Christmas more creatively. I've put up almost ever decoration I own - the house looks festive! I'm brainstorming and surfing the internet for inexpensive gift ideas and I've come up with some winners. Christmas will happen...is happening.

Making lemonade out of those lemons.

Oddly enough what turned my thinking around was remembering Charles Dickens' "Christmas Carol." Scrooge, who was rich and could certainly afford a fancy Christmas, didn't celebrate it. The poor Cratchit family, however, did.

I'd rather be a Cratchit than a Scrooge.

Now to squash the materialism and put together a working budget for '09.

In the Merry Old Land of Oz

2008-10-03T20:03:00.000-07:00

I've had Oz on the brain lately :-)

Decision Paradigm

2008-09-28T22:07:00.000-07:00

Candy at Keeping the Home last Friday posted "Do you feel depressed, lost, or confused." There were numerous doctrine issues in the post I could comment on, but the comment Candy received from Sandi, and Candy's response, really caught my eye as an illustration of the problems of decision theology and legalism.

I am depressed, but I am saved also. My trouble is my DH is saved but does not do what is required from a husband. For 10 years he has been talking about doing everything for the lord, but his actions do not correlate with his words. The man is supposed to be the leader AND provider of his family. Yet, his job situation does not provide adequately for my family of six. The bills barely get paid, and my growing children are often hungry. We can't afford doctor or dental visits so I have to try to diagnose the children myself and make homemade cures if they are afflicted with something. I pray to be relieved of financial stress...to have the ability to feed,cloth,buy shoes,and take care of them medically without feeling I am "splurging" to cover their basic needs. Ten years is a LONG time to wait for my husband to provide this. He is talented in many areas and could get a steady job that would ease our money issues, but I am beginning to wonder if he is just too selfish. So, while sit and I pray for deliverance from my husband's apathetic interpretations of his christian duties I am making a sparse lunch for my 4 children as he is eating out at Taco Bell. Depressed? YES! - Sandi

Problem 1: In decision theology once the choice has been made to follow Jesus, sinful behavior is replaced by producing fruits of the spirit (good works). That is how one determines if one is truly saved or not saved. Sandi's husband is "saved" yet seemingly not producing the good works - this is a conundrum.

Oh Sandi, your poor, poor husband. Is this how you treat him? You shouldn't talk down on him to other people. Proverbs 31:26 says that "she openeth her mouth in kindness."Your words were not kind towards your husband, they were those of the contentious, or odious woman.Proverbs 31:11-12:" 11The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.12She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life."You are not doing your husband good this way, and speaking and thinking of your husband this way does not allow his heart to trust in you.Sandi, you are spoiled. You have a roof over your head. You have food in your pantry, you have clothes on your back. There are ladies your age in other countries that live in a one-room house, with a dirt floor. They don't have any of the conveniences you do.You can't buy much food? Then buy better food. A pound of black beans costs around a dollar. A pound of lentils, split peas, and pintos are even cheaper.Legumes mixed with brown rice is some of the most filling, delicious (if you cook it right) and healthy foods you and your children can eat.10# of potatoes costs around 3 dollars. At stores like Aldi's you can get celery and carrots for just .99 cents.If your situation is really dire, then visit a food bank for help. Your local church will help direct you to a food bank.Don't have nice clothes for your children? Then visit Good Will, or sew some yourself.You envy your husband for eating at Taco Bell? Poor man! Why aren't you packing healthy lunches for him to eat instead?Can't afford dental and healthcare? Then pinch those pennies, and put your trust in God. Feed your children right, and you won't need a lot of dental and healthcare. One of my children recently came back from a dental checkup, and he had no cavities. In fact, none of my children have EVER had any cavities, and I plan on keeping it that way.I believe your husband is trying hard to be a good Christian, but his helpmeet (you) are letting him down. He may just be where God wants him to be right now. Maybe the situation will become more dire before it gets better. Maybe there is a lesson here for YOU to learn - not him. - Candy

Problem #2: In decision theology, if things aren't working, the answer is to make better decisions. Try harder. Sin can be stopped if you only work at it.

Problem #3: Legalism replaces mercy. Jesus repeatedly pointed out the hypocrisy of the Pharisee's unwillingness to show mercy if it meant violating the law. Decision theology is loaded with "do's and don'ts" lists. In this case the "law" is that of wifely submission and Sandi is shown no mercy, yet her husband is.

I have a very dear friend who was in a situation almost identical to Sandi's. My friend kept trying and trying to make ends meet while her husband couldn't keep a job and mismanaged their money. It was heartbreaking to witness. She stood by him through repossessions, bankruptcy and foreclosure. Sadly, he eventually deserted her and their children, leaving them homeless and broke.

Sue Bee's "Lutheran" advice: Seek counseling and keep praying. We are broken humans living in a broken world, men & women alike. Sometimes we need the help of professionals, whether they be marriage counselors or financial planners. We don't do things perfectly, that is why God sent us a Savior. Forgive the trespasses of the past and work together on a realistic budget and financial goals with your husband.

JMHO

Empty Handed...

2008-09-28T14:54:00.000-07:00

Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee;
Let the water and the blood,
From Thy wounded side which flowed,
Be of sin the double cure;
Save from wrath and make me pure.

Not the labor of my hands
Can fulfill Thy law’s demands;
Could my zeal no respite know,
Could my tears forever flow,
All for sin could not atone;
Thou must save, and Thou alone.

Nothing in my hand I bring,
Simply to the cross I cling;
Naked, come to Thee for dress;
Helpless look to Thee for grace;
Foul, I to the fountain fly;
Wash me, Savior, or I die.

While I draw this fleeting breath,
When mine eyes shall close in death,
When I soar to worlds unknown,
See Thee on Thy judgment throne,
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee.

- Augustus M. Toplady, 1775

There's a Party Goin' on Right Here...

2008-09-03T14:17:00.000-07:00

Did I mention I live about 30 mins from the Xcel Energy Center where the RNC is taking place?

I am generally "politically agnostic" (by which I mean cynical), but the combination of the proximity of the convention and Sarah Palin's nomination for VP has created an upsurge my interest in politics.

I'm looking forward to Palin's speech tonight...but dread the endless campaigning that will grow progressively more sleazy in the weeks to come until the Nov election.

Hat tip to Sara for just a few of the very thought provoking Palin discussions:
Ladies Against Feminism
Adventures in Mercy
Amy's Humble Musings

Fundamentals

2008-08-25T21:11:00.000-07:00

Fundamentalism as defined by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter:

"A fundamentalist believes...that I am close to God. Everything that I believe is absolutely right. Anyone who disagrees with me, in any case, is inherently wrong and therefore, inferior. And it violates my basic principles if I negotiate with anyone else or listen to their point of view or modify my own positions at all."

It's the Favre Thing...

2008-08-25T17:36:00.001-07:00

Painting

2008-08-22T20:08:00.000-07:00

A paint roller is a useful tool for painting large areas, such as walls.

A paint brush is used for smaller projects that require more care and attention to detail.

You shouldn't paint a portrait with a roller. It would look terrible if you tried. Someone who paints a portrait with a roller does so because he lacks respect for his subject. Doesn't care to study the subject and learn its details. Is unconcerned with how the subject will react to the portrait.

A person who paints a portrait with a roller also lacks respect for his audience. He assumes his audience lacks the intelligence to see the difference between a paint brush and a roller.

An example of painting with too broad a brush: The Difference between Protestant and Catholic Christians.

Addendum: You can read the whole of the article here: Why Catholics and Protestants Don't See Eye to Eye. (Thanks, Elena!)

When I Gets to It, I Gets to It

2008-08-21T04:55:00.000-07:00

It seems women my age forgot to make babies:

More Women Than Ever Are Childless, Census Finds

I like the explanation: "Clearly women have competing alternatives for the use of their time..." Like we choose between motherhood and taking Pilates.

When I first read this I thought, "Twenty percent, no way! Everyone I know has kids." But then, the more I thought about it, the more women I remembered who do not, or did not give birth (adopted kids). 20% has started to seem plausible.

Another benefit of a feminized society?

WOHCM Seeks Same

2008-08-15T16:52:00.000-07:00

I am looking for other Work Outside the Home Christian Moms' blogs.

There doesn't seem to be very many of us so Speak Up! Send Links!

Let's see how many we find. I'll start a list.

Death Warmed Over

2008-08-14T09:06:00.000-07:00

I'm home sick. No, not homesick, but at home because I am sick. Flu-like illness. High fever, aches and pains, and nausea. Ick.

I thought I'd do some writing, but now I see that just isn't going to happen. I'll try again later.

I'm going back to bed.

UPDATE: At noon the phone rang, Eight year old, who was at a day camp program threw up. All over himself. I had to go pick him up. (Mr. Bee is out of town until next week. Seventeen is at work.) Not to brag or anything - but me with a temp of 102, unshowered, snarled hair in scrunchie, baggy sweatpants, flip-flops - has to walk into the building, talk to the teacher and sign him out. Ugh.

My fever broke at about 4:00, and aside from a little bit of a sore throat I'm feeling better. Now to get Eight feeling good again. His temp is 104. :-(

Buttons

2008-08-12T20:50:00.001-07:00

Did you know the Old Order Amish don't use buttons, or use them very sparingly? They forsake buttons because of the military connections and also, more importantly, because buttons are a source of adornment. And adornment is a source of vanity. Yes, we can take pride in a pretty button. Or pride in how many buttons we use. Or pride in how fancifully we placed the buttons on our shirt. Our neighbors see what nice buttons we have and grow jealous (envy). Petty contests arise to see who has the most buttons (gluttony) or the best buttons (greed).

Yet I don't even think about my buttons at all until I lose one! No, my "buttons" are much, much bigger. Home and car. Job and spouse. Clothes. Appearance. Children and family. Education. Intelligence. Hobbies. Skills. Accomplishments. The list is soooo long...

Notice how one little button can trigger a whole slew of sins in ourselves and our neighbors? How much more do BIG "buttons" cause me and others to sin? How often do we share information about ourselves in the guise of being helpful when in fact we are being hurtful? How often do we show-off our buttons unintentionally?

I wonder what motivates some Christian women bloggers to write about the things they write about and to post so many pictures of themselves and their homes. Humility? Modesty? Altruism?... I have doubts.... Vanity? More likely. And just like with the small buttons, a little bit of vanity has a snowball effect on sinfulness. Envy, gluttony and greed are quickly joined by anger, gossip and laziness (wasting time).

It is a sin to cause others to sin. And to knowingly continue a sinful action is deliberate, unrepentant behavior - mocking God.

Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. - Galatians 6:7

In fact, buttons are making me re-think this whole blogging business.

Vanity, thy name is Blogger.

The Day I Got Saved

2008-08-07T15:47:00.000-07:00

It was 2000+ years ago on a cross. Jesus saved me.

A: Liturgy.

2008-08-07T14:46:00.000-07:00

Q: Why did I convert to the Lutheran Church from the United Methodist?

I came for the liturgy and stayed for the doctrine.

The Dog Days of Blogging

2008-07-30T17:41:00.000-07:00

Ah, summer...

Being extremely lazy about everything, including blogging.

Loads of ideas for posts but too little ambition - I just don't feel like sitting in front of the computer.

Maybe next week...or whenever we get a rainy day.

Procrastination. It should be a 4-letter word.

Our Trespasses

2008-07-16T06:29:00.000-07:00

Did you hear about the gay man (Bradley Fowler) who is suing two Bible publishing houses because the use of the word "homosexual" has caused him emotional harm? Here's a link: Man sues Zondervan to change anti-gay reference in Bible.

I don't think his lawsuit will amount to anything, partly because many older versions of the Bible have used the word "homosexual", including my 1952 NRSV. Using the word was not unique to these publishers. Also, the author is out of town. :-)

The passage that has caused Mr. Fowler's pain is 1 Corinthians 6:9, which reads (I'm including verse 10 as well - from the ESV):

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

But wait, there's more. And I really really really wish someone would have read this part to Mr. Fowler too (verse 11):

And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

First there is the law (verses 9 & 10), and then there is the gospel (verse 11). Let's not have one without the other. In Christ Jesus we are washed, sanctified & justified by the Holy Spirit. You, me, and Mr. Fowler.

I came across a great definition of forgiveness I'd like to share with you, and all the hurting Mr. Fowler's of the world. From Susan's Pendulum:

Absolution
A grieved heart pours out her struggle with sin and pain.

The typical Christian response: Try harder to be good. God will help you.

A better response, more typical among Lutherans than the previous line: Jesus forgives you your sin. Go and sin no more.

A very good response: I forgive you all your sin in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

The sweetest response: Jesus says, "I know your sin and your rebellion. That's why I spread out my arms on the cross for you. Your sin is why I came and suffered to save you, because I wanted to make you my own. I chose you. I baptized you. I joined you to Myself. I will hang onto you until I bring you to My heaven."

Snakes Alive!

2008-07-12T17:14:00.000-07:00

When I heard churches called "snake handling" I thought they must be joking. I guess it is no joke:

Religious snake-handlers busted in Kentucky

I've got a new favorite quote (from the last paragraph of the article): "You can purchase anything off the Internet except common sense."

You can say THAT again!

Caution: Interesting Post Ahead!

2008-07-03T18:48:00.000-07:00

A little dated, but at Adventures in Mercy there is a post from a woman who is coming out of Pentacostal and IFB churches, is currently attending a LCMS, and is contempating the RCC.

Here's the link: LINK

Her blog is Living in Canaan. Worth a look-see!

The Media's Favorite Cult

2008-07-03T14:43:00.000-07:00

Excellent news, shoppers! The FLDS now has an online store:

http://fldsdress.com

It appears their vacation outside the compound taught them something about capitalism and marketing. Good for them! Enterprising Americans!

I admit, I am tempted to buy one of those little dresses for my 3-year old. Or one of the nightgowns! So cute!! Kinda pricey.... I could make them for less.... if I could sew properly.

Moral dilemma - is it right to support (via a business transaction) a polygamist cult?

(Yeah, that's coming from someone who just vacationed in Vegas. Ha ha ha.)

But wait! Before you answer, did you know the Walton family that founded (and still owns a large percentage of) the Wal-Mart chain is Mormon?

Caught between a rock and a hard place...

Proverbs 1:7

2008-06-30T14:12:00.000-07:00

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

"Forget what you were taught. Don't trust what you're taught about the Bible, just dig into it yourself." - Candy, Keeping the Home

"You are not such wiseacres as to think or say that you can expound the Scripture without the assistance from the works of divine and learned men who have labored before you in the field of exposition . . . . It seems odd that certain men who talk so much of what the Holy Spirit reveals to themselves, should think so little of what he has revealed to others." - Rev. C. H. Spurgeon, to his students (Commenting and Commentaries)

One Quick Thought on John 4

2008-06-27T05:54:00.000-07:00

Back in the day when I was a Methodist, we use to talk about "seekers" and from time to time have a "seeker's service". Seekers are people who supposedly don't believe but are curious about who Jesus is and what Christianity is all about. After converting to Lutheranism (really not a very big leap) I learned that the idea of people being "seekers" is born of human reasoning. It is how we interpret things we don't understand in order for it to make sense to us. The Bible teaches us differently - it is God who seeks the lost. It is God who draws us to Him, we cannot do it ourselves. Those so-called "seekers" are feeling the Holy Spirit already at work within them.

This is illustrated in the story of the Samaritan woman at the well found in John chapter 4. She is a sinner (like us) going about her daily business. And then Jesus approaches her and her life is changed forever. She wasn't expecting it. She wasn't looking for it. But it happened anyway.

The difference between "seeking" (we are looking for God) and "being sought" (God is looking for us) is an important one. It feeds into who we credit for our salvation - ourselves or God. If we are responsible for seeking Him out - then our works are necessary for our salvation. But the Bible teaches that it is God seeking us - drawing us to Him.

I never found God.

He was never lost.

I was.

Liberté? Mais non!

2008-06-19T20:45:00.000-07:00

From the BBC. Brigitte Bardot was fined by the French government for criticizing Islam. Do you suppose they fine people in France for criticizing Christians?

Bardot fined over racial hatred

A French court has fined former film star Brigitte Bardot 15,000 euros (£12,000) for inciting racial hatred.

She was prosecuted over a letter published on her website that complained Muslims were "destroying our country by imposing their ways".

It is the fifth time Ms Bardot been convicted over her controversial remarks about Islam and its followers. This is her heaviest fine so far.

The French film idol, who is 73, was not in court to hear the ruling.

The fine - equivalent to $23,000 - related to a letter she wrote in December 2006 to the then Interior Minister, Nicolas Sarkozy, which was published on her website, in which she deplored the slaughter of animals for the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha.

She demanded that the animals be stunned before being killed.

She said she was "tired of being led by the nose by this population that is destroying us, destroying our country by imposing its acts".

In a letter to the court Ms Bardot, who is a prominent animal rights campaigner, insisted she had a right to speak up for animal welfare.

The prosecutor said she was weary of charging Ms Bardot with offences relating to racial hatred and xenophobia.

The Pitt-Falls of Decision Theology

2008-06-16T14:43:00.000-07:00

One of my biggest problems is that I start blog posts and never find time to finish them. This one I started last October and never got around to finishing....

An interview with Brad Pitt was published in Parade Magazine (10/7/07). Brad was raised as a conservative Southern Baptist and he discusses his falling away from religion:

"I had crises of faith," he says. "I thought you had to experience things if you want to know right from wrong. I'd go to Christian revivals and be moved by the Holy Spirit, and I'd go to rock concerts and feel the same fervor. Then I'd be told, 'That's the Devil's music! Don't partake in that!' I wanted to experience things religion said not to experience."

By the time he entered college, Pitt had scuttled his fundamentalist beliefs. "When I got untethered from the comfort of religion, it wasn't a loss of faith for me, it was a discovery of self," he says. "I had faith that I'm capable enough to handle any situation. There's peace in understanding that I have only one life, here and now, and I'm responsible."

In a few short sentences he hits on some of the dangers of the decision/glory doctrines of modern American Evangelicalism:
1. The need for an emotional experience.
2. Legalism.
3. The authority of an individual's faith (via personal revelation) is greater than that of the church.

Back from Vacation

2008-06-11T05:58:00.000-07:00

Had a great time in Vegas. The weather was hot; mid to upper 90s, crystal clear blue skies. A welcome change from cloudy, rainy, and cool Minnesota. The weather alone made the trip worthwhile.

We did a lot of sightseeing and window shopping, plus a little real shopping for souvenirs. Saw some free/cheap lounge acts - no big shows. Although they were free, they were very good. Ate at some very nice restaurants. Slept late. Lounged by the pool and enjoyed a Mojito or two. Gambled just a little (combined we spent less than $20 on casino games).

The service in Vegas was excellent. The cab drivers and hotel, restaurant and store personnel were all very helpful and friendly. I felt so pampered!

Vegas is a city of contrasts - beautiful buildings, sculptures, lights, fountains and weather; but also a lot of sleaze and vice of every kind. I suppose that is true of every city - but in Vegas it is not so subtle. There is nothing subtle about Las Vegas.

The kids and grandparents had a good time together - everything went well at home.

Mr. Bee and I are convinced we need to do this sort of thing more often. :-)

Vegas, Baby!

2008-06-04T06:18:00.000-07:00

My dear husband surprised me on our 20th wedding anniversary with a long weekend vacation in Las Vegas. He arranged plane tickets, hotel reservations and (most importantly) his parents coming to stay with our kids!

We didn't go on a honeymoon (fresh from college we were far too poor) and have only been away from our children overnight 4 times. The last time was 12 years ago.

Needless to say, I am very excited. We don't gamble, so we won't spend much time in the casinos. The plans are to sightsee, maybe see a show, sleep late, and sit by the pool and sip frozen drinks.

I've got a million things to do between now and flight time. I'll be back to blogging sometime next week.

Suddenly, the plot thickens...

2008-06-01T06:05:00.000-07:00

Candy writes...

Update about my stalker
For those following along with the revelation of my stalker (I deleted those dialoges now), the problem has been solved. The stalker was someone inpersonating my family member. Said stalker has lost access to this website, and will be a problem no longer. Problem solved. Thank you for your prayers.

Comment #28

2008-05-31T06:18:00.000-07:00

Here's the comment that was deleted... (a shorter version of one I tried to post yesterday)

I found Candy's church's website and it makes NO reference to having missionaries in Peru specifically ministering to Roman Catholics. There is an impressive list of missionaries they are supporting. I am sure Bro. O'Daniel is wondering where the writer got this information.

Is it out of bounds to find Candy's church on the web when she tried to keep it anonymous? Maybe. I think it skirts the line of acceptability.

Is it ok to pry into Candy's personal information (real life) because she published personal information about Elena? No.

Turning the other cheek and forgiveness are Christian virtues.

Eye for an eye? Not.