As we grow older

Each of us, if we live long enough, will get old. Some of us may live a long and vivacious life. Others may live a long life but not be so lively, perhaps with a diseased body. But, each of us want friends and family to still be there for us no matter what our age.

A friend sent me the following link this morning.

• Parent's Wish

As I viewed it, I couldn't help but think of my ninety-one year "young" Mother. She still lives alone (her wish) in the home in which I was born. She only drives in her small town to church. I do her grocery shopping and getting her mail. I do most of her house cleaning, although she does some,does her washing, and gets out in the yard occasionally. I know the years have been good to her since she has outlived her entire family and she was the second child of ten. But, she is no longer youthful, no longer able to do the things she would like and her legs don't carry her as well as they once did. But, she still loves life and wants company and to be able to be with others. One of the things she loved most in her later years was to be able to take bus tours, but that is no longer available. The couple who once got those together is no longer able to do so, and we sit at home.

The desire for elderly people is not to be overlooked, looked down upon, or forgotten. So, as you watch this link, remember your parents and visualize the life that awaits you in the not so distant future. It will bring tears to your eyes, so grab a kleenex!

Linked at Conservative Cat

Photo from All Posters

Technorati Tags: Aging, Elderly, Life, Parents

Discount Shopping with Online Coupon Codes

Most women I know enjoy shopping any time. But, shopping is even made better when you are provided with a discount coupon or other promotions. And you will find codes for discounts at 1-Coupons.com.

You will find a Discount Promo Code at many different stores that have a variety of products. These products run from clothing, baby articles, to electronics and even cruises. There is something for every shopper at 1-Coupons.com.

For instance, you will find several laptop computer bargains at Dell. They also are featuring bargains on desktops and digital cameras.

Newegg.com is a favorite place my husband shops online for electronics, so it comes highly recommended. Right now, they have a coupon code for a TOSHIBA Satellite A215-S5802 NoteBook. It is listed at a very reasonable price.

And for the woman who loves Lane Bryant, you will find many discount offers. Many of those have free shipping, such as orders for $75 or more and maternity orders. Be sure to use the coupon code when ordering.

At 1-Coupons.com, you will also tips on how to make your online shopping more feasible. You can learn how to avoid fraud while shopping on the Internet. You can also learn tips on how to save money by using the coupon codes and comparing prices on items. 1-Coupons.com is the place to go to learn how to save money at a large variety of stores.

Technorati Tags: Shopping, Discounts, Coupons, Promotions

Jesus must come first

I was reading Diane’s post from Saturday today at Crossroads. She was writing about the analysis of the evangelical church that she had gotten from a post by Ingrid at A Slice of Laodicea.

I went to Ingrid’s and started reading the entire post. At the end, she had written the following:

The bottom issue is that we can’t compromise the name and Gospel of Christ so that we can still run interfaith political action committees to end temporal problems in this country. I’m not against working against these evils and have, in fact, done so for many years in Christian information radio. I also don’t believe in a doctrinal litmus test before you sign some guy’s petition against higher taxes or whatever. We can work on public policy issues with those we don’t theologically agree with. But we must never stop being outspoken representatives of Christ whatever we are doing. If we work with Jewish people, Muslims, Mormons, etc. in the civil sphere, we can’t allow that to impede our sharing the truth with them when given the opportunity. We can’t put more value on their political influence than on their soul’s worth. And we must not worship together or pray together with those who reject our Savior. We must keep our Christian integrity. We must be faithful. Jesus must come first. That is the point.

The lines that stood out to me were “We must keep our Christian integrity. We must be faithful. Jesus must come first. That is the point.” And, that is just the point. When we shove Jesus aside for any reason, we are letting the devil get a foot in the door. And, he only needs a small opening to impact our lives and others! We should never be ashamed to let people know what we believe or to share Christ with them in a loving way.

Ingrid had given a press release at Christian Newswire in which she spoke about Dr. Ravi Zacharias not praying in the name of Jesus on the official National Day of Prayer website. The Bible specifically says that we are pray to the Father in the name of Jesus.

NDP Chairwoman, Shirley Dobson, owes a biblical explanation to Christians around the nation as to why the name of Jesus is absent from the official prayer. We are not here as Christians to appease those of other world religions. We cannot come to God except through His Son's righteous merits. To pray as "Christians" in any other way is both a farce and a mockery. While other believers around the world are dying for that name, in America, Dr. Zacharias will not even breathe that name in his official public prayer because it might "offend".

Christians need to get back to the business of doing what God’s Word says, without the fear of offending anyone. If anyone is offended, it is by the Word, not the person. We may appease the people, but God isn’t pleased. The Christians of this nation have bowed down to outsiders long enough in order to appease and it hasn’t worked. Why not get back to God’s business, do things HIS way, and see what the outcome is. I believe we could benefit by acting like we were truly made in HIS image!

Linked at Conservative Cat
Sunday OTB at Cao's Blog

Technorati Tags: Jesus, Christians, Prayer, Dr. Ravi Zacharias

Parenting

Parenting is not always an easy task. There are so many ways one can go wrong. But, scripture says to ‘train up a child in the way he should go and, when he is old, he will not depart from it’. (Proverbs 22:6) That does not mean you will not have conflicts along the way, or the child will love you through it all. It means that, in the future, he will come to realize that you were trying to make sure he develops into a well-rounded adult, able to function in an adult world.

Our children weren’t allowed to do everything they asked to do, or go everywhere they wanted to go. In fact, they weren’t able to hang around all the kids that they may have wanted to hang around. I suppose you can say we were strict parents. And, we got flack from our kids, at times. I often got the comment, “but ‘so and so’s’ Mom lets so and so do such and such.” I followed up with, “but I’m not so and so’s Mom; I’m yours.”

Well, we were strict to a point. We allowed them to date at 16, even by themselves. In fact, we always felt it was usually safer for teens to be alone on a date than with others who might pressure them into doing things they would not ordinarily do. But, they always knew we might check on them at any given time, and I did. They never knew when it might be, so they had better be where they should be when I called. Otherwise, they faced discipline they may perhaps not like! They had curfews and they always respected them. We weren’t perfect parents, but we tried our best to bring them up in a good environment and teach them to respect themselves and others.

Bringing up your children to have good manners, to not smoke, drink, do drugs, or go to wild parties has its rewards. After our son got out of school, into college and working (he worked a full time job during college days), he called home one night to tell us how he appreciated how he had been brought up. He told us that had he not been taken to church and taught right from wrong, that he could have been a drunkard, doing drugs, homeless, and on the street. Seems he had come in contact with a former classmate that had not faired so good in life.

Even if a child strays after being parented correctly, there is hope. God’s Word is truth. I put full trust in what He has said about a child not departing from the truth when he grows older. A child usually returns to their childhood faith in later years, even when they don’t follow it in their earlier years. So, if your child has strayed, don’t give up. Hold on to God’s promises, and pray that his path crosses that of another Christian who can be guidance back to God.

Technorati Tags: Parenting, Child, Guidance, God, Promises

Hope

1 Corinthians 15:19, "If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable."

• Video - Here's Hope
• Streaming Video - The Hope
• Hope Worldwide Charity - "bringing hope to a hurting world"
  
• City of Hope - "dedicated to the prevention and cure of cancer and other life-threatening illness"
• "For every apparent blessing contains the seeds of danger--every area of trouble gives out a ray of hope--and the one unchangeable certainty is that nothing is certain or unchangeable." - John F. Kennedy, State of the Union Address January 11, 1962

Technorati Tags: Hope, Christ

Meme

I am a Child of God

Cathy, at Melodies and Hymnsongs, has tagged me for a six word memoir.

The rules are:

1.Write your own six word memoir.
2.Post it on your blog, and include a visual illustration if you like.
3.Link to the person who tagged you in their post.
4.Tag five more blogs with links.
5.Remember to leave a comment on the tagged blogs inviting them to play.

I am new on this one and really have no idea what to write, but will give it a try.

So my memoir is:

I’m a Citizen of two worlds

I tag:

1. Cindy at Notes in the Key of Life
2. Big Mama
3. Mimi at Listen to Grammie
4. Carol at She Lives
5. Barb at A Chelsea Morning

Technorati Tags: Meme, God

End of an era - beginning of another

When we have children, we relish every moment of their growing years. But there comes a time when we realize they are growing up, becoming a woman or man of their own. Being a Mother, I certainly know how it feels to have your children grown and gone from home. Both of mine have children of their own. But, my daughter had a son to graduate from high school last year and is a freshman in college. Her only daughter graduates this year - only about one month away.

What is so sad is the fact it ends her career in soccer. She has played since a young child - on City League on a Co-Ed team to start with, playing with her older brother. Then, she later played on an all-girl team. When she got to JR High and High school, she began playing for her high school. She plays Varsity and has been the team captain for 2 years running. The coach said, on Senior night, that she had been the only girl chosen captain two years in a row. We are so proud of her, and really hate to see her soccer days coming to an end. They played their last home game last Thursday. They played an away game last night, and on Thursday night, she and two other seniors will wrap up their days as high school soccer players.

The Varsity girls and boys played in an Invitational Soccer Tournament last month in which both teams from their school won first place trophies. The picture here is of my granddaughter. She and one other girl were the only ones to score for the Varsity girls from their school in the entire tournament. We were so proud of her!

She has had a great time at soccer. She has also played Premier soccer ball for the last three years. But, right now, we are almost certain she will not continue to play in college. But, she will beginning another wonderful phase of her life, and we wish her well!

Technorati Tags: Soccer, High School, Graduation

Pet peeves

There are so many pet peeves - but there is one that just irritates me more than any other. That happens to be the anonymity that some use in order to attack others through email or comments on a blog.

If a person has a problem with something I write, it would give them more credibility if they emailed me with the name and a way to get in touch with them. Then we could discuss what they see as a problem. I have had numerous people email me to discuss certain things on my web site, but also more felt it was necessary to downgrade me through anonymity. I just received one email calling me a 'complete faggot' because they disagreed with my page on the Potter controversey.

I am wondering if this is a teenager or perhaps a disgruntled adult. I've had many adults tell me how good these books are and how they do not have anything wrong with them that they wouldn't let their children read. We all have our opinions on everything. What I wrote reflects how I would feel, but I also give lots of links to other sites that are more indepth with explanations. There are also those links to the pros and cons of the Potter books. Either way, if you want credibility in my sight, please give me your name and the ability to make a response. Otherwise, I just view this as juvenile and that doesn't mean I am passing this off as a child writing. Adults are sometimes juvenile in their approach with such things, as well.

Linked at Conservative Cat

Technorati Tags: Anonymity, Pet Peeves, Email, Comments

Chaste in a runaway society

In this fast society we live in, young people find it hard to abstain in their teenage years. The talk and actions of others pressure them. They want to be in the ‘in crowd’ and not made fun of. Sometimes they give into the pressure and do things that perhaps they would not do if they were more informed or perhaps had different friends.

We can’t be with the teenagers every minute of the day. But, we can give them lots of reasons to abstain from sexual activity until they are married. Promiscuity can bring on sexual-transmitted diseases, an early pregnancy and perhaps a low self-esteem. Teenagers think they are invincible when they are young and parents are viewed as too controlling. What they don’t understand is the fact that parents do not want their teenager in a situation that may leave him/her scared for life.

Parents need to start early encouraging teenagers to talk to them about any and every thing. If they grow up sharing their problems with parents, they will tend to share more of their activities, as they grow older. They are more apt to listen to parents who are willing to listen to them rather than listening to their peers. Teens are able to make wiser decisions when they have the true facts rather than misinformation they pick up from their peers. But parents do need to inform teenagers early rather than letting them learn wrong ideas from their peers who haven’t been well informed. My daughter has always talked to her children from a very early age. She’s let them know that she is willing to listen to them and to their friends. She keeps abreast of their activities, with whom they are keeping company, and, when she doesn’t know someone they know, she makes a point of finding out about that person. She wants to keep them free of problems that would hinder them from having a carefree teenage experience. So many teenagers have gotten into trouble at an early age, and it seems the ages of early pregnancy are getting earlier by the year!

I believe also that a child brought up in church – not just sent, but taken - has a better approach to life than a child who hasn’t been taught the Bible. A teenager who knows Christ as his/her personal Savior and studies the Word is equipped with the knowledge that Jesus is there for them. Also, they should have been taught that abstinence until marriage is what they should be striving for. Today’s teenagers are put into too many situations that can cause a wrong decision in a heated moment. And they need to be strong enough in their minds to handle the situation without giving into pressure.

Ephesians 6:11-13, "Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand."

Picture from Allposters.com

As parents, we need to always live a good life in front of our children. Don’t do things you would not want repeated by them. You can’t be an effective parent when you try the ‘do as I say do, not as I do’ approach. You may find your child not listening and trouble may be brewing. A good solid marriage and conversation goes as long way when your child is watching.

Technorati Tags: Chaste, Teenagers, Promiscuity, Disease, Self-Esteem

Wake up, America, before it's too late!

Obama will make America a sitting duck for destruction if he wins the Presidency. People need to wake up and see what this man is all about before it is too late.

Technorati Tags: Obama, Defense, Space, Nuclear Weapons

Three strikes and you are out

When the baseball games start, everybody is out there in the stands cheering for their favorite team. With each ball thrown, we look for a home run or, at least, for the batter to get on the base. With each strike, our heart misses a beat, wondering if the next one will be a hit or miss. And, when that third strike comes, we know our batter had made an out! No turning back the clock – it’s over, done; he is out!

Obama has been playing the game of hit and miss for awhile. He calls it ‘change’. First, we find that he has been in a church for 20 years where his pastor has taught hatred toward whites, another form of racism or bigotry. He is for abortion, including late term abortions. 75% of Americans are against late term abortions. He feels that parents of young teenagers should not be told their child is having an abortion. In other words, parents, you have no right to making decisions that will impact your child for the rest of her life. Then, there is his statement in which he thinks a young girl would be ‘punished’ with a child, if she made a mistake – he spoke about his own girls here. A child is a ‘gift from God’ the last time I looked.

Then just a few days ago, Mr. Obama commented in unscripted remarks to a Pennsylvania audience that if when his daughters become teenagers, he does not want them to be “punished with a baby” if they make a mistake.

Punished with a baby? Is that any way to refer to the miracle of life, even under unfortunate circumstances?

In a 1996 questionnaire, Obama said he is for the absolute ban on Americans owning handguns. 75% of Americans believe the Second Amendment gives citizen the right to own firearms. And, to add insult in injury, last week, Obama said he was against law-abiding citizens ‘who pass a background check and complete any required classes’, from having a concealed-carry permit.

Mr. Obama’s extreme views on the Second Amendment and abortions, coupled with giving benefits and driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants, and his opposition to surveillance of terrorist phone calls overseas, start to form a coherent portrait of a political radical with a pleasant smile and easy manner. The candidate who has said that evangelical leaders who speak out on issues like religious liberty and same-sex marriage, have “hijacked” Christianity, has provided us with an ample supply of social and national security issues to vet.

When we add to this picture his positions on economic issues, we get a firm grasp of what Mr. Obama is all about. It is the pattern that is disturbing and newsworthy.

Voters are being sold a bill of goods. It is far more than Mr. Obama not being a moderate. The more we discover about him, the more he goes from looking like a big-government, doctrinaire liberal, to being a radical on the fringe of the political spectrum.

I wonder when the media will start asking the correct questions and letting the public know exactly what this man believes and what his intentions really are, if he became President. Give the public the full picture in order for them to make an ‘informed decision’ rather than taking Obama at his Word. He himself says they are ‘just words’.

Linked at Conservative Cat
A Newt One
Pirate's Cove

Technorati Tags: Obama, Politics, Change, Abortion, Gun Ban, Racism, Just Words

We need more proofreaders – or grammar teachers, possibly

I just came from Third World County. David has a post entitled It’s the little things. He speaks about the lack of correct grammar in sentences and the problem with too many apostrophes. That has long been a sore spot of mine as well. I am known to proofread when I am visiting blogs or reading articles on the Internet. If you are like me, you aren’t surprised to find some very bad mistakes. I know we all make them sometimes, but there are journalists who should know better. If all else fails, put your article into a grammar checker and get it right!

When I first started working, I worked my way up to the advertising department of a jewelry company. I proofread ads daily for the local newspaper and it taught me sight-reading like you would not believe. I skim lots of pages and my eyes just seem to fall on mistakes. Oh, I have to add, if I make a mistake (accidentally hit a wrong key and do not see my mistake), I have friends who find it. So there are other proofreaders out there, for sure. I once read an article that said the most important thing to remember before publishing an article to your blog is to proofread it to make sure everything is correct. We sometimes overlook that and, in haste, publish a faulty post.

The one thing that students aren’t taught today is how to diagram a sentence. When they learn this correctly, other things fall into place. Once you learn, you never forget. It is like typing; once you learn where to put your fingers on the keys, it is just automatic to place them there. It is the same way with taking dictation, playing the piano, etc. These things never leave your mind. I say go back to the old ways of teaching; kids came out of high school knowing how to write a paper correctly and how to punctuate!

Technorati Tags: Grammar, Punctuation, Diagram, School

Grandchildren will make you do crazy things

Yesterday was a very rainy day. The weatherman said it would clear up and be nice by lunch time. Well, it did neither! It rained or misted rain all day long. But, we endured it to see two of our daughter's children play in an Invitational Soccer Tournament. I believe there were possibly 8 different Varsity teams playing. Our 14 year old grandson, an eighth grader, made starter on the Varsity team. He has played soccer since he was about 6 years of age.

The one in black is our grandson. He may be small, but he is loud! He will go up against the largest player and give them a run for their money! And, he is able to score against the best.



Our grand daughter is a senior and Captain of her team. She's been a Captain for the past two years. She has also played since she was about 6 years of age. She played on City League until she started playing Varsity. She has also played Premier Soccer for a traveling team for 3 years in the Fall. We are truly going to miss her playing next year because we don't think she will continue to play in college. She is the one in white about to kick the ball. She scored the winning point in the last game of the day. Both the boys and girls teams from their school took home first place trophies and medals. The day was well spent although it meant a bad hair day today! Yes, grandparents will do crazy things for their grandkids!

Click on the pictures for a larger view.

Technorati Tags: Soccer, Varsity, First Place, Captain, Grandparents, Grandchildren

Charlton Heston dead at age 84

Charlton Heston, born Charles Carter, in 1923 in a Chicago suburb, changed his name when he went into films. His Mom and Dad had divorced and she remarried. He took on his mother's maiden name and his step-father's last name and became Charlton Heston. He died yesterday at the age of 84 at home with his wife. He had announced in 2002 that he was showing symptoms of Alzheimer's. He had always included his audience of fans in everything that happened in his life.

"America has lost a great patriot. The Second Amendment has lost a faithful friend," said Wayne LaPierre, of the National Rifle Association of America, in a statement. "So have I, and so have four million NRA members and eighty million gun owners. And so has every American who cares about the Bill of Rights, individual liberty, and Freedom.

Technorati Tags: Charlton Heston, Death, Actor, NRA

First grader suspended for sexual harassment

Give me a break! What child of six knows what sexual harassment is? This world has gone wild when it comes to the ‘No tolerance’ rule in our schools, especially with these little children.

Apparently, a child touching another because the other child had touched him (in playing – wouldn’t you expect this in this age group?) causes such a stir among the teachers of first graders now days. At least, it does in Brockton, Mass., where a six-year-old boy was suspended for three days from school. The child was afraid the police was coming to get him. He had no idea what he had done wrong. Why do we have to scare these little children with ‘adult’ worries? No doubt this child was doing nothing but touching this little girl back when she touched him. But the teacher took her word that ‘he touched my skin’ to mean he was sexually harassing her!

We need to get a grip! Children will be children until they grow into teenagers. They will be teenagers until they learn how to be adults. Some children never learn because we pressure them into growing up long before they are ready. They don’t understand the adults’ worries and concerns. I think adults worry too much about children and their way of playing. Heaven help this child if they ever engage in a game of ‘doctor and nurse’! He will be ushered into reform school until he is 18!

We are stealing our children’s innocent years by teaching them things for which they are not ready. Some assume children at this age should be told about sex, sexual harassment, etc. But, I assure you, unless you are doing things you shouldn’t be doing in front of your child (or others are), and they aren’t watching unsuitable programs on television, they don’t understand half of what they are being told. There is a time to teach children about sexual harassment, but hopefully, it is not at the age of six! Keep your hands to yourself should be a rule taught to these children. And, if they are continually touching others inappropriately (which I doubt this boy was), then you have a talk with him about minding – not remove him from his school room of first graders (his friends) and make a spectacle of him in front of those children!

Linked at Conservative Cat

Technorati Tags: Children, Innocence, Sexual Harassment, First Graders

Having election wearies?

Has the impending election in November got you anguished? Are you stressed out because it is hard to believe what a candidate is saying because of past experiences, or the way the particular candidate has acted/talked in the past?

Maxine, over at Scraps of Glory, has a great article called “Our refuge in This Election”. There is only one person to whom we can turn for relief when we are anguished, stressed out, and think we have no answers for our problems. There is always someone who is listening to our hearts, knows us better than anyone. He has the answer to all life’s problems, although the answer He provides may not be the answer we were anticipating. But, He is never wrong in his assessment of our needs. His name is Jesus.

All PostersPsalms 62:7-8, "In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah."

The Church of Oprah Exposed

People need to wake up! New Age is creeping more and more into the lives of people without them even realizing it. This teaching is far from what scripture teaches. She says 'God is a feeling experience, not a believing experience'. She is saying that there are other ways to heaven other than God. That is not what scripture says.

John 14:6, "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."

2 Timothy 4:3-4, "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables."

Linked at Conservative Cat
Stuck on Stupid
Technorati Tags: New Age, Oprah, God, Church, Salvation

Trackback URL

Whose fool are you?

As the years pass, April 1st, considered April Fool’s Day by most, has become just another day for me. I am not a person of jokes, especially those for fools. They once were funny, but they have just lost their appeal to me.

Here is The American Heritage Dictionary’s top three definitions of a fool:

1. One who is regarded as deficient in judgment, sense, or understanding.
2. One who acts unwisely on a given occasion.
3. One who has been tricked or made to appear ridiculous; a dupe.

Today, Fox News reported that Google had a problem with their search engine. They are reporting a bug someone has slipped in there to cause someone to be sent to a ‘rogue’ place and then their own computer is then hacked. So they are saying to keep your security software on your computers updated. This we do every day by letting it update automatically. Popups occur nearly every day. I sent the information to my son who replied: “Do you think it might be an April Fool’s joke?”

A very close friend of mine sent her son, who loves to play jokes, the following announcement (remember Sarah in the Old Testament?) :

“Setting a new Guiness record
Your Mom, at 67, is old
And you thought I was going to say pregnant
But OLD it is not; Pregnant it is; your baby sister will arrive in 9 months, more or less”

To which her son responded (you would just have to know this kid to appreciate his quip!) “Funny coincidence. I was just about to tell you I was pregnant too.”

But, the best answer for a fool’s joke is something I received in an email this morning. It goes as follows:

I love a quote I heard the first time years ago.. A youth was accused of being a fanatic about his faith and of making a fool of himself. He replied, "So..I'm a fool for God. Whose fool are YOU??"

April 1st has been considered April Fool’s Day for a long time, and it probably won’t go away. And, it’s origin is skeptical, at best. Many will play jokes on others all through the day today. Hopefully, none will be harsh enough to cause problems.

So, to those reading, I ask the question: “Whose fool are you?” I, like the youth, prefer to appear as a fool for Christ. He is not into trickery or joking. He was absolutely serious when He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one cometh to the Father but through me.”

Linked at Planck's Constant

Third World County
Church and State

Technorati Tags: April Fools Day, Jokes, Christ,