Forget "Soak the Rich" - Soak the churches, homeless shelters, and poverty fighters

I didn't vote for Obama.

Shocking, I know.

I know many Christians voted for him thinking he would bring some of the things Jesus promoted to America. They saw him as an agent for change, certainly. That's how he branded himself. Many thought that "change" would include more help for the most downtrodden.

Think again.

I read this article and it certainly made me angry. Obama wants to eliminate the tax deduction for wealthy givers. These are the people that give 40% of the total donations according to the WSJ. He believes this would bring the government at least $11 billion (gotta pay for those AIG bonuses somehow...). We know that the very wealthy can take the hit. They can most certainly afford to pay more taxes. I'm not grieving for them. The problem is this: if a dollar spent on a new car brings the same tax benefit as a dollar spent on Habitat for Humanity, the dollar is going toward the car more often than not.

I believe Obama knows it would hurt charities and he is fine with that. After all, Obama promised transformative change. I don't think people heard what he was saying. He didn't say he was going to make America better; he said he was going to TRANSFORM it. Well here we go. This is what he meant. In the old days, churches and charities served the people. Under Obama, the government will decide what to do with the dollars you earn. Help the poor, maybe. Buy green vehicles for government workers, absolutely. Pay for abortions all over the world, already in process.

Even the most liberal groups are screaming about this. They know what Obama knows, this is an end to their good works. And if you have a favorite charity or church you support, say good-bye to that as well. They simply cannot take the hit of reduced giving.

So, Christian, how does this sit? I guess Obama's just following the dictate of Jesus, "Take your neighbor's money at the end of a gun and with the threat of jail, and use it for whatever you feel is best."

Oh, wait. Jesus didn't say that.

Why Worry?

That's what this week's sermon is called. Obviously, in this current economic climate, it's a perfect topic.

Some of you know that a couple of weeks back, Tim came a hair's breath away from being laid off. The industry he works in is notorious for lay offs and since he doesn't have his degree in engineering, we know he'll be the first to go. And in these times, with his background, it'll be time for a new career.

Sound scary?

I mean we have two kids, a dog, and a mortgage. I home-school full time, which doesn't pay all that well.

But God is good.

If God is not good, then none of this life matters. We can't trust Him and our life is a series of meaningless random events. If God is not good, I'm sleeping in on Sunday mornings. If God is not good, then goodness doesn't exist. It's all a mirage.

But God IS good.

I BELIEVE that. And that is what make this adventure called life a little less scary.

So as we waited to find out - job or no job - we rested in the fact that God is good. His plan is perfect. He will take care of us in the best way possible. We were actually at a point where we were excited about the next step He has for us.

But Tim didn't get laid off... this time. It's coming, but not this month.

If I had to guess the mind of God, a very tough challenge for someone who can't figure out LOST, I would say He saved the job so we could continue to give to our church. I think this was a big answer to prayer for Damascus, and we are very happy to be able to tithe to such a great place.

So for those of you who were praying for us, thanks. We're right where God wants us.

I'm Famous - kind of...

Actually, I think it would be more proper to say my niece is famous. After all, it is a picture of her that graces the cover of this book.

I took this shot at her wedding in December. In exchange for the friends-and-family discount, she allowed me to post some of the pictures on istockphoto.com. This is my biggest seller, so it is quite fun to see at least one place where this image was used.

Sunday's Message

We have been at Damascus Church for about 6 months now, and we really like it!

Every week, the pastor Joel, preaches straight out of the Word of God. That, along with the amazing worship is what drew us here in the first place. And although every week he preaches a really good sermon, I think this last week was his best. I got so fired up!

We are discussing Revelation and the letters to the Seven Churches. This week was on Pergamum and the fact that while they were maintaining outward appearances, they had moved away from the Word of God and had allowed a spirit of tolerance and compromise to enter the church.

I think it spoke perfectly to what we are seeing in the church in America. Here is a link to the sermon if you are interested. Believe me, I have a list of people who need hear this! I think the church needs to get serious about the study of God's Word. It is the only thing keeping us from slipping into a deadly marriage with the world. It challenged me as well to be very serious about maintaining a time in the Word of God DAILY!

On a final note... he mentioned that this is a time of "grace and mercy". Having heard those words used ad infinitum, I got to a place where I began to hate "grace and mercy". I mean, I know it's in the Scriptures, but the way it was being used felt so... wrong. It felt like grace and mercy really meant tolerance and compromise. So when Joel said we need the Word of God to pierce our hearts and judge us NOW, in the time of grace and mercy, before the final judgement, it clicked for me. Rather than promoting tolerance and compromise, the grace and mercy extended by Jesus should be a wake up call to get our act together NOW. Because the era of grace and mercy is rapidly coming to an end! I would so much rather have God judge my heart now, while there is time to repent, than continue on, ranting about how grace and mercy covers it all, and have to face judgement when there is no time to repent.

I'm loving this series. Can't wait until next week!

O.K. So I'm finally weighing in on this book.

Before I read it, I was sure I would hate it. I have my antenae up very high when it comes to sniffing out liberal or false theology. I assumed this would present a very watered down, "God loves everybody", ultra-tolerant version of God.

I was very pleasantly surprised to find, not only the God that I know, but Jesus, and not a worldly, WWJD, kind of Jesus, but the real Jesus who died a horrific death for our sins and wants to reconcile us to God, the father.

Some of you will be surprised to know that I really liked the book.

I feel the book gives a fresh perspective to our relationship with God and how He feels about us. HOWEVER, it is NOT the Bible and its theology is bound to be off in places (it is, after all, written by a man, not the Holy Spirit). I think it is very important to read it, not as a theology book, or a replacement for the Bible, but rather as an allegory. Compare it to The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. We all know that although Jesus is the "Lion of the tribe of Judah" he is not REALLY a lion. But by portraying Christ as a lion, C.S. Lewis illuminates one aspect of His character. I think if you see the story as a dream, which it is, and as an allegory, like Pilgrim's Progress, you will be more comfortable with the things that come across initially as pretty bizarre (like God as a black woman). It's all symbolism - a way to express what is very difficult for us to wrap our minds around. It is not complete, but rather a picture to point out aspects of what is true.

However, I know there are some people, whom I respect a lot, that take strong issue with the book. One is Mark Driscoll, pastor of Mars Hill - Seattle. Here is a video he did in which he lists his reasons for disliking the book. I watched it, and I wasn't convinced with his reasoning. But I respect him, nonetheless.

Here is an article by one of the "coauthors". I really liked what he had to say in defense of the book, in fact, he made some the same points I did when defending my support for the story.

For me personally, I liked the book because it allowed me to see God's love for me in a fresh way. I like how the main character, Mack, is such a genuine person, and so much like me in some of his ways of thinking. He feels abandoned by God and doesn't believe God is good and trustworthy. I think the whole point of The Shack is to proclaim that God is good, He loves us, and He wants to be in a relationship with us. The point is NOT to pass on every theological point found in Scripture.

I don't think it's the dangerous book some are making it out to be.

My fervent hope is that it leads people to see God in a way that causes them to WANT to be in relationship with Him. If this book leads them to seek out Jesus as the way to God, can that be a bad thing?

Chandler and Dylan's Inkheart Party

Since Chandler and Dylan were born just a few days apart, Jenny and I have occasionally combined their parties. This was one of those years. Both Chandler and Dylan were interested in seeing Inkheart for their birthdays, and since they share so many friends, it was perfect!

We were able to rent out an ENTIRE theater with only 20 guaranteed ticket sales. The kids loved having the run of the place, able to sit anywhere, cheer when they wanted, boo at the right time. It really was fun!

After the movie, we returned to Jenny's house and separated the kids into two teams for an Inkheart Scavenger Hunt. Of course, being that these are middle school kids, we couldn't just give them a list and say, "Go for it." So we created 5 quests to be solved, each of which would reveal more items to be added to the list.

Here are the 5 quests if you want to play at home!

The kids jumped right in! I think they really enjoyed it.

Finally, after Dylan's team just barely sqeaked a victory past Chandler's team (by getting 13 out of 14 items in the fastest time), we HAD to celebrate with cupcakes for all! Since it was a trick candle, Chandler and Dylan had to blow out the candle 14 times!

Oh, how will we EVER top this one?

YES!!!!!

[great big sigh] I'm FINALLY done!

A few months back, Regan asked, again, if she could have her own room. Now mind you, this from a girl who is scared to DEATH to sleep alone and still snuggles at night with her sister... at 12 years old!

So I did what any good, caring and conscientious mother would do... I said no.

Now before you judge, you have to know me. I am seriously into decorating. I have spent years of my life getting my home to look just the way I want it. And here lies the problem. The room Regan would be taking over was already done. I had already spent MONTHS getting it to look like something out of Pottery Barn Kids, with hand-painted flowers on the wall and furniture. It was pink and purple. Had a "Dress Up" station, "Story Time" bookcase, "Showtime" media center, and "Create" art area.


This not the actual playroom, I didn't want to clean it before destroying it just to get a "before" picture. This is actually from Pottery Barn kids, but if you ever saw the playroom, you will notice the similarities.

But Regan didn't WANT pink and purple Pottery Barn Kids hand-painted flowers. She wanted a grown-up room to reflect her very eclectic taste. It took everything in me to turn a room over to a 12-year-old. And not just any 12-year-old... REGAN.

Her initial thoughts were for lime green and orange.

I gritted my teeth and determined to make it the cutest lime green and orange room in the world.

She began by picking out her bedding. What she chose had blue and brown polka dots and that led us to rethink the lime green and orange.

I suggested Cape Cod beach.

After showing her my ideas, she enthusiastically agreed. So we set out to work. (Mostly I set out to work)

Truckfuls of Goodwill and trash were soon seen departing our humble abode.

Next primer (have to cover that purple and pink paint with something)

Two coats and sometimes three coats of blue and brown paint.

Added a chair rail and crown molding.

White paint on everything standing still but not blue or brown already.

Install blinds on windows.

Hang fish net as a window valence.

Get bed delivered and set up bedding and decorations.

Install closet doors.

Install closet organizer.

Paint closet doors.

Paint room door.

Sew curtain to cover T.V.

Blue paint on all accents.

Vacuum.

Take "after" pictures.

Sorry for the very long blogging break. I will now return to my regularly scheduled life.

Christmas Cards

Every year I face the dilemna of what to do with all the wonderful Christmas Card pictures I receive. In the past, I have put them in scrapbook pages or at least saved them for most of the year in a pile.

But with the popularity of sending pictures (which I love!!) there are simply too many to scrapbook or hold on to in pile. I got this idea from the blog of this amazing woman. She said she puts the pictures up on a corkboard in her laundry room and then prays for each family throughout the year. I LOVE THIS!

So here is my board. If you didn't send me a card this year with your picture... well, maybe I'll be praying for you next year!

www.damascuschurch.org

Since joining our new church, I have had the privilege of helping with communications. One of the tasks I volunteered for was to update the website. It had been neglected for almost a year and I was concerned that anyone who found it would think the church defunct.

After spending most of last week doing all I could within my meager skills, I got it up to date and a true souce of information. It is far from being finished. There are still many blank pages, but I am excited to see it moving in the right direction!

Hopefully, within the next few weeks, we will have every page filled and new ones added.

Check it out and leave some feedback here for how I can continue to improve it.

New Year's Resolutions

~ To see the Mona Lisa

~ To skydive or better yet, wingsuit base jump

~ To not lose it with my kids, ever

~ To cruise around the world

~ To see everyone with "funeral remix" eyes

~ To retain everything I read

~ To make the best pasta with shrimp the world has ever known

~ To not say anything stupid

~ To look like Angelina Jolie, or not, and be O.K. either way

~ To vacuum from time to time

~ To play piano like a concert pianist (without the drudgery of actually learning how to play)

~ To put in the unbelievably amazing pool I've always wanted and have been coveting for years

~ To learn web design

~ To start my own business (see previous resolution)

~ To catch up on my scrapbooking

~ To be elected Queen of the World and solve all the world's problems - overnight

~ To make dinner... sometimes

~ To have everyone I come into contact with see Jesus, and not me


I guess it's a bit ambitious, but then, isn't that what resolutions are for?

Favorite Books From 2008

Books I loved and HIGHLY recommend:

1. Have a New Kid by Friday

Every parent MUST read this book! I thought I probably didn't need it because my kids are very well-behaved. I got to page 1 "Are You a Candidate to Read This Book?" when I got my answer... Every parent is a candidate.The heart of parenting is actually very simple. Yet we have made it complex to the point of impossibility. Dr. Leman spells it out day by day, in only 74 pages, how to have a new kid by Friday.

Best advice: Don't threaten (i.e. "If you don't______ I'm going to __________") Be a Nike ad. Just Do It. Threats only teach a child that he can keep doing whatever he wants until you threaten him again.


2. Touching History: The Untold Story of the Drama That Unfolded in the Skies Over America on 9/11

Here is the review, "While most Americans watched the 9/11 attacks on television, the guardians of the nation's air-control and air-defense systems had the unenviable task of trying to halt them. Working from interviews and tape archives, Spencer's minute-by-minute chronicle recreates their heroics in nerve-racking detail. In her telling, air-traffic controllers panicked as a seemingly routine—and quickly spotted—initial hijacking metastasized into a coordinated terror attack of unknown size and direction, and tried to divine which of thousands of planes on their radars had become guided missiles. Airline pilots dodged through suddenly chaotic skies while assuring suspicious control towers that they weren't hijackers themselves. Meanwhile, Air National Guard fighter pilots, hobbled by bad communications and misdirection, scrambled to defend against a murky threat."

You won't be able to put it down.



3. The Hidden Face of God: Science Reveals the Ultimate Truth

I was blown away by what science is revealing concerning what is real and what is not. How our definitions of the material are changing. The idea of the space between the specs is especially intriguing. He also showed how from a scientific perspective, the whole universe is singing. Unbelievable! The theological implications of all of it are staggering. Not an easy read, but if you love science and want to be blown away, read this book.


4. Reedeeming Love and The Mark of the Lion Seriece by Francine Rivers

Christian fiction like you've never read Christian fiction. These books are wonderful at changing your perspective.


I know I've read many, many more books, but these are the one that had the biggest impact on my life.

I didn't read the entire Bible this year

Thankfully, that was not one of my resolutions from last year.

For the record, it was to slow down when eating and not gulp it all down in 10 seconds.

Not only do I make an effort to linger over my hard-earned and long-awaited calories, but I have applied this concept to God's Word as well.

Back in January, I had a bit of an epiphany. So many Christians complain that they are not being fed at their church. Well, I realized that I had been neglecting to feed myself. Afterall, an hour or so on Sunday, even if it is hardcore Biblical teaching, is not going to ever be enough.

I started reading a Bible with commentary by Jon Courson. I started in Genesis. I am now up to Deuteronomy 12. That's 4 1/2 books in a year. As stated in the title, I didn't read the entire Bible this year.

But for the first time ever, I read the Bible daily and it has been life-changing. It is not drudgery or guilt induced; I am truly feeding on God's Word. I love hearing from Him daily and I am being more and more convinced that in these times, all Christians should be immersing themselves in the Word of God.

Why? Newsweek articles like this one show how Scripture can be twisted by those with a little knowledge of the Bible. Christians who are not Biblically literate will be confused and persuaded by this kind of thinking, having no defense on their own. Churches should be at the forefront of teaching Biblical truth, not the watered down, "Go be a good person" type sermons (but that's another post.)

So this year, I resolve, not read the Bible in a year. Instead, I will savor and linger and learn all I can from it.

Christmas Cookies

Once again, we did our traditional cookie decorating at Jenny's house. Not only does she do a FANTASTIC job of setting up the table perfectly with various sprinkles and icing, but we had the added bonus of a few, small newcomers.

Initially, Emma wasn't sure what to do with the cookies. She mostly just wanted to eat them.

It didn't take her long to cover them in sprinkles, with or without icing! Either way, they were going in her mouth.

Josh went right to work with great enthusiasm.

Both Josh and Malia really got into the decorating. Mostly, Malia loved eating the icing, but after a while, she realized that putting the icing on the cookie was almost as much fun as putting the icing in her mouth. Josh loved putting on sprinkles. He didn't care that there was no icing to hold the sprinkles on the cookie.

Of course Dylan had to decorate the traditional Mickey Mouse cookie. He is all things Disney. I love that even though he, Chandler and Regan are getting older, they all still love these kind of simple pleasures.

Chandler and Regan both did a great job and ended up with very professional looking cookies. They should. After all, they've been doing this their whole lives!

Here are the final results -

Can't wait to do it again next year.

Christmas Hope

This is from the Wall Street Journal. To read it is to know it was written in an earlier era. This kind of beautiful wrting could not be written today. This piece gave me chills and inspired hope - true hope, based on a man or on myself, but on Jesus Christ.

Merry Christmas.

When Saul of Tarsus set out on his journey to Damascus the whole of the known world lay in bondage. There was one state, and it was Rome. There was one master for it all, and he was Tiberius Caesar.

Everywhere there was civil order, for the arm of the Roman law was long. Everywhere there was stability, in government and in society, for the centurions saw that it was so.

But everywhere there was something else, too. There was oppression -- for those who were not the friends of Tiberius Caesar. There was the tax gatherer to take the grain from the fields and the flax from the spindle to feed the legions or to fill the hungry treasury from which divine Caesar gave largess to the people. There was the impressor to find recruits for the circuses. There were executioners to quiet those whom the Emperor proscribed. What was a man for but to serve Caesar?

There was the persecution of men who dared think differently, who heard strange voices or read strange manuscripts. There was enslavement of men whose tribes came not from Rome, disdain for those who did not have the familiar visage. And most of all, there was everywhere a contempt for human life. What, to the strong, was one man more or less in a crowded world?

Then, of a sudden, there was a light in the world, and a man from Galilee saying, Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's and unto God the things that are God's.

And the voice from Galilee, which would defy Caesar, offered a new Kingdom in which each man could walk upright and bow to none but his God. Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. And he sent this gospel of the Kingdom of Man into the uttermost ends of the earth.

So the light came into the world and the men who lived in darkness were afraid, and they tried to lower a curtain so that man would still believe salvation lay with the leaders.

But it came to pass for a while in divers places that the truth did set man free, although the men of darkness were offended and they tried to put out the light. The voice said, Haste ye. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness come upon you, for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.

Along the road to Damascus the light shone brightly. But afterward Paul of Tarsus, too, was sore afraid. He feared that other Caesars, other prophets, might one day persuade men that man was nothing save a servant unto them, that men might yield up their birthright from God for pottage and walk no more in freedom.

Then might it come to pass that darkness would settle again over the lands and there would be a burning of books and men would think only of what they should eat and what they should wear, and would give heed only to new Caesars and to false prophets. Then might it come to pass that men would not look upward to see even a winter's star in the East, and once more, there would be no light at all in the darkness.

And so Paul, the apostle of the Son of Man, spoke to his brethren, the Galatians, the words he would have us remember afterward in each of the years of his Lord:

Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

This editorial was written in 1949 by the late Vermont Royster and has been published annually since.

The Christmas Card You Probably Didn't Get

O.K. Here is the story.

I was going back and forth between sending the really cute Christmas cards I already had, or creating one from scratch. Either way, I wanted to include a picture, but I was having a hard time coming up with a date to actually take the picture. Add to that, that if I designed my own 4x6 cards and had them printed, where would I get envelopes? So between trying to figure out when to take the picture, and whether to do store-bought or custom-designed cards, I was completely paralyzed!

Finally two nights ago, I just took some quick shots at home in front of our tree. I plugged the picture into the custom card I had created "just in case". But I still wasn't ready to print them because I still hadn't solved the envelope dilemma. So last night, I thought, Well, I HAVE the store bought cards here already and THEY have envelopes. At least I can start addressing those. I ended up printing out a photo at Sam's to include in my store-bought card and mailing them all today.

However, the story continues. I didn't have enough store bought cards, so I STILL ended up printing out the custom one. Unfortunately, the envelope dilemma didn't resolve itself by magic. I came home, searched through all my random note cards and found a few that would kind of fit my 4x6 custom cards.

See... it is quite paralyzing. I basically ended up with the worst of all worlds and wasted a lot of time with multiple trips to Sam's Club. If you didn't get a card from me, just know that no one has, yet. And because I ran out of envelopes, some of you that are near and dear to me may not be receiving one at all. PLEASE DON'T HOLD IT AGAINST ME AND TAKE ME OFF YOUR LIST! Write down that I tried.

And if you know where I can get envelopes to fit 4x6 cards, I love to know!

Locks of Love and Chandler

Before

Yesterday, Chandler donated 10" of hair to Locks of Love. I'm very proud of her! Regan is next after she grows her hair another inch or two. Both of the girls feel strongly about this organization and are happy to donate.

But I must say, I don't miss her super long hair. It looks very cute short.

After

What does this say?

This is the sign across the street from my parents house.

Lest you think it is because it is a horrible photo from my phone and that is why you can't read it, this is EXACTLY what it looks like in person.

So... what does it say?

Some of our guesses are:

Andy Griffith

Lucy Grisham

Bery Grizzly

Tiny Gipper

Anyone else want to play?

Another round of scrapbook pages...

Happy Birthday Dad!

Hey, Dad!

Had to embarrass you with this birthday pic. It was great to spend you actual birthday with you watching Christmas with the Kranks on your gigantic T.V.

We'll have to do it again next year!

The slow death of television

I just read that Jay Leno is moving to prime time.

NBC is thrilled. They have a cheap "unscripted" show to replace very expensive-to-produce dramas. Since the rise of reality T.V. and with the writer's strike, scripted shows have been on the decline.

This makes me very sad.

Although I'm not a huge watcher of T.V., I have a few favorites (LOST, the office). My list is very small as more and more shows become over-the-top inappropriate or simply disappear. Two shows which have really caught my attention are Pushing Daisies and Crusoe - both cancelled. These two definitely qualify for "The Best Shows You're Not Watching". (Although I stopped watching Pushing Daisies because it just couldn't stay clean. It had to throw in something every week.)

I blame a lot of factors.

I blame reality T.V., especially the ones that are pure junk, like the Mtv dating-type shows. These shows remind me of the National Enquirer or junk food. (Not that I haven't been known to peruse a STAR magazine or munch on a Twinkie or two, but that's another story!) I know mindless entertainment is fun, but people react to it as if they actually know the people getting booted off. It's the Facebook version of intimate, authentic relationships. I think good T.V. actually requires you to engage your brain, and for many Americans, that is painful. That they are very cheap to produce is a plus not easily overlooked by the networks.

I blame TiVo. Love it. Advertisers hate it. And since the advertisers pay for my T.V. shows, they get the final say.

I blame our short attentions spans. Dramas and even good comedies require you to tune in show after show or risk becoming lost. You have to remember who the characters are and the back story. The busyness of our lives comes into play. Who has time to devote to a show? We'd rather just tune in for a few seconds of ridiculousness, then flip to something else.

I blame the bubble that T.V. writers and producers live in which leads them to present everything from a singular point of view. I loved the West Wing, but how much Republican bashing can I take? It is the EXTREMELY rare show that doesn't have unmarried sex, and when they do, it's treated like a freak show. No one on T.V. has a serious faith or if they do, they, too are treated as a novelty rather than like the normal American they are. (I know I sound a bit hypocritical after saying the office was one of my favorites, but I have already cut out House, CSI, and Pushing Daisies for content. I need one vice!)

So where to go from here? I'm loathe to engage with another well-written, yet short-lived show (Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip) only to see it rejected by viewers and networks.

T.V. as we know it is dying a slow, painful death.

What to do now? Read a book?