Coffee, Candles, and Colored Pens

Christianity

2008-11-15T15:59:00.000-08:00

My 16 year old daughter wrote this on her facebook today and I thought it worth sharing.

What I don't understand is why Christian's are stereotyped as the hateful religion. I understand that there is a tiny minority of extremeists that will beat you over the head with a Bible and tell you you're going to hell, but what I don't understand is why this tiny minority is portrayed by nonchristians as the majority of Christians.

I'm a Christian. I will not try to "save you from hell" by telling you you're going there. I'll tell you that I believe there's someplace better, and that's where I'm going, and because I love you, I want you very much to come with me.

I'm a Christian because I believe there's a better way to live than to hold grudges, to hold hate, and to hold onto me and mine.

I am a Christian because while some may deem it illogical to believe in a God you have no proof of, I deem it illogical to believe that we as humanity are a supreme power and a supreme knowledge. There is so much we don't know that we search everyday to know, which means we believe that there is knowledge we can gain. But for knowledge to exist, someone MUST know it. Therefore I believe there is something bigger than myself, that understands what I don't and can't. I believe that there is more to the universe than I can ever explain or experience through my five senses.

I am a Christian because I believe that even though I am human and a hypocrite, my honest tries to help, comfort, and love, even though imperfect, can be made helpful, comforting, and loving through the perfection of my God.

I am not a Christian because I believe the Bible word for word. I am a Christian because I believe that the best way to live, is to live with the same unconditional, ever-forgiving love that Jesus Christ lived with. I believe in loving and cherishing absolutely everyone, and I believe that I can love someone I disagree with without agreeing with them. Jesus hung out with the worst of sinners and loved them as much as anyone "righteous". He loved them, just not what they were doing.

Thus I write this note, not out of hate, not out of spite, but in HOPE of a better way and in HOPE of opening minds. If you don't believe in my God, okay. But don't hate me because I do, because I don't hate you because you don't. I ask you to stop stereotyping Christians as hateful, but to start realizing that everyone is human, Christian or non-Christian. MOST Christians do not claim to be any better or to sin any less than a non Christian. So please stop holding us to the standards of perfection. We don't believe we are way better, we believe in a better way. If you truly want to eliminate hate, don't hate Christians who don't hate you. Let's stop being blind to any kind of hate on EITHER side, Christian or non Christian, and encourage love.

This is the video that inspired my rant. I am not trying to accuse or justify, I am simply asking you to not overlook Christians like this, the majority of Christians, and suggest that we stop uncalled for hatred on any side.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaKu1Bv3L24

A Day in the Life

2008-11-07T06:51:00.000-08:00

For any of you interested in a day in the life of an 11th grader in public highschool, my eldest has written an amusing article about her election day experiences. Her new blog Survivor: Rome Highschool Edition is located at www.livylaine.blogspot.com .

Am I a Prude?

2008-10-13T18:51:00.000-07:00

This is the exact illustration of the super hero Dark Phoenix that is in the level 4 DK reader Marvel Heroes Greatest Battles that I purchased at Barnes & Noble tonight. I flipped through quickly before I purchased it and thought it looked like a great book for the boys. They love super heroes. As always, I looked at it more thoroughly when I got home before giving it to the boys to read. Glad I did. I will be returning it and Marvel Heroes Amazing Powers, which also has disturbing images. Keep in mind this is a book for approximately 3rd through 5th graders. I'm used to the female super heroes being a bit more "sexy" than I would like but this is downright pornographic.

Pictures From Our Wreck

2008-07-16T16:38:00.000-07:00

The kids and I were in an accident on Monday of this week. We were at a stop sign waiting to pull onto a divided highway when the woman in front of us pulled out to make a left turn and stopped right in the middle of the road. The GMC Sierra that was speeding toward her swerved to miss her and slammed straight into my driver's side door.

This is the last thing I saw before impact. Laine says she will never forget seeing the big, red, GMC in my widow when we finally stopped moving (he pushed us 29 ft.).

Our van at the junkyard. We ended up facing ninty degrees right from where we started.

My sister had just given me this sticker. How true it is!

One comment I heard over and over after the accident was "God was with you." I believe he was. Not because we are all o.k. but simply because I know he never abandons his children. Bryan and I are going to have a talk with the kids because I don't wan't them to think that God abandons you when bad things happen. If I had been killed the last thing I would want is the kids thinking God was not with us. He is the one I want them to turn to first in difficult situations.

I'm am so thankful for the life I've been given. This is a reminder not to take any of it for granted.

They're Onto Us

2008-06-06T07:06:00.000-07:00

Conversation overheard between Mason and Eli;

Eli -"With mom you can ignore her 'till she actually turns off the T.V. Then you'd better get up and get ready."

Mason-"Yeah.....with dad it's when he counts to three that you'd better get going."

Like.........You Know?

2008-05-19T14:32:00.000-07:00

Prince Caspian

2008-05-18T13:07:00.000-07:00

I took the boys to see Prince Caspian last night. I don't take them to see movies on the big screen very often, maybe twice a year or so, so it was a treat for me. I say for me because they actually get to go quite often thanks to Aunt Heather & Miss Holly. Anyway, it is a great movie with many wonderfully presented life lessons. It's been a while since I read the book so I can't actually say how it compares. If you're interested in a good review go here.

Renaissance Festival Pictures

2008-05-07T11:40:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics from our recent field trip to the Georgia Renaissance Festival.

The Mona Lisa.........

The Barrel Ride. This guy was hilarious. He yelled at the kids and threw water on them but they loved it. Go figure.

A Peregrine Falcon from the Birds of Prey show. This bird can fly up to 120 miles an hour. We had a front row seat and we felt a major rush of wind as he did a fly by.

Posing with a knight..........

The Junior Joust.......

Sword fighting while waiting for the Lipizzaner Stallions.........

One of the Lipizzaner Stallions........

Ice Cream before the two hour ride home......

No More Naked Men Please

2008-04-24T14:27:00.000-07:00

So.....next Thursday we are going to Georgia's Renaissance Festival for their home school/elementary school day. I've decided that in preparation we will skip ahead about 1500 years, give or take, in our history studies and do a crash course on the time period of the Renaissance.

So far.....

We've read an overview of the Renaissance in A Child's History of the World by Hillyer.
We've studied the art of DaVinci and Michelangelo. (Eli says he's tired of naked men, lol)
We've read a child's version of The Tempest by Shakespeare. Mason loved this.
We've learned how men and women from different classes greeted each other.
The boys learned how to "make a leg". It seems men in this time were especially proud of their calves and took every opportunity to show them off. They wore stockings and short pants and would stand with a leg forward and foot turned outward to make their calf more prominent.
We tried to learn how to bow but still need more practice. They flat refused to kiss my hand.
We've learned that people in this era tried to be as wordy as possible.

We've got so much more to cover. Henry VIII, knights, more Shakespeare, more Renaissance culture, King Arthur, Guinevere, Merlin.......etc. I can do anything for a week, right?

I hope that going from the uber interesting culture of Classical Greece to the just as interesting culture of The Renaissance won't make the boys' eyes glaze over when we have to study the less interesting parts of history.

I Know the Answers.........Trust Me

2008-04-03T11:56:00.000-07:00

I had to laugh yesterday (without Mason seeing me, of course). I pulled out his math notebook to check the work I had asked him to complete from the day before and this is what I saw: the numbers 14 thru 28 each number with a check mark beside it.

The following conversation ensued:
Me: "Mason, why didn't you do the math work you were assigned?"
Mason: "I did."
Me: "Why are there only check marks here? Where are your answers?"
Mason: (Matter of factly) "I did the problems in my head and just checked them off when I was done."

Eli's 9th Birthday

2008-03-31T07:30:00.000-07:00

Eli turned 9 on Saturday. We had a family party at my mom & dad's complete with pizza and the requested Lego Star Wars light side vs. dark side cake. He got a total of $105 plus Mr. Magoriums Wonder Emporium (a wonderful movie for all ages), two Lego star wars kits, and a potato gun. The potato gun was a big hit, all three boys (each with their own potato gun) spent much time outside shooting each other with potato 'pellets'.

Yesterday, Bryan took Eli to Toys R Us to spend his birthday money. He spent all of it on a 953 piece Lego Police Headquarters. Amazingly, he has spent all of his free time since he got home last night working on putting it together. I'm very impressed with his focus and skill in following the directions. I'll post a pic when he gets finished.

All in all, it was a very good birthday. I can't believe my baby is nine. Time flies. I'm trying hard to pay attention everyday so that I don't reach his 18th birthday with too many "Cat's in the Cradle" regrets.

My Baby Girl is Sweet Sixteen

2008-03-24T07:56:00.000-07:00

I can't believe Laine turned 16 yesterday. Where have the years gone?

I can honestly say that even though I treasure each memory from her childhood, I wouldn't go back. A wise woman once told me to enjoy each stage of my children's life and not worry about missing it when it passed. Truly, God has taken care of the sadness I thought I would feel about the kids growing up and replaced it with the joy and wonder of each 'stage' seeming better than the last.

I'm amazed constantly at the mature, godly, young woman Laine is becoming. She's not perfect, of course, but she is a wonderful person with whom I would choose to spend my time even if we were not related. Many parents complain about the teenage years but I've found the joys of having this teenage girl around far outweigh the trials.

I love you Laine! Happy Birthday!

Rocky for Chill

2008-03-02T11:34:00.000-08:00

For my dear husband. Now you can work full-time, pastor part-time, take 4 classes in seminary, AND rewatch all six Rocky movies. No need to thank me. Love you dear ;-)

Tolkien Obsession

2008-02-12T11:00:00.001-08:00

O.k. I'll admit it. I've developed a small J.R.R.Tolkien obsession. I had never read the The Lord of the Rings Trilogy or watched the movies until the fall of last year. I had to watch the movies with the subtitles the first time just to understand what was being said. Since then, I've watched the screen version of the movies twice and the extended version once. I've read The Hobbit, The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, The Return of the King and am halfway through both The Silmarillion and The Unfinished Tales.

It seems that I've passed my addiction on to one of my children. Mason has read The Hobbit and is almost finished with The Fellowship of the Ring. He reads a little each night and becomes more and more enthralled with the world of Middle Earth.

I would encourage anyone who likes fantasy and has never read Tolkien to give it a try.

My New Necklace

2008-02-08T07:32:00.000-08:00

I have a new necklace. It is a pink yarn "chain" with a key on the end. The key belongs to the new locking doorknob we put on our pantry door. The pantry holds all the "good" snacks. You know, chips, crackers, soft drinks, etc.... I've had a hard time enforcing many of our food rules, rules such as; one soft drink a day, only one snack between meals, eat at the table, and so on. I was constantly having to yell "Close the pantry door" from another room and my kids were constantly eating. I don't know how they got so food obsessed but it is time for the obsession to stop. Now I unlock the door only at snack and meal times. The change since the lock has been on is amazing. Just knowing that the door is locked seems to have helped the boys focus on things other than "let's see what is good to eat in the pantry."

Fat Tuesday

2008-02-05T15:46:00.000-08:00

Yikes! It's Fat Tuesday already. I still haven't decided what to give up for Lent. It has been a tradition in our family, as it is in many families, to sacrifice something during Lent in remberance of the sacrifice Jesus made for us. The boys have decided to give up T.V. and Laine will give up snacks. I still don't know what to give up. It needs to be something that will cause me a good bit of discomfort. I'm thinking maybe I'll give up one of my favorite things, sleep. I'll get up an hour earlier each day. (Mason, who is reading over my shoulder and laughing, just told me that this would be impossible for me........no encouragement there.) That settles it, sleep it is. BTW, Chill still hasn't decided what he is giving up. Anyone else out there sacrificing something for Lent?

Happy Anniversary to the Man of My Dreams

2008-02-01T08:57:00.000-08:00

11 years ago today I married the man of my dreams. I kid around alot, but you're the best husband any woman could want. Happy Anniversary Pappy B. I love you.

Shamgar's Fifteen Minutes of Fame

2008-01-30T08:52:00.000-08:00

After Ehud, Shamgar son of Anath saved Israel. Shamgar killed six hundred Philistines with a sharp stick used to guide oxen.
Judges 3:31

Wow! The boys and I are reading through the Old Testament. Today was Judges 3. After discussing Othniel and Ehud I almost missed Shamgar. Mason, who always reads ahead, said "Whoa, mom, read the next verse." He was amazed at this feat performed by Shamgar, as he knows that Philistines were usually heavily armoured and armed military men.

Should You Shelter Your Kids?

2008-01-25T11:58:00.000-08:00

The second most annoying question home schoolers are asked (the first being 'What about socialization') is 'Aren't you afraid you are sheltering your kids from real life?'. Check out this guys answer to the question 'Should you shelter your kids'.

http://branthansen.typepad.com/letters_from_kamp_krusty/

On a side note, I was amused at his statement about not caring if you homeschool your kids or not. He obviously gets the same response I do when people find out we homeschool. If they have kids of school age, they volunteer a list of reasons they don't homeschool. I find this amusing, as I NEVER say "we homeschool, why don't you?"

Happiness

2008-01-24T06:26:00.000-08:00

Laine wrote this in her 10th grade Literature class during a freewriting assignment. I think it is worth sharing.

"Happiness is a decision. I'm learning how true that is. Happiness is not based on circumstances, or things, or other people. It is a choice made solely on yourself. I see evidence of this everyday by coming in contact with people better off than me who are miserable but also people worse off who truely enjoy every moment of life they are granted. The question I ask is "How?" How does one go about making this lifelong, lifealtering decision of happiness. If it depends on nothing then why is it so hard to make?"

I'm Baaaaack

2008-01-16T08:46:00.001-08:00

I can't believe it's been so long since I last blogged. One of my New Year's Resolutions is to try to blog at least a couple of times a week. I'm awful at journaling so it would be nice to be able to look back at my blog and see what has happened to us over time.

So much has happened in the last 4 months. Anyway, we are now in the process of pulling the kids out of GVA/K12 (Georgia's newly approved virtual public school) and returning to traditional homeschooling. Bryan is changing jobs. My sister and her family are moving to North Carolina. This will be especially devastating to Eli, whose best friend is his nephew Tyler. Our church is moving. So much change in so little time. My head is spinning.

Am I This Bad?

2007-09-09T15:51:00.000-07:00

Laine said that this commercial reminded her of her parents................

First Week of School

2007-09-07T14:17:00.000-07:00

Wow! What a week! This K12 curriculum takes some getting used to. I don't know if we'll stick with it or not. I'm going to try to get super organized this weekend and see if that helps.

The great part of this week was being reminded of the joy that comes with seeing your children discover things for the first time. The joy of seeing them get excited about learning new things. Kind of like when they took their first step or said their first word but on a different level. What a privilege.

We learned about Adam & Eve and how they tried to hide their sin from God just like we do today. We learned how Satan sneakily twisted God's words instead of just lying. Just like he does today. We learned from Cain & Able that God wants our best and is very displeased with less. We learned that Adam was Noah's great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather.
And that Methuselah, Noah's grandfather, died the year the flood began.

We learned Oremus means let us pray and much more in Latin. The boys think Latin is really cool. Kind of like a secret language.

Math is really fun. I get to refresh and relearn with them so I'll be ready when they reach the higher levels. It's cool to see the light go on when they learn a new concept.

History right now is geography, my weakest subject, so I'm learning right along with the kids. I think I'll always be directionally challenged, though. No comments, Chill.

Eli thinks science is cool because he gets to do experiments, Mason would rather just learn the info and take the test.

I pray each day that I will be a good student of my kids and that God will lead me to be the mom he wants for his children.

I strive to be a mom like this...................

First Day of School (Forced to blog by dear hubby)

2007-09-04T12:43:00.000-07:00

What a day! Our first day schooling at home after 2 years. We are trying the Georgia Virtual Academy this year. It was just approved for Georgia in July. Basically, it is public school at home. Our tax dollars pay for the materials (math, language arts, history, science) and even a loaner computer. We follow the lesson plans provided, some online, most offline, and report attendance.

It started out well. We started with Old Testament History and Latin. I teach these to the boys together. They were exited and loved both subjects. Then came the insanity. Curriculum I've chosen in the past has followed the basic format of 1.present the lesson 2. assign work the child can complete independently. You present to one child while the other(s) are working independently. Works great for multi-child families. Weeeeeeeell, it does not seem possible to do this with k12. All lessons seem to require the teacher to be with the child for the entire lesson. Another problem is the fact that each child is studying a different topic in history, and science. This really adds to the length of the day. Most multi-child families teach the same topic in history/science to all children and assign tasks according to the ability of the child.

Hopefully, I can work all this out. The curriculum seems sound and the price is certainly right.

The following video cheered me up. At least my day wasn't this bad...........

Happy Belated Birthday, Chill

2007-07-05T07:51:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday, dear. I've never known anyone as excited to be one year closer to senior citizen status as you. Strange but somehow inspiring.
I <3 U

Human Lightning Rods

2007-07-03T07:22:00.000-07:00

So, last night I hear Bryan walk out the door and say "Boys, that's not funny! Don't ever do that again." I run to see what they are doing and this is what I see: Mason, 9, and Eli, 8, standing in the driveway each holding a golf club straight up over his head while lightning flashes in the background.

This is not unusual behavior for Mason. He has spent his entire life amazing us with his "accident" prone behavior. It does bother me that he talked his usually rational brother, Eli, into participating in this stunt.

It started with the bottle of benadryl he drank when he was 2.
Not long after he pulled a large glass of water off the bar onto hardwood floor. There he stood in the middle of broken glass and slippery water.
Then there was the time he got a 'stretchy' ball wrapped around his neck so tightly he turned blue. His dad and I were only a few feet away when this happened.
The time he broke his arm (in our backyard) trying to climb a chain link fence on a large exercise ball.
The time he and a friend were in an battery powered car and he decided to stick a large limb (wedged into the ground on one end) in his mouth just before his friend started to drive. The limb jammed into the roof of his mouth. It barely missed the soft spot.
The time he and Eli found wooden dowels and pretended the ceiling fan light in their room was a pinata.

This is only a partial list. I hesitate to even post these things because it sounds like I don't watch him closely enough, but all these things happened while I was watching him. I'm going today to get the book Wild at Heart. Maybe this will help me understand these odd creatures called boys.

Boys & Forts

2007-06-29T08:00:00.000-07:00

What is it with boys and forts? Each day Mason and Eli confiscate every chair, couch cushion, blanket, comforter, etc. to make a huge fort in our living room. At first, I let them do this thinking they would tire of it after a few days. It's been more than a month now and they still find this activity highly exciting. The last few days have been a little different. They built a huge "playpen" for our cats. This consists of all of the afore mentioned items arranged in a large circle. A laundry hamper and a few play mice reside in the middle of the circle to tempt the cats. The cats enjoy the attention for a while and then decide they've had enough. The seriousness and teamwork of the boys while they are creating amazes me. I just can't bring myself to say no to this daily activity that is so much fun for them but makes my house look like it's been ransacked.

Faith

2007-06-15T06:18:00.000-07:00

Streams in the Desert. The title of a wonderful devotional book given to me by my beloved Aunt Lynn. She is one of the most godly women I know and such a blessing to everyone who knows her. Yesterdays devotional on Faith really spoke to me so I wanted to share it here.

"I have prayed that your own faith may not fail." (Luke 22:32)

Christian, take good care of thy faith, for recollect that faith is the only means whereby thou canst obtain blessings. Prayer cannot draw down answers from God's throne except it be the earnest prayer of the man who believes.

Faith is the telegraphic wire which links earth to Heaven, on which God's messages of love fly so fast that before we call He answers, and while we are yet speaking He hears us. But if that telegraphic wire of faith be snapped, how can we obtain the promise?

Am I in trouble? I can obtain help for trouble by faith. Am I beaten about by the enemy? My soul on her dear Refuge leans by faith.

But take faith away, then in vain I call to God. There is no other road betwixt my soul and Heaven. Blockade the road, and how can I communicate with the Great King?

Faith links me with Divinity. Faith clothes me with the power of Jehovah. Faith insures every attribute of God in my defense. It helps me to defy the hosts of hell. It makes me march triumphant over the necks of my enemies. But without faith how can I receive anything from the Lord?

Oh, then, Christian, watch well thy faith. "If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth." ----- C.H. Spurgeon.

We boast of being so practical a people that we want to have a surer thing than faith. But did not Paul say that the promise was by FAITH that it might be SURE? (Romans 4:16) ---- Dan Crawford

Faith honors God; God honors faith.

Swimsuit Shopping

2007-06-02T07:11:00.000-07:00

What do I dread more than anything? What is it I would put above even childbirth (and I went non-medicated all three times) on my list of most painful things? Swimsuit shopping. YUK!!!!!!!! The 10% of women who don't dread it - runway models, victoria secret models, etc. - along with their airbrush artists, make it heck for the rest of us.

Maybe it's just me, but why is it swimsuit shopping, more than anything else, is such a blow to my self esteem. Is it because we live in a society where physical beauty is valued so highly? As a Christian I know that God looks at my heart, not my figure. Is it because I'm afraid others who see my much less than perfect body exposed will somehow think less of me? I don't know.

Why do we allow society to put such unreasonable physical standards on feminine beauty? The average size woman in the U.S. is a size 14. The average runway model is a size 0. I'm not sure, but I think print models are allow to be a little larger, maybe a 2 or 4. Why, why, why, don't we stand up to advertisers and demand real models for our clothing. I have no problem with presenting a nice look but when the standard for the perfect woman is a woman who starves herself to the point of serious physical problems, sometimes even death, then we as a society have crossed the line.

Why is it this strange phenomena does not affect men to the extent that it affects women?

The reason for this random post is that Laine and I have to go swimsuit shopping today. It is two weeks until our Florida vacation and neither of us has a suit, so we must go. I can promise you the day will not end well.

What frustrates me most is that even Laine, who, for those of you who have never seen her, has a figure that any woman would be glad to have (5'9" tall, 138 lbs, 39-27-41 - these figures will mean nothing to you men but women will understand) will end up in tears, saying that she is just going to wear shorts and a t-shirt. One year she actually shopped for boy's swim suit bottoms to wear with a swim top.

Well, off we go.

Homeschool Journey Continues

2007-05-25T08:43:00.000-07:00

It's finally here. My Montessori time is over and my home school time is beginning. I'm sooooooo excited. I'd forgotten what a joy and a blessing it is to be allowed to focus my energies on developing the personalities that God has entrusted to me.

Allow me to stop for a moment here and say that Montessori was definitely a needed experience in our lives. As schools go, I think Montessori is by far the best. It strives to allow children to develop at their own pace and in their own style. I worked with teachers who truly cared about each child.

That being said, there is no doubt in my mind that this is the direction in which God is leading our family. I feel a peace now that I haven't felt for the past two years. The saying that you don't know what you have until it's gone comes to mind.

Three years ago, the last year we home schooled, I was feeling overwhelmed with a jr. high student, a first grader, and a kindergartner. Two of these children have very strong-willed personalities. The third lives life at a dead run. When the Montessori opportunity came along it seemed like the best thing for the kids, as I felt that I wasn't meeting their needs adequately. I felt completely lost the whole first year they were in school. The boys for the most part seemed to be doing o.k. and Laine, our then 8th grade daughter, though having some issues, seemed to be adjusting. I assumed that I just hadn't found my calling yet. Then I was offered the opportunity to be an assistant teacher in my youngest son's classroom. I accepted. God, in his infinite wisdom and grace, used this past year to show me that my true calling is homeschooling. I now know that I, with God's grace, am well capable of providing much more to my children, both academically and spiritually, than even the best schools.

A final thank-you to my wonderful, godly husband. There is no way I am strong enough to have made this leap with out Bryan's encouragement and outspoken confidence in my abilities. He gave me the push I needed to make the leap. Thank you honey. Chill Academy could have no better principal.

Man looks on the outside, God looks at the heart

2007-04-05T15:20:00.000-07:00

Destiny, a friend of my daughter, Laine, committed suicide last night. Laine goes to a high school with a population of about 1500 students. Destiny was a friend she talked to each day after school. Apparently, none of Destiny’s friends had any idea how depressed she was. Destiny always had a smile on her face. Apparently she hid her pain well. Please pray for Destiny’s family.

One thing that is very disturbing is that Destiny was the target of many taunts and much gossip by the “good” kids. (You know the ones. They keep up appearances for their parents and other adults. It seems they get away with whatever (sex, drugs, alcohol, etc..) because they look good on the surface and that is all that matters to their parents and the other adults in their lives.) No one bothers to look too closely into the activities of these kids, probably due to a fear of what they would find. Anyway, these kids seem to have no regard for life other than for those in their own crowd because they were laughing and saying that she was a “_________” anyway and her life probably wasn’t worth living. ***** Did you get that? Kids are laughing and making jokes about a fellow student's suicide.****** One girl said that she was in hell now anyway because she committed suicide. The most disturbing part of this scenario is that some of the kids that are doing these things are kids that my daughter has grown up with in church. These are kids I know. These are kids I taught in children’s choir. What has happened to our society when we can’t even teach our teens to at least be respectful, if not empathetic, when a human tragedy occurs. Have we made them so self centered?

I am truly at a loss over this one. The kids that probably played a key role in this tragedy have no remorse and some even think it is funny. We need to stop focusing on the outward appearances of our kids and teach them about what is truly important in life. We are raising a generation of shallow, selfish, Barbie and Ken dolls. Is this what we want to leave behind as our contribution to God’s kingdom?

Does God Need a Cell Phone?

2007-03-22T16:35:00.000-07:00

Man, don't you just sometimes wish God had a cell phone. I'm in the process of trying to choose the correct curriculum for the boys and would really like to just fast forward to having the decision made. (It reminds me of the time I sent Bryan to the store for feminine products.........he came back shaking his head mumbling something about too much to choose from.)

"Hi, God, sorry to bother you but I've searched the scriptures and can't find anything about homeschool curriculum. Bible was easy, duh, we're using the Bible. But I'm really stuck on math. What do you think.....Saxon or Singapore?"

"What's that, you think I'm stressing too much.......trying to be too much of a perfectionist."

"No, I didn't forget that you alone are perfect. I'm just trying to.......uh........"

"Yes, of course, I believe that as long as I'm trying to glorify you that you've got the rest covered."

"Before we hang up, what's your opinion on the grammar programs?"

"God?"

Oh well, so much for the cell phone idea.

Coffee, Candles, and Colored Pens

2007-03-20T17:04:00.000-07:00

My first blog. Wow. I'll start by explaining the title of my blog. Coffee, candles, and colored pens are three things to which I am quite addicted. I'll start with coffee. Each morning my sweet hubby brings me my first cup (really a soup mug) of coffee......he sets it down on the bedside table and backs away slowly. All joking aside, I love anything coffee. I also adore scented candles. And colored pens.....sharpies, flair, uniball, etc. My current favorites are Bic Expressions. Each color has a related design on the pen. I can't go into any store without stopping by the office/school supply aisle to see what's new.
I'd love to hear your strange addictions. Come on. You know you have them.