God & America

Gal 5:1

So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don't get tied up again in slavery to the law. My understanding of the original plan for America is something like this: Giving people the freedom to take care of themselves while providing for the common defense.     Small government with many limits.      While the founding fathers didn't really see the common man as their equal, they still expected he could take care of himself & his family.      With the great freedom this gave each American also came great responsibility.      Now, 235 years later, many in our nation have rejected this glorious idea of freedom in favor of more & more socialism.  I recently had to read about "Obamacare" (the new government health care plan) & was struck by some of the tenants I had not understood by listening to the radio & reading an occasional column.  My government thinks I need a "keeper".

Gal 2:18

Rather, I am a sinner if I rebuild the old system of law I already tore down. When I was a child, I acted as a child.   But when I became an adult, I did away with childish things.  (I Cor 13:11 paraphrased)      The original system for America was made for adults.  Freedom in the gift of heaven from Christ is made for mature people who can handle themselves while exhorting others.

Hbr 10:1

The old system under the law of Moses was only a shadow, a dim preview of the good things to come, not the good things themselves.

Now, the good things are here!  Reach out for those things & glory in them!  Show them to others!

A Helpful Thought

Among adults, how a person treats you often says more about them then it does about you.  This may be even more true among children.

"Be kinder than necessary.  Everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle."  -- unknown
 

written on our hearts

But God found fault with the people and said:  "The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel & with the house of Judah.

It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they did not remain faithful to my covenant, & I turned away from them, declares the Lord.

This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord.  I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts.  I will be their God & they will be my people.  

No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, "Know the Lord,"  because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest.    

For  I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more."

Hebrews 8:8-12, NIV

Snakes

Several of the children's books we have here in the house have snakes in them.  The snake is always "just another animal" in the book.  For example, today I read Move Over, Rover to my son.  This is an award-winning book according to an emblem on the front cover.  

Basically, Rover is in his doghouse when a rainstorm ensues.  All the other animals want to get in with Rover in order to get out of the rain - a cat, blue-jay, raccoon, & a snake.  

I wonder how the appearance of snakes in their books affects other children?  My kids hate snakes.  They've seen snakes up close & know what snakes do.  

I hate that our culture won't admit that snakes are a mean & bad species.  They are not like pets.  They will kill your pets.  Any snake will, not just a rare snake.  

I think its the same thinking that many Americans have adopted socially & politically:  no other peoples or religions are Bad, they are just Different & should be embraced & catered to.  

In other words, these people are being so open-minded that all their brains have fallen out.  

excepts from the classic novel Tess of the d'Urbervilles

"a certain way she had of making her labours in the house seem heavier than they were by prolonging them indefinitely."   -- referring to the mother in the story;  this was a funny line to me, as I can relate.


"he became wonderfully free from the chronic melancholy which is taking hold of the civilized races with the decline of belief in a beneficent Power."


"Many besides Angel (a man, central character to the book) have learnt that the magnitude of their lives is not as to their external displacement but as to their subjective experiences."  


-- excepts from the classic novel Tess of the d'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy


I actually didn't like this book.  It is woefully unhappy book & its heroine (she is so to me, although may not be to other readers) suffers only undeserved defeat, misery, & finally death at the end of a rope (I think or maybe it was the axe).  The author's point is the cruel double standard of the Victorian era.

I did prefer it to Portrait of  a Lady by Henry James, which I actually threw out my back door after reading, but perhaps that says more about me than about the novel.

Be Strong, a poem by Maltbie Davenport Babcock

Be strong!


We are not here to play, to dream, to drift;
We have hard work to do, and loads to lift;
Shun not the struggle - face it; 'tis God's gift.


Be strong!


Say not, "The days are evil.   Who's to blame?"
And fold the hands and acquiesce - oh shame!
Stand up, speak out, and bravely, in God's name.


Be strong!  


It matters not how deep intrenched the wrong,
How hard the battle goes, the day how long;
Faint not - fight on!  To-morrow comes the song.


--  Maltbie Davenport Babcock, 1858-1901

fear & avoidance

I have a very good friend who, at the age of 22,  lost his whole family in one moment.  His wife & son passed on in an auto accident.  Afterward, the church they had been attending, well, shunned him.  Visits?  Calls?  Invitations to be with the other folks?  Nope.

I know this church.  It is not made up of heartless people.  Why did my friend (whom I had not yet met at that time) not get any support?

My best guess is that he was living through everyone's worst nightmare.  Its just too terrible to think about, & those who knew him and could have reached out just didn't want to be reminded of that.


Just this week, I learned that a dear friend of mine has been diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease.  She's been suffering from some of its symptoms for awhile.  I know I should visit her & on a regular basis, too.  Still, I'm afraid.  I'm afraid to see her suffer and know there's nothing this side of Heaven to help her.  I'm afraid of her embarrassment over her limitations.  I'm afraid of being reminded that there are no guarantees in this life.  I'm afraid of making her feel worse when I'm overcome with sadness at seeing my cheerful, spunky, active friend fading away.

I know this much, I must go visit her & not delay.  Pray for my friend's spirit while her body is under attack.

abundant life

So much of popular religion/tradition revolves around "I'm a worm." When I've read Hook & Ketcherside for awhile & then attend a local sermon, it is painfully clear. 

Do we want our own children to have a constant sense of shame because they can't quite live up to our expectations? Of course not; so why do we think our Heavenly Father wants us to live that way?

I think if you live a life of "I'm so weak, I'm just not good enough, etc.", then you are more than missing the point of grace. I think you are abusing the grace given you. Spiritual growth is a joy - not a labor.


Thanks to RabidFrog blog for the scripture this morning.  

a poem by Mary V. Littrell

A traveler crossed a frozen stream 

In trembling fear one day;

Later a teamster drove across,

And whistled all the way.

Great faith and little faith alike

Were granted safe convoy;

But one had pangs of needless fear,

The other all the joy!

 - from Cecil Hook's Free To Speak

90th and final year

Today is the last day of school at Plainview School.  One of only a handful of real country schools nationwide, it has been the cornerstone of our community for 90 years.  Where so many schools in Oklahoma are failing, ours has been succeeding.  High quality education, excellent test scores, and almost no discipline problems are the hallmarks of Plainview Elementary School in Cimarron County, OK.

I saw a news story recently that stated the worst schools in Oklahoma were going to get some millions of dollars in additional funding.  Yep.  That'll do it.

Our school is closing simply because of corporate greed.  JB Swift, the international leviathan-corporation has closed our school.

All of us who love our school are hurting today, and we are trying to be brave.  I commend our teachers and staff for making this another happy school year, in spite of the lurking knowledge that this was to be our last.

Please pray for us all today.  Please pray especially for my treasured friend Joyce.  She has given selflessly to the children of Plainview School for 35 years, & she is still the best teacher I have ever had.

Plainview School 1921-2011

Kittens . . . inspired by Chinook

So here are the kittens, all 7 of them.  Their poor mama, our beloved Chinook, died of cancer (possibly feline leukemia) when the kits were about 3 1/2 weeks old.  That was about 10 days ago.  Fortunately, all seven kit kats are doing well.  Milk replacer 3 - 4 times per day, an old toy box to sleep in, & a few outings (in the house) seems to be all they need.  I do wish they'd stop climbing pants legs like trees.

My kids love them dearly, of course, and we all feel like we owe it to Chinook to care for her last litter.

Getting out of my own way

"But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things & will remind you of everything I have said to you.  Peace I leave with you ; my peace I give you.  I do not give to you as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."  John 14:27


"I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me.  However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me - the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace."  Acts 21:23-24


"I speak the truth in Christ - I am not lying, my conscience confirms it in the Holy Spirit" - Romans 9:1

I've known for some time that the Holy Spirit is really real and is living in me.   That the Spirit is my intimate friend, I sometimes am blissfully full of this knowledge, but other times, I get in my own way.

I've been floundering lately.  I feel unsure as to what I should spend my time on, & much of the time, peace eludes me.  I've not been listening to the Holy Spirit.

What I believe, reading scripture about the Holy Spirit, is that this gift of Holy, God-given, knowledge and peace is as close as my empty, outstretched hand.

Even while I know I must order my own days, I'm going to let the Holy Spirit order my life and guide my thoughts.

At least until I get in my own way again & have to be re-taught.  Hopefully, those missteps will get further & further apart . . .

reading the classics

I have always loved reading the classics.  Lately, I began reading a Henry James novel, Portrait of a Lady.  I love English Literature, from Horatio Hornblower to Pride & Prejudice, but I"m so frustrated with James' heroine, I've considered putting the book down.

Why?  because she doesn't know what she wants.   Even to me, when I consider, it doesn't seem that much of a fault.  How else will the story build if there is no angst, no grist to grind with?

More accurately, she doesn't know what she wants OR what she doesn't want.  She has some vague impressions, but she cannot explain them and admits not to understanding them herself.   It seems to me that she works at keeping her passions in check to a point of fault.  I've learned (thank you, Jonah Lehrer) that our snap decisions and quick impressions are the most accurate, since they are really a remarkably fast computation by our brain using all our experience & education to that point.

I think our heroine is mostly afraid.  She rightly claims she wants to "see life"  but not "to experience" it, as that would be too scary.  Perhaps as the story builds, she will mature and become a true seeker of life's fascinations.  In fairness, she is very young.

I certainly would rather be the age I am now, than be 20 again.

No Child Left Behind

I recently read a Yahoo news story of 2 women who each decided she was done being a mom.  One of them had 2 little kids, & the other had 3 middle schoolish-aged children.  Both divorced & the fathers have full custody. 

You can see by my above title that my opinion of motherhood is different from theirs. 

Most of the article is about how & why they did it, but a particular sentence about the 2nd mom really struck me - "I became a mom when I was 20.  I did not have the life a normal 20 year old would have."  Seems to me she feels cheated.  I can relate to that - if I let myself, I can feel really cheated.  I bet you can, too.  Hardly a rare emotion. 

"Is there life out there, so much she hasn't done!  Is there life beyond her family & he home?"  Reba

"There's no normal life, Wyatt.  There's just life."  Doc Holiday to Wyatt Earp in Tombstone 

The only thing I don't find odd about these two women is that they did have the normal feelings that mothers have from time to time.  Everyone under the sun wants to do something that they just want to do for themselves.  What I find extremely odd is that these two became so fixated on themselves that they left their children.

An interesting point made by one of them was something like "nobody thinks twice if a father (either married or divorced) doesn't want to be a full-time dad".  That's true. 

I wonder how extreme this story is?  Would they have continued to be moms if they'd stayed married?  Did they really feel they couldn't achieve what they wanted professionally & still live with their children?

I'm pretty certain there are a lot of people who live with their children but neither care for nor parent them.  How do their children turn out?  In fact, English gentry culture for generations shows children raised in the same manor house but by servants & governesses - or shipped off to school.

I have a lot of ideas & dreams:  things I want to learn, do, & build.  Places I want to go & explore.  I've even picked out the violin I want to get (so I can learn.)  I've never felt my children an impediment to any aspect of my life.  They enrich my life daily.   

The biggest question I want answered is:  how will each of these women feel about their decision when she is 70?

Rain Poem

Rain, rain, come today
Sit down for a few hours
Stay
No hurry to go away
Rain rain come today

nothing New under the sun

Good day, gentle reader!  I hope you are well.  I've chosen nothing New under the sun (nNuts) as my blog name since it helps me keep perspective in my own life (this is a big deal with me - I'm easily . . .  uh, easy . . . um, oh yes!  easily distracted.) 

Based upon various reading & some of my own thinking, I believe the idea that a person or society has come up with something "New" has given some the handle they used to flush God out of their lives. 

I adore science, but how much scientific work has gone into Disproving God's Existence?  How much shouting & anger is spewed by folks claiming He is not real?

My brother (rabidfrogblog) lately showed a video clip of big city dwellers of whom, most chalked up Christians as uneducated, backward, & generally awful.  This attitude is hardly new, George Elliot (famous writer, centuries past) up & decided one Sunday, she had a great modern way of thinking & no longer needed God. 

Why are so many beset with the importance of Disproving God's Existence?  Why is this a centuries old tradition?

I believe that some of the time it is because they fear.  Fear to admit His power.  Fearful of giving up their own supposed "control" over their lives.  Fear to reconcile His reality with their innermost heart. 

Think about something you don't believe in.  Do you even care enough about it to give it a moment of your time?  Prob'ly not.  Then why would an unbeliever expend so much energy?  Hmmm . . . .

Coming Soon:  Peace!  its not just for "people you already like or get along with" anymore.