Political Correctness? or educated for the causes of Hell?

Have we the right lasso on our tongues? It seems that we send our children to school to put a worldly lasso on their tongues. They come home sensitive to worldly accepted bad speech. Socially accepted talk is socially acceptedly accused. but God’s standard is put aside for this wrong lasso. Gossip and lying and tattling and angry speech is not the target of the worldly lasso. Prejudices soundings, Authoritarian, Bullying, Homophobic speech, Racial and Gender partiality replace the fruit of the Spirit as more and educationally acceptable speech for the cause of the unity of the educated “ish”. God give us grace to walk between the lassos that we have attached to our tongues, as we prepare to gather with family on the holidays. Make us sure in our knowledge that our tongues are gripped with the lasso and conviction of God’s Heart and not the pretentiousness of socially acceptable speech.

Slipping through the cracks or forging your own path?

We are grateful and proud of your chosen path of hard-working accumulation of wealth. It is hard to accumulate, when the needs are so great as our family's is. There is no individual anything and your work is manifesting itself as a roof and a large stake in the equity of that roof that is over our head. We are happy to have you doing this.

Your academic mind is at rest, while your body takes up the slack and makes the money to put food into your mouth. I don't want your mind to go into a long range hiatus. I want you to continue to pursue your mental exercises as you are reading and sketching, etc., etc. I know that you are a man of action and not many words. I am grateful for your contributions and your initiative on all of the family axises. You are an amazing man and your pursuits are seen and appreciated.

Love you!

It isn't your birthday...It is Ezra's

But it is so wonderful how carefully that you remember your brother's birthday! I love the care that it took to make the great card and search for the perfect Pokemon game that delights your baby brother. I am so much in admiration of your big brother attitude and care. Thanks so much!

I found my serving shoulder again!

I was ready to carve out a new identity to myself and consider my serving years behind me. You said to me, why is that your identity, Mom? I had to think about it. It is like having a cutting knife, always in your pocket. It is like having a useful tool at your disposal always. I was internally searching for who I am, if I could never serve again? I know that I am a woman and a wife and a mother, etc. But that was with me before all of the other responsibilities and that part of my responsibilities has always given to me and never taken from me, except in the muscular pain sphere.

Recently, I have had to calculate how much pain am I willing to endure to get a serve in the court, with some power behind it. I don't like thinking like that. My knees are deteriorating, little by little and my shoulder had just become an excruciating part of my playing spot. I know that I can have fun doing something else, but I don't want to think that hard to find a fun thing to do and a little exercise at the same time. My positive adrenaline outweighs the fear that my knees will give out on me, in a pinch. I know that my pride will keep me on my feet, even if the pain is awful.

Your father and I went out to the courts this morning. It was overcast and not as hot as it has been this August. We decided to get out there for a few minutes before the roll of the day went over us. Errands and cleaning would have taken over the day. We carpe'd and siezed the part of the day that we could and it helped me see that my shoulder is back!

Look out Monfils!

Thoughts about discussing the retirement of Judge Kennedy

Judges who judge by the "rule of law" vs judges who judge based on the constitution.

The chosen smoke screen to subtly make ridicule of those judges who regard life and create a distinction without using terms like pro choice.  They change the vocabulary regularly and they create conversations which are so tedious to decipher and then sell us that we are undereducated and need to have a degree to enter the conversation.  Hogwash. Our determination to forsake all to rear our children does not disqualify us from entering the forum of discussion regarding our convictions and how they should or will be publicized and rerouted for public consumption.   Because we hold our convictions tightly and seek to live by them, doesn't mean that we are incapable of arguing our points.   The gov of the people, by the people, for the people doesn't exclude people of conscience.  We are the preservative of our culture and our for fathers gave us the means of inclusion and sharpening of convictions in the public square.  God give us the gumption, fortitude and vocabulary to take captivity captive, in and about life and life preservation on both sides of the argument, elder and fetal....

About yesterday with my babies.

It's very easy to look at yesterday with a happy feeling.  It is already accomplished,  girls were in rare form of good behavior. Even I was surprised at how quickly they listened.  As long as we shake our sillies they seem to have no problems interacting with each other.   They are like sisters with their on again off again friendship.

Using words is a challenge, but one they are engaged in wholeheartedly, until those tongues do as they are supposed to.  I often wonder if I am setting them up for greater frustration, because I give them words to express what they are trying to say.  Others won't do that!  I have to ask more and let them think out loud.

Friday was a good day.  After breakfast I asked them to sit down with a book and they did just that.  There was the usual quarreling about which book to start with. But they happily did it.  I asked them to help their friend put her sock on and Caidence quickly tried to do it.  I was in shock.  I guess it was a test day for them.  I know they understand simple things and can do them quickly and easily.  With my own children I made the mistake of taking this as the expectation for all of the days.  I reasoned that I have seen you do it, when I said it he first time.  I assumed the delays were rebellion and I know that isn't the case, now.  Sometimes it is and sometimes the words still scramble in their minds here and there. Sometimes they have to consider the consequences.  Thinking about it is not rebellion.  I am sure I have made that mistake many times.

I don't mind reminding the children, but if they can learn to listen the first time, I think it to their advantage to hone that skill.

I am not too upset about making that mistake, although my conscience would want me to have erred on the side of mercy.  I don't think I did.  Mercy shows God to the children more than sternness.

They may take advantage but God always backs you up.

Save Our Souls!

God is committed to winning little princes and princesses, just as much as a tiny Tim...   God bless us everyone!

Do we pray for those who have much of this worlds goods?

Jesus didn't say it is hard for a rich man because he hates them...

Jesus didn't talk about a rich man and Lazarus because he is angry with the rich.  He wants the rich to have corrective vision to the real needs around them.  They are his tool to show mercy and grace on the earth.  But if they refuse to show mercy it is a very sad expression and some poor people's faith may be subverted because there is nothing for them to see Gods mercy in.  There is no mirror for that part of Gods goodness to be seen.

David saw that he was imitating God's shepherding care.  Many see authority in their immaturity as one up man-ship.  We all need care, some have stuff and some have faith and some have abilities to share.  Culture is the way we reflect the outworking of our unity and need meeting with oneanother.

God uses the royals to teach us the beauty of living humble and free with every advantage.  We pray that their souls wouldn't be lifted up.  We pray that, like a pulley our outworking of our likeminded faith would exalt us all to reflect the image of Christ in our varied circumstances.

Jesus came, one Holy Night, to teach us the worth of the human soul.  No other royal had the every advantage that He had.  No other royal had unhindered access to God, unlimited access to every angel and even the wind and the waves to command.  He alone could pay the price for the human soul.   Some of us have words to pay to make others understand the Gospel.  Others of us have varied skills to reflect Him.  Many of us wonder what we have to render to the Lord for all of His benefits to us...

We must take the cup of salvation, form the greatest to the least of us.  And call upon the name of the Lord...  We must sing of His faithfulness.  We must harmonize our gifts with each other to the best of our ability so that no soul goes unreflected upon.

SOS is more than a call for help in a time of dire need.  Save Our Souls is something we must be ever aware of the timidity of the needy to cry out to their fellow sojourners.  Show me Jesus in the way you honestly reflect His truth.   It's not about talk.   NOT JUST WHAT YOU SAY!

The rich man's eyes were not paying attention to a near need that was being unmet.  "Just shoo the dogs away from his sores". Am I Aware of the needs about me.  Am I shooing the dogs and taking up the care of those who are even right in my eyeshot?  Or am I too good to help someone so scarred and sore, from life's hurts.   Are they still crying from that beating?  Are they still suffering from that long term sad estate?  You teach yourself not to see the SOS sign after a while.  You step right over your Lazarus and think what you have to do is much more important than to shoo those dogs away from the sufferer.

The Handsome Art Connoisseur went out yesterday

Decked in Burgundy and Cacky, the combo was impressive, for the purpose of going to an art program. What a diverse and active young man you are, with a little spending money in your pocket to do as you wish? I am impressed.

God orders the sky and the designs of all that is around. It is beautiful to see you imitating His careful expressions of outward adornings.

The Dog Died Yesterday!

Ethan was the hero that jumped into action to move her body.  We are so proud that he was strong enough to go into action for this horribly anticipated event.  We all are grateful to him for his ability and strength.  It was sad and unifying to have gone through her suffering together.  All took. Turns giving her water and food and sympathizing with her as she whined and whined, day and night for weeks.  Her legs couldn't hold her at all in the end and it was Ezzy who finally found her yesterday, after school, having already expired. 

We are sad and together we commiserated in my room.  We told stories of our fond memories of her devoted friendship and service to our family.  She wasn't just a chore of walking a dog.  She was a member of our family.  She herded us and reminded us of our devotion to one another.

Ethan was often the fellow who volunteered to walk her, along with his other brothers, especially in the last months.  Everybody had to lift her when she got stuck here and there wandering about the house, without her legs fully working.  Her whining was the worst part of the ordeal, but it didn't seem to be pain as much as the anguish of not being able to get outside to truly relieve herself.  She hated being stinky and not able to move.  When she was comfortable she was quiet.

We will remember her for the rest of our lives and we learned much about the friendship of dogs and humans and we enjoyed her much! We are all convinced that there are dogs in heaven, now.   Who knew?

Good and Upright is the Lord!

He expects us to imitate Him in excellence in the things that we do as well!

The finals of the Aussie was just such an example to me. Men scaling the walls of human impotence to grasp an unattainable moment of excellence in bodily acumen. Mind and body syncapating to continue through a fortnight of grueling heat and competition.

I love the mens' final and the male motivations that are shown in the finals. Like male lions, they use their roaring serves to intimidate and hope to find some hole of inability and emotional submission from the opponent so that they can pounce upon it. And pounce they do, just to find themselves the pounced upon here or there throughout the grueling 5 sets, should they find themselves that fortunate to have elongated the pleasure and the pain that long

In the first set, "The Fed" was all over it. He served up the ultimate indignity, by successfully dropshotting from a serve! This is a humiliation that must be repaid, in tennis terms. Cilic took the entire rest of the set to recoup from such a disrespectful expression. He found his "a" game about the second game of the second set and began to really serve, his better self. Time and again he hit corners that seemed impossible shots, only to find his retribution from his opponent to be seemingly effortless and reflexive.

He is not the "King of the Courts" because he accidentally hits this or that shot. He is not vaunting himself without reason. He says to his opponents, if you want this prize, you will have to earn it decisively. I will not give it to you. He uses the adversity of the other guys' winners to prod him to another level of play. This is a wonderful expression of how God expects us to jump and hold our heads upright in imitation of Him.

This world is not our home and these crowns are not our crown. But how much more is excellence required in the things that we are called to do.

Swiftly, after the conquest of the first set, these men fell from their lionlike vaunt into a snake squabble. It wasn't pretty for a good while, as the mighty men traded venomous strikes here and there on the line and threading invisible needles in the air. Their tremendous prowess in doing these things were clouded by the rapidity that they traded these amazing shots. Had there been a sword in their hands, the blood would have been flowing all over the place. The showmanship was amazing, but the swiftly traded shots were hard to follow. We should have a slowmotion camera playback on each one to truly appreciate the skill it took to make those shots. They made it look easy and that was the sad part of it. They are both amazing athletes and skillful swashbucklers and the second set made me wish for more of the lion that I saw in the first set.

You are being loved!

I am still working on a precious scarf for my dear Ethan. It is not perfect, by any means. It is the work of a month of knitting and purling and straightening on the needles. When my father said he wanted a silk scarf, I had no thought of knitting one. I never thought of knitting him a woolen one. He said he wanted to look like Humphrey Bogart with a 6 foot silk scarf hanging off his overcoat. I could identify with the thought of wanting to be a "proper gentleman" in every outward expression. I knew what he meant.

There is something humble and demeaning about wearing homemade clothes. But there is one thing that is for sure, there is a personal love and care that goes into a season of knitting for a loved one. There is a spiritual covering of prayer and intention that is unmatched. Sometimes, when I go into the thrift store and feel the stitches of an old discarded afgan, I feel that direct expression of love and that is what I am trying to imitate, when I knit for my loved ones. It is a palpable and direct expression of love that covers the body and gives a great worth to life. Somebody loves me enough to caringly craft this garment and prayed for me in every stitch.

I don't shop much! I don't feel comfortable in the stores. I was so moved to shop with my daughters the other day and in awe of some of the stitch patterns that come off of the looms of today's machines. I feel the cloths and try to find that sense of loving delight that I find in the thrift stores. I don't know that I feel anything, but the pleasure of perfect fabrics. I do love the feel of perfect fabrics also. But, I prefer the feeling of real love directed toward me. I wonder if the children of today feel covered. I wonder if they can reason from the gifts and things that their parents shower on them to the reality of the love that they are experiencing.