A Successful Country

When someone asked me if I was a Democrat or a Republican I told them I don't think I am either and that more importantly, I am a child of God and a believer and follower of Jesus Christ.

As for our country:

I believe wasteful spending needs end.
I want murder in the form of abortion to be stopped.
I want the poor to be cared for.
I want the hungry to be fed.
I want the poor and wealthy to be treated equally.
I want to pay for my family's medical insurance with my own money and I don't want to have to sell my house to afford it.
I want to make my own choices regarding my children and their health, religion, and education.
I want to end the use of chemicals in all of our food and household products.
I want the pharmaceutical companies to stop controlling the health industry, be closely monitored, and held accountable for their mistakes. (I am not against modern medicine; I just believe it is over prescribed and not always the best answer).

I don't have a very political history but I am developing stronger opinions and a better sense of what I feel needs to change in order for our country to become successful again.

A Gift To His Children

 

In the beginning God created the Heavens and the Earth. Later He created man and women. Then He gave man and women the responsibility of caring for the earth. We all know the story but have we really thought about it? This is something we as Christians should take seriously? I imagine that God thinks highly of all His creations, earth included.

Over and over again the Bible tells us we are children of God. I love this comparison and I believe it is given to us because it's something we can actually comprehend. While we can't completely understand the extent of God's love we can understand how much we love and value our own children because it is a feeling unlike any other, so strong we cannot express our love with mere words. God uses the feelings we have for our children to compare the love He has for us. He created us and gave us the gift of His Earth.
"'See, I give you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground-everything that has the breath of life in it-I give every green plant for food' And it was so." Genesis 1:29-30

Parents, have you ever given your child a special gift? A gift you believed to be good. Something valuable or meaningful. Maybe something you made especially for them. only to see them being careless and irresponsible with your gift? If you're a parent then I'm sure you have experienced something similar. How did that make you feel?

"God saw all that He had made, and it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning-the sixth day." Genesis 1:31

I believe God was proud of His creation, the Earth. Why shouldn't He be, what a magnificent accomplishment! He created it for man and then said "I give you". The Earth. His gift. His "very good" gift. To us.

Lets show Him our appreciation for His love and His Earth by not acting like that irresponsible child who is careless with his gift. Lets treasure it and nurture it. The Earth provides us with the necessities we need to survive. It gives us beauty and pleasure in many forms. Let us treasure it and care for it as the precious blessing it is.

Are We Really Working For The Lord?

This week my heart has been heavy. It seems like every direction I turn, I see hurt and hunger. I guess it's always been there but only now does it seep into my soul. My soul longs for some way to help these people. But there are so many and I am so little. I am not rich. I don't even know if we qualify as middle class. We are blessed with freedom, food, a roof, and salvation. None or which we can take credit for. We have been blessed by others. This I am eternally thankful for. Thankful but not content. I want to be the one sharing God's blessings with others. I want to be the helper, not the helped. The provider of blessings not the receiver.

I wonder if people know about all of these needy bodies and souls all over the world. I mean, do they really know? We see "Feed the Children" commercials and we change the channel. We read about starving countries and child prostitutes but few actually try to help these poor people.

"Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble" Psalms 41:1

I expect more from us. More from Christians, followers of Christ. The Bible tells us to care for the poor. I know Jesus would not be spending His money on vacations or nice clothing. Jesus would not be here in front of this computer sitting in the air conditioning sipping a cup of coffee. Jesus would be serving, sweating, and working for God!!

I have a Facebook page where I post pictures of my family (mostly our children) to share with our friends and family all over the country. I have over 300 "friends" and I would guess at least 200 would claim to be Christians. When I post a cute photo of the baby, I receive some times 20 or so comments on her cuteness. But if I post a picture of a starving child, I receive one to two comments and usually from the same people every time. This makes me think there are so many others that are the way I was, knowing it's there but not allowing it to seep into the soul.

"Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others" Philippians 2:4

Our daughter Mary, helping a local charity donate school supplies to needy children.

Our family is trying to become more mission minded every day. We don't have large sums of money to offer nor do we have the resources to travel the world. But I can testify that if you truly want to serve the Lord and help the needy, God will provide a way! He has opened many doors for our family. He has provided opportunities and resources where we are right now. He is here to guide our efforts and transform our hearts & minds. But we have to want it. We have to see the world and want to change it. We have to think beyond our family's desires and instead focus on others' needs if we want to serve God. We have to open our souls and let the hurts of the world seep in until we can't hold anymore hurt. Then we have turn that hurt into work!

"Only they would that we should remember the poor: the same which I also was forwarded to do" Galatians 2:10

Something Sweet

My Honey has a very powerful sweet tooth that needs special attention every night after dinner. Our easy and affordable substitute for candy is a jar filled with organic walnuts and organic dark chocolate chips.

 A quick fix for nights when homemade snacks are out of the question!