Cultivating Love

Decades ago, I bought a little vase for my grandmother. She LOVED roses and grew them beautifully, caring for them as tenderly as ever she cared for one of us. For years and years, there was simply never a time I remember eating a meal without a bouquet of the most fragrant roses adorning the table for the pleasure of anyone who dined there. Even after she became ill - up to the time she just simply couldn't manage it - she would post a single perfect bloom as the centerpiece for our gathering.

As Christian Parents, We Should Parent As Christians

Unfortunately, this is never a popular type post, but nonetheless, I believe it to be very true, so I hope it will be taken to heart as an exhortation and not an admonition: 

Adopting Children From Overseas Gives Me A Definite View On US Immigration Policy

(This blog was published by the Federalist under the title, "My Family Had To Follow Immigration Law. Why Shouldn't Refugees? 2/3/17)"

I Don't Want To Be Represented By Women Who Don't Represent Me

Seeing pictures of women wearing 'pu**y' hats, and/or dressed as vaginas trolling up and down streets all over this country has sincerely made me sick to my stomach.

So self-centered - with such little concern for their fellow man - these women seemingly can't comprehend that THEY are the privileged few from across the entire world simply because they can stop their whole lives, travel to their state's capitol - or the nation's capitol - and take a day to do nothing but walk up and down a street with signs and goofy clothing.

What We Deserve

 

Some time ago I opened my Facebook page to find this meme. Now, I've noticed this not-so-subtle social engineering garbage being pumped into my Facebook feed for months now, but this today was specifically egregious to me. 

Stepping Off Life's Treadmills

Treadmills. For as well as they can bear us up and move us along they can certainly be hard to spot in our everyday lives. 

 My big "for instance" here is public education. Most parents think nothing about sending their children to their local public school. We didn't. We even moved to a neighborhood with a 'better' public school for our babies to attend when they got old enough. In fact, it never occurred to either David or I there might be another option until our oldest son, suffering at the hands of classroom bullies - including his teacher - begged me to pull him out and school him at home.

Thoughts on Democracy From The Screwtape Letters

Having just read the Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis, I have made it rather my heart's desire to spread this 'gospel' as far and wide as I possibly can it was such an influential read for me. 

Toward that end, I found a link to a PDF copy of Screwtape Proposes a Toast - a "Satirical Epistolary Short Story" written by C.S. Lewis for the Saturday Evening Post, December 19th, 1959. This piece was included as an epilogue to the bound version of The Screwtape Letters, and was even more powerful than the book because of the inclusion of the ways in which public education and Democracy would be rendered completely useless by the devils machinations and the human's lack of brilliance in, not only not recognizing these, but falling for them utterly. 

I'm including the section on Democracy below. It is lengthy, and all I can do is lead a horse to water so to speak, but if you choose to read it, you will forever be better for the time you spent to do so. On to Lewis; 

Is There Really Such A Thing As Coincidence?

Some time ago, I woke up about 2:30ish for some unknown reason. 

For some unknown reason I picked up my phone to have something to do until I felt I could fall asleep again.

I pressed the Facebook app and immediately found two prayer requests and needs. 

My friend Molly, who had been struggling simply to live after being taken to the hospital with a disease of unknown origin, needed to be rested in order to get off her ventilator, but she was not resting.

What If Doing Unto Others Actually Practicing Narcissism?

Do unto others...Luke records Jesus' words from the Sermon On The Mount a bit differently than Matthew. Luke provides the phraseology we so often use to advise our children - as I was advised by MY parents; "And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise." (Luke 6:31) Recently, I've been thinking on this edict and I have to say that, today, this admonition doesn't stand like it did decades ago when my grandparents - and even parents - used it.