It is impossible to adequately sum up why the Republican National Convention was spectacular tonight. Here are some of my favorite statements from Sarah Palin. The truth in them is significant and sums up much.
"The American presidency is not supposed to be a journey of 'personal discovery.' This world of threats and dangers is not just a community, and it doesn't just need an organizer," Palin said, a clear reference to Obama's time as a community organizer in Chicago.
And to the media that had closely examined her record, she said: "Here's a little news flash for all those reporters and commentators: I'm not going to Washington to seek their good opinion. I'm going to Washington to serve the people of this country."
Before becoming governor, Palin served as mayor of Wasilla, she recounted, adding: "And since our opponents in this presidential election seem to look down on that experience, let me explain to them what the job involves. I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a 'community organizer,' except that you have actual responsibilities."
In another barb directed at the Illinois Democrat, Palin said: "Here's how I look at the choice Americans face in this election. In politics, there are some candidates who use change to promote their careers. And then there are those, like John McCain, who use their careers to promote change."
The speakers were poised, on-track, delivered a clear message and did a terrific job replying to the rhetoric from professional politicians and brainwashed media and misinformed Barack supporters. I hope everyone reading this took time to watch. We tuned into the DNC because I want to have my information first-hand. There is no denying Barack Obama is unqualified to make hard decisions. He's never demonstrated the ability to do so. He's a gifted speaker and can make people follow him even though he has no actual plan--no one can take that from him. It's impressive. But it's also scary. How is it anyone would follow a man such as he to lead the greatest country of all time during such a time as this? How is it possible to ignore all of his questionable associations, the financial aspect of how he got his house and the extra money his wife came into when working at a hospital, how he says everything from his middle name of Hussein to his mother to the fact his parent's weren't married and on and on is "off limits"...how can people continually, blindly ignore the multitude of red flags surrounding this man who is full of empty words? He has no track record to speak of, no real experience. How can you write 2 autobiographies when you've done so little? How can you be part of a party that is full of hypocrosy? One example is how the liberals brought up if Sarah Palin would get to spend enough time with her children if she's VP? What? From the party of "keep mom's working" and "put out more money to get kids in school earlier"? The party of tax breaks for dual income families, penalizing stay-at-home mom's? ARE YOU KIDDING ME? The party that is highly fond of day care and women's lib?? Hello abortion advocates and women's libbers...are you hearing this? Do you not see the message and how your own party will turn against you if it suits them? Are they really saying a woman shouldn't seek high profile work if she has children?
This is just one example of many that make me sick.
There will be a time, those of us who know Scripture know this, when masses will be led astray by one who claims to be a unifier and a deliverer of sorts, and that person will be anything but. We have gotten a glimpse of what that terrible time will look like as we've watched so many follow a man who is not a true American at heart get to this point in his career--to be seeking the highest office in the world. A man who will do so much more harm than good, yet people chant his name like he's really got some solutions.
May God have mercy on us once again and return us to the strong heritage that made this country great.
Sep. 2, 2008 - Funny Video for Homeschooling Mom's!
Like hopefully most of you reading, I'm fortunate to live in an area with an abundance of homeschooling Mom's and support groups that come in various shapes and sizes. We've got the group for monthly science outings with a terrific environmental interpreter, the group to get together with that tutors in all subjects weekly, the group for social outings, field trips--you name it.
I'm especially fortunate to be friends with a lady who is teaching part of the CC we're doing. So I've been able to get some extra and much needed help from her. I feel God led us to CC but that doesn't mean it's been easy for me to figure out. It seems each year I'm tackling something new that has a steep learning curve...but that is normal for those of us schooling at home typically.
So this video came from this very helpful woman and it is timely. What I love most about homeschooling is getting to be with my children all the time, getting to know them in ways I otherwise would never get to. But I also love the friendships that are so timely. We're in this together. Over 50 million in the United States alone.
Sep. 1, 2008 - Our First Full Day-pretty much anyway
I suppose most of us on here are posting about Back To School. For some nutty reason I went to Office Depot today and it was clear it's on the mind of most folks in our society.
Our day was a success, due in large part to my dh helping out by doing the entire Saxon lesson with DD1 plus some Language Arts with her. Here's what we did:
DD1 did Saxon 45 with Daddy in his office. This took an hour.
Meanwhile I did Math, Logic, AWANA (Bible memory work) with DD2.
DD1 and DD2 had a break while I did AWANA and some skill work with DS. His work was finished for the day.
DD2 and I did her reading lesson next. She then had a break.
DD1 and I did her AWANA.
DD1 and DD2 came in to do Foundations memory work together. Afterward we had lunch.
Now DD1 and I got heavy into Language Arts (Institute for Excellence in Writing-IEW, specifically, U.S. History Based Writing Lessons).
There was naptime at 2 pm for the littler ones and DD1 got an hour to read alone. She was thrilled!
3 pm it was time for DD1 to do more Language Arts (IEW) with Daddy. We've got extra to do since we missed week 1 at CC :). I went shopping for some more school supplies.
What we didn't do that we'll normally do: Bob Jones Bible and the Grammar portion of CC, namely Essentials of the English Language (EEL). I did my reading up on Our Mother Tongue last night but have to really sit down to look at other stuff. Thankfully my dh is doing the schedule right now until we're all up to speed from missing a week. That is stressing me out and is hard for me to keep up with on my own, but since our DD1 can handle it, we want to get it all in.
Bottom line, I am tired but pleased that DD1 and DD2 have most of the Week 1 Foundations material learned. DD2 not as firm but there is plenty of time yet, thankfully.
And, in other news, the official search and prayer for a second dog is in progress. I'd like to find a yellow lab or a mix that looks a lot like a yellow lab. It is time for our Jakey to have a friend. He is so sad after cousin Kelsey and he part ways, it's really depressing to me. I think our buddy will live longer with another dog to share his days with. So, we're all praying to find the right dog (NOT puppy!) to add to our family.
I was just putting our Timeline cards in order since we are stranded at home and can't get to church. My dh did do home church with us before heading up to the hospital to see his mom in the van which was comforting given her latest trouble. Please pray for her recovery.
Anyhow, I could not be more excited (and a little nervous I admit!) about Classical Conversations. I am very confident on the Timeline cards though and was just putting them in order. This week DD1 and DD2 will be memorizing as best they can:
Creation
The Fall in the Garden
Cain and Abel
The Flood
Tower of Babel
Unification of Upper and Lower Egypt by Pharaoh Menes
The Old Kingdom in Egypt
First Intermediate Period in Egypt
I'm just amazed at all my children will be learning this year. Before finding CC I felt we were homeschooling because of a call to keep our kids grounded in Biblical truth including a right worldview, to protect them on many fronts, and for academic excellence, though I worried about really having the education be as well rounded as I felt it should be. Each of our children has some apparent gifts with learning that I wasn't sure I could best develop. But God, in His amazing timing and wisdom, led me to Classical Conversations. I balked for the first 8 months, but He persisted and I'm so glad He did. What I've found after 4 years of homeschooling is the most thorough, complete, challenging, exciting and supporitive homeschool option available. I'm already learning so much I've never learned. It makes sense this method of learning would be so thrilling. Classical Conversations keep God at the center of why we educate in the first place. It's not to puff up or be full of knowledge, it's to further know God and make Him known. He created all we learn in the first place, and He made our minds to learn certain types of material at specific intervals. For now we're memorizing the grammer of all things--history, science, math, Timeline of Creation to Modern America, the Presidents...we're learning Latin, English Grammar...the building blocks, information that once learned and repeated over and over will give our children a framework to build upon for the rest of their lives. If we don't take this time now, they will forever be at a disadvantage because like me, one day they will lose this incredible ability to memorize. God bless Leigh Bortins. She's brought something to our family and school that I've always wanted.
If you are thinking of homeschooling or are not completely at peace with your homeschool, please please take some time to contact your area CC group and go observe and learn what it's all about. If there is no group near you, the materials can be purchased and you can start at home. Soon enough a group will be in your area or YOU can start one!
While on vacation we were forced to forgo the Internet and instead were at the mercy of the TV for updates to the political scene. Anyone watching TV aside from FOX is being completely lied to by liberal activists posing as journalists. It is a disgrace to see how on interview shows with a "moderator" you end up watching 2 libs gang up on 1 conservative. It is maddening to say the least. Here's some info from :
Palin was born Sarah Louise Heath in Sandpoint, Idaho, the daughter of Sarah Heath (née Sheeran), a school secretary, and Charles R. Heath, a science teacher and track coach.[3][4] She has English, Irish, and German ancestry.[3] Her family moved to Alaska when she was an infant.[4] She and her father would sometimes wake at 3 a.m. to hunt moose before school, and the family regularly ran 5K and 10K races.[4]
Palin attended Wasilla High School in Wasilla, Alaska, where she was the head of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes chapter at the school[4] and the point guard and captain of the school's basketball team. She helped the team win the Alaska small-school basketball championship in 1982, hitting a critical free throw in the last seconds of the game, despite having an ankle stress fracture at the time.[4] She earned the nickname "Sarah Barracuda" because of her intense play[4] and was the leader of team prayer before games.[4]
In 1984, Palin won the Miss Wasilla beauty contest, then finished second in the Miss Alaska pageant,[5] at which she won a college scholarship.[4] In the Wasilla pageant, she played the flute and won "Miss Congeniality."[6][7] Palin "reported with some consternation that the judges were too interested in the contestants' derrieres."[8]
Palin began her political career in 1992, running for Wasilla city council as a supporter of the controversial new sales tax and with an advertisement advocating "a safer, more progressive Wasilla".[11] She won and served two terms on the council from 1992 to 1996.
In 1996, she challenged and defeated incumbent mayor John Stein, criticizing wasteful spending and high taxes.[4] In January 1997, Palin fired the Wasilla police chief and library director. In response, a group of 60 residents calling themselves Concerned Citizens for Wasilla discussed attempting a recall campaign against Palin, but then decided against it.[12] The fired police chief later sued Palin on the grounds that he was fired because he supported the campaign of Palin's opponent, but his suit was dismissed when the judge ruled that Palin had the right under state law to fire city employees, even for political reasons.[13] Palin followed through on campaign promises to reduce the salary of the mayor, and to reduce property taxes by 40 percent.[4] She increased the city sales tax to pay for construction of an indoor ice rink and sports complex.[14] At this time, state Republican leaders began grooming her for higher office.[15] She ran for re-election as mayor against Stein in 1999, winning by an even larger margin.[4][16] Palin was also elected president of the Alaska Conference of Mayors.[17]
While mayor of Wasilla, Palin wore a "Buchanan for President" button during conservative Pat Buchanan's 1996 visit to Wasilla. Palin stated that she "welcome[s] all the candidates in Wasilla" and said she was not endorsing Buchanan.[18] Buchanan described Palin as a "supporter" in an interview after she was selected as the vice presidential nominee by McCain.[18][19]
2002 election
In 2002, Palin made an unsuccessful bid for lieutenant governor, coming in second to Loren Leman in a five-way race in the Republican primary. After Frank Murkowski resigned from his long-held U.S. Senate seat in mid-term to become governor, he considered appointing Palin to his Senate seat but instead chose his daughter, Alaska state representative Lisa Murkowski.[20]
Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission
Governor Murkowski appointed Palin Ethics Commissioner of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission,[21] where she served from 2003 to 2004. She resigned in protest over what she called the "lack of ethics" of fellow Alaskan Republican leaders, who ignored her whistleblowing complaints of legal violations and conflicts of interest.[22][4] After she resigned, Palin exposed the state Republican Party's chairman, Randy Ruedrich, one of her fellow Oil & Gas commissioners, who was accused of doing work for the party on public time and supplying a lobbyist with a sensitive e-mail.[23] Palin filed formal complaints against both Ruedrich and former Alaska Attorney General Gregg Renkes, who both resigned. Ruedrich also paid a record $12,000 fine.[4]
Governor of Alaska
In 2006, running on a clean government platform, Palin defeated then-Governor Murkowski in the Republican gubernatorial primary.[4] In August, she declared that education, public safety, and transportation would be the three cornerstones of her administration.[24] Despite being outspent by her Democratic opponent, she won the gubernatorial election in November, defeating former Governor Tony Knowles 48.3% to 40.9%.[4]
Palin became Alaska's first woman governor and, at 42, the youngest in Alaskan history. She is the first Alaskan governor born after Alaska achieved U.S. statehood and the first governor not inaugurated in Juneau. She chose to have the ceremony held in Fairbanks. She took office on December 4, 2006.
She has challenged the state's Republican leaders, helping to launch a campaign by Lieutenant Governor Sean Parnell to unseat U.S. Congressman Don Young[25] and publicly challenging Senator Ted Stevens to come clean about the federal investigation into his financial dealings.[26]
Palin frequently had an approval rating above 90% in 2007.[27] A poll published by Hays Research on July 28, 2008 showed Palin's approval rating at 80%,[28] while another Ivan Moore poll showed it at 76%, a drop which the pollsters attributed to the controversial firing of Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan.[29]
A subsequent Rasmussen Reports poll from July 31, 2008 showed 35% of Alaskans rated her performance as excellent, 29% good, 22% fair, and 14% poor.[30]
Energy and environment
Palin in Kuwait, July 2007, on her first trip outside the US
Palin has strongly promoted oil and natural gas resource development in Alaska,[31] despite concerns from environmentalists. She also helped pass a tax increase on oil company profits.[26][27] Palin has announced plans to create a new sub-cabinet group of advisers to address climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions within Alaska.[32]
Shortly after taking office, Palin rescinded 35 appointments made by Murkowski in the last hours of his administration, including that of his former chief of staff James "Jim" Clark to the Alaska Natural Gas Development Authority.[33][34] Clark later pleaded guilty to conspiring with a defunct oil-field-services company to channel money into Frank Murkowski's re-election campaign.[35]
In March 2007, Palin presented the Alaska Gasline Inducement Act (AGIA) as the new legal vehicle for building a natural gas pipeline from the state's North Slope.[36] This negated a deal by the previous governor to grant the contract to a coalition including BP (her husband's former employer). Only one legislator, Representative Ralph Samuels, voted against the measure,[37] and in June, Palin signed it into law.[38][39] On January 5, 2008, Palin announced that a Canadian company, TransCanada Corp., was the sole AGIA-compliant applicant.[40][41] In August 2008, Palin signed a bill into law giving the state of Alaska authority to award TransCanada Pipelines a license to build and operate the $26-billion pipeline to transport natural gas from the North Slope to the Lower 48 through Canada.[42]
In response to high oil and gas prices, and the resulting state government budget surplus, Palin proposed giving Alaskans $100-a-month energy debit cards. She also proposed providing grants to electrical utilities so that they would reduce customers' rates.[43] She subsequently dropped the debit card proposal, and in its place she proposed to send Alaskans $1,200 directly, paid for from the windfall surplus the state is getting because of the high oil prices.[44]
In May 2008, Palin objected to the decision of Dirk Kempthorne, the Republican United States Secretary of the Interior, to list polar bears as an endangered species. She filed a lawsuit to stop the listing amid fears that it would hurt oil and gas development in the bears' habitat off Alaska's northern and northwestern coasts. She said the move to list the bears was premature and was not the appropriate management tool for their welfare.[45]
She believes that "a changing environment will affect Alaska more than any other state" but she would not "attribute it to being man-made"[46] after she was announced as Senator McCain's presumptive running mate.
Shortly after becoming governor, Palin canceled a contract for the construction of an 11-mile (18-kilometer) gravel road outside Juneau to a mine. This reversed a decision made in the closing days of the Murkowski Administration.[47]
In June 2007, Palin signed into law a $6.6 billion operating budget—the largest in Alaska's history.[48] At the same time, she used her veto power to make the second-largest cuts of the construction budget in state history. The $237 million in cuts represented over 300 local projects, and reduced the construction budget to nearly $1.6 billion.[49]
Palin initially expressed support for the Gravina Island Bridge project,[50] commonly known outside the state as the "Bridge to Nowhere." However, once it had become a nationwide symbol of wasteful earmark spending and some federal funding was lost, Palin cancelled the bridge because Alaska's congressional delegation was unable to prevent the state of Alaska from having to pay for part of the bridge's construction.[26][51] Alaska still kept the federal money, but she stated that Alaska should rely less on federal funding.[51][27]
When on June 6, 2007, the Alaska Creamery Board recommended closing Matanuska Maid Dairy, an unprofitable state-owned business, Palin objected, citing concern for the impact on dairy farmers and the fact that the dairy had just received $600,000 in state money. When Palin found out that the Board of Agriculture and Conservation appoints Creamery Board members, she replaced the entire membership of the Board of Agriculture and Conservation.[27][52] The new board reversed the decision to close the dairy, but later in 2007, with Palin's support, the unprofitable business was put up for sale. There were no offers in December 2007, when the minimum bid was set at $3.35 million,[53][54] and the dairy was closed that month. In August 2008, the Anchorage plant was purchased for $1.5 million, the new minimum bid; the purchaser plans to convert it into heated storage units.[55]
On July 11, 2008, Palin dismissed Public Safety Commissioner Walter Monegan for not adequately filling state trooper vacancies, and because he "did not turn out to be a team player on budgeting issues."[56] She instead offered him a position as executive director of the state Alcoholic Beverage Control Board, which he turned down.[57][58]
Her power to fire him is not in dispute, but Monegan alleged that his dismissal was a retaliation for his reluctance to fire Palin's former brother-in-law, Alaska State Trooper Mike Wooten, who had been involved in a divorce and child custody battle with Palin's sister, Molly McCann.[59] Palin is currently being investigated by an independent investigator hired by the Alaska Legislature[60] to determine whether she abused her power when she fired Monegan. The investigation is scheduled to end October 30, only days before the November 4 presidential election.[61]
2008 vice-presidential campaign
This section contains information about one or more candidates in an upcoming or ongoing election.
Content may change as the election approaches.
I'll be off for a week--I'll miss blogging!! Looking fwd to the Dem Convention while we're sunning ourselves. So, it's Joe Biden? Hmmm. I wouldn't want to run with a man who was in favor of denying healthcare to a baby who survived an abortion. Sean Hannity has done a great job covering this topic this past week www.hannity.com . I've never seen a politician as arrogant as 'the one'. He really is just saying things to get elected but now he's been found out to have numerous relationships with men who are dangerous to America and equality and he's the worst kind of baby killer. Thank goodness for people who love America like Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity. You can't honestly listen to them for a week and not hear their hearts for the soul of this country and FREEDOM....unless you are so far gone all hope it lost!
I wish that all the words of this song could be true in my walk with the Lord daily. But I'm weak at times and I lack faith, and it is not well with my soul. My favorite part of this hymn are the words (especially when really loud and sung by a good choir or on CD): My sin not in part but the whole, is NAILED TO THE CROSS and I BEAR IT NO MORE, PRAISE THE LORD, PRAISE THE LORD, OH MY SOUL. (I'm hearing this belting out in my head and loving it ). I'm not great at remembering my sin is nailed to the Cross. Sometimes I dwell on it rather than confess it and turn from it. Sometimes I think it's hopeless. But then, God reminds me, through His word, our pastor, my husband, or more often than not, a friend who reminds me to look UP--that He is faithful and loving and kind and just!!!! I'm so glad for all of that!
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
Refrain
My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
Refrain
For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.
Refrain
But, Lord, ‘tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh trump of the angel! Oh voice of the Lord!
Blessèd hope, blessèd rest of my soul!
Refrain
And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.
I am not going to write much tonight, Barack Obama has succinctly said it all. He is not qualified to be President. He erroneously calls the National Right to Life liars, and by his own admittance he is not able to say when a human being deserves to be treated as such. What?! What kind of President would you make, Mr. Obama, when you consistently side-step important leadership decisions? Like it or not, the right to life/abortion issue is a hot one the President must address.
This man is only interested in being elected. He's not qualified. Less than 150 days as a Senator, and one who far too often voted "present"? He wouldn't even take a stand to ensure babies who survived late-term abortions would get the care they need. This man is a horrid individual. It's bad enough to support abortion on any level, including the stick your head in the sand position of "I wouldn't do it but it's not my place to tell someone else not to", but to not clearly support a bill to help a live baby whose murder wasn't successful? It makes me sick. Everyone knows now that life begins at conception. Who are we as mere mortals who sin and make poor decisions to say when that life should end? It is too subjective. Would you support killing kittens or puppies right out of the womb, or how about in the womb the same way baby humans are aborted? If a kitten or puppy survived an abortion, wouldn't you stop to think that maybe it was meant to be that they made it? I mean, murder was attempted that could have succeeded for crying out loud. Would you think it ok to just toss those baby animals aside like trash?
I'm proud of my cousin who as a heroine addict was pregnant and chose life. We offered to adopt the baby girl, who unfortunately ended up dying with a heart attack essentially. But you know, she was brave.
Not everyone makes that decision when in a hard situation, and my heart goes out to you. God is a forgiving and loving God, and He offers love and forgiveness for any mistakes we've made. He is waiting to forgive those who seek Him for it. Goodness knows, I've needed to seek Him many many times for sinning against His holiness.
You know the old adage, "It takes one to know one." Well, when it comes to having a victim mentality I suppose I fall into this category. I'm more of a reformed or 'in remission' VM impaired person. Saying it takes one to know one often implies you'd have to be or at one time have been like the quality you are trying to define, but with a victim mentality I do think discerning people can pick up on it quickly even if they have never been that way.
So, what does it look like to have a victim mentality? I'm no expert, just a sinner saved by grace, but to me it's when we honestly think that everything that happens to us is far worse than whatever else is happening to those around us. Even good things get looked at through a negative lens. Rather than be blessed with a wonderful challenge we wanted, we see it as a curse. When sickness befalls we are clearly more sick than those around us w ho caught the same bug. In general life is a series of "one upmanship" in pretty much any department. Moments of joy and praise may come but they will quickly be overshadowed by something that will put them right back in the driver seat of the VM roadster.
A question may come to the readers mind...why would someone willingly do this? Don't they see they end up looking weak? In my estimation it is done to evoke sympathy, to have a consistent excuse as to why they should not have to live up to the standards of everyone else. It's a form of manipulation at it's core because situations are approached with a goal of how to steer the emotions of those involved. I'd hazard to say the issue is a spiritual one where some sort of healing is needed from the Lord.
I'd say I fell into this sort of thinking because of childhood abuse. It's a common consequence unfortunately. We can struggle with realizing our full potential as unique creations by a holy and loving God. When I first came to know the Lord, and I use the term loosely because I was a very new believer, I cried for months anytime the pastor said "God loves you." We can feel like unworthy people who desperately need love and do not know how to obtain it gradually in an appropriate manner, so we try to make people feel sorry for us which will in turn fill our love tanks, albeit temporarily.
I don't like being manipulated, neither do you, right? This is why those who operate with a victim mentality stance, being overly dramatic or continually painting themselves in a 'woe as me' corner, even with the thinly veiled stoicism routine playing out, may find themselves being kept at arms length by people who would otherwise like them. It can impact our testimony in Christ, making people wonder why we aren't more confident in our future or able to handle lifes waves better or why we don't plan better or make wiser choices. If we play the VM card for situations that could have been avoided had we made better decisions it will really start to bother people. They see through it all.
Just some thoughts I wanted to put down. We all have it hard from time to time, and others will see it when it's warranted, and if not, there is One who always sees and understands and cares, and He'll send us helpers and comforters honestly, we don't need to play games with others' emotions to be taken care of.
Among others with advanced degrees, there are now 31,000 scientists who agree that catastrophic global warming is a hoax founded on very poor science. It is thrilling that there are more saying this. You can read more about it here http://www.globalwarminghoax.com/news.php?extend.26.
My husband and I are not professional scientists, between us we only have a BS in Forestry and a BS in Chemical Engineering with a minor in Chemistry, but we've never bought into the claims that there is such a thing as manmade global warming.
What cracks us up are all the people who claim to be conservatives but buy into this insanity, and who think they are doing something positive with meager environmental efforts. This is the crowd saying at social gatherings "We should do all we can." in somber tones. But let's put that into perspective. What does that MEAN, doing ALL we CAN? Since that is one of my personal favorites to hear being said, I'd like to point out that doing all we can should mean some pretty significant sacrifices on a daily basis, our personal comfort should be getting compromised. So I'd just like to see us stop feigning a level of commitment we really don't have.
Let's face it, many of us drive vehicles that are bigger than we need, use electric washers and dryers without very full loads in them, are heating and cooling more space than necessary, smoke cigarettes, participate in energy intensive recreational activities, use plastics including disposable diapers, tampons, throw away sanitary napkins, food containers...you get the drift, we are doing unsound things for the environment THAT WE COULD CHANGE IF WE REALLY CARED.
I honestly do not get worked up over what folks do or don't do mind you, what I do care about is hypocrisy. What I care about are people walking around judging other people who aren't doing the ONE or TWO MEAGER things to "HELP" the PLANET that THEY happen to be doing. You know, wearing earthy sandals and using some kind of canvas bag at the grocery store... What I find is that folks like George Bush who don't buy into the manmade global warming scare do a lot more than the people out claiming to be SO concerned for the environment, and he is quiet about it. Have you seen how environmentally friendly his ranch in TX is?
As I said, we here don't buy into Manmade Global Warming, but sure I do things to try and curb the waste in our home. I did cloth diapers some, I use cloth menstrual pads, I hang most clothes to dry, we don't use a lot of extra electricity since we don't have Cable TV (ha ha yes that is a stretch), we don't smoke cigarettes and I don't dye my hair...but do I act like I'm somehow superior or more concerned than someone else? No, that would be completely ridiculous because I do drive a mini van, and sometimes all my kids ARE NOT IN IT with me! OH HORRORS. Yes we eat most of our leftovers so we don't waste food and thus energy, feed etc. but we DO throw food away sometimes by George. My point is, I don't go into what I do or don't do because it's just a part of how I live. It's my choice and it's indicative of freedom, AND I believe there is a timeline for this Earth regardless of what we do or don't do. We're stewards of this land that God created and gave us. So I enjoy it and do what I can to show appreciation. But I'm not worried about some made up phenomenon that is being used to PUSH SOCIALISM and cause people to look to someone for solutions that are actually not needed. It is all about control and fear. It is easy to control people who are afraid and who believe they need others to survive.
). I'm not great at remembering my sin is nailed to the Cross. Sometimes I dwell on it rather than confess it and turn from it. Sometimes I think it's hopeless. But then, God reminds me, through His word, our pastor, my husband, or more often than not, a friend who reminds me to look UP--that He is faithful and loving and kind and just!!!! I'm so glad for all of that! 
