What I REALLY Think!

We keep our dearest opinions to ourselves, mostly for fear that they will be ridiculed or mocked.

People guess worldviews all the time, and we give lots of hints about how we think. But isn't it remarkable how people can see things so differently?

We can change no one's heart or mind, but an accumulation of events can often lead to a "conversion." The Holy Spirit plays a vital role in changing hearts, but we can often speak for God.

As a Christian conservative, I tend to be pretty unimaginative. I toe the party line on most issues. Sometimes here I try to express why I think that way on particular issues---gay marriage, abortion, for instance, (Mr. Obama) but I find it really difficult to express the complete picture---the world view that drives me to that stance.

What are blogs for?

Mine is for my children primarily. Mostly it is my attempt to fulfill a life-long dream of tract-writing. It's really because I do love to write. I must write. I fill journals. I imagine story lines and fairy-tale worlds. But I'm a busy mom, and novels are hard to churn out at this season of my life.

I also want to speak truth, and help others see truth----as the Lord has revealed it to me.

http://amos37.com/?p=4811
This is a video presentation on creation science. It's multiple lectures and books like this that brought me to my current worldview. It just seems so reasonable to listen to scientists like this. Why wouldn't I? I have nothing to prove.

God proves Himself.  To deny His existence is folly. The fool says in his heart that there is no God.

Why would God contradict Himself? There is balance in Scripture. God has said enough. Why must we question the Creator? He instructs us to ASK FOR WISDOM. 

Those who deny God, or go so far as to define Him as something or someone not described in the Bible, must have an issue with God, or they haven't met Him.

The issue is probably moral. Having done something immoral the seven deadly sins kick in and Pride usually wins. "So what if I did that....???"

It takes humility to meet God.

And if you've never heard of God, the Creator of the universe, shame on us believers. We need to be more bold and TELL YOU.

Go ahead and disagree, but ask for answers!  Don't assume that you understand WHY someone believes what they do. Don't just go off and label the different worldview 'stupid' without examination. Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that never need be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

And if you were wondering, I think being a housewife/mother is the highest calling a woman could have. It is a privilege that God has given me, and I am so grateful.

There is nothing to be ashamed of in simply following Christ, following a prescribed role for women in Scripture.

And when you do, bucking the trends of society, you will find peace and fulfillment.

It is so restful to believe Christ.

Do you believe?

Lilacs

When I was a child our church had "Lilac Sunday" on or around Mother's Day.  It was an event I looked forward to every year.

It meant spring.

It started with a lovely bunch of lilacs on the communion table before the pulpit. It progressed, over the years, to several bouquets arranged artfully on the podium.

Each year the display grew, and it was quite a show.

Then one year, in the early 80's sometime, an entire lilac bush appeared in the front of the church!

Someone was thinking to change the landscape of his yard, and decided to grace the church with an entire bush!

The smell was overwhelming. Lovely. I don't think anyone remembers what Pastor Wood said that day. The mass of purple and scent was enough.

That was the end of "lilac Sunday."

image by Galina Kochergina

Our lilacs are really doing what lilacs should do right now. They are in full bloom and they are wafting heavenly scents, especially the little lonesome white lilac.  I planted them 12 years ago, and this is the first year that they are thriving in our sandy soil. I am so happy. I just wish we had our bees here to enjoy them.

By Grace

It was a long weekend---some say because the weather was chilly---but it was Memorial Day, and we did our patriotic duty, willingly, attending a service at the cemetery where my grandparents are buried.

Afterwards we went to my parents' house for a delicious meal, and what was even more special, all of us were there, including two fiancees!

It's nice to get to know them better and chat of upcoming events. Exciting times!

But there are a few clouds on the horizon.

Two people we are connected to have been diagnosed with cancer, and our hearts ache for them, and we pray--continually---that they will be healed.

It is a trial.

I watched another documentary on the plight of bees. There was really no new information regarding disease and pesticides, but one quote worth repeating:

"It isn't the beekeeper with 60 hives that will save the bee, but 60 beekeepers with (each) one hive that may---"

As we see the world suffering, and really, it is, we may see our faith become stronger. How quickly we could see dire consequences of food shortages and genetic anomalies.

Looking at our world, with its corrupt politicians, its dying health, its heavenly signs, its despair----can it be long before our Lord returns?

By Grace you have been saved, not of yourselves. It is a gift of God, not by works, lest any man should boast.

Grace is the key. We can gracefully watch the demise of our world, since we know Who is in charge. We trust in the Creator, who sustains us.

In Grace is the power to overcome, to forgive, to live.

By grace we conquer sin, touch souls, feed starving spirits.

Grace is God's powerful gift to those who believe. It keeps and restores, sustains and cleanses. It balances.

It is power, and we know it.

Corgi Inventory

Misty ran outside eagerly this morning to do her morning business, but it was very hard to lure her back to the house.

You see, about 30 people showed up for "general merriment" celebrating Margaret's graduation from high school.

Little snippets of food and smells lingered by the campfire on this unusually cold morning here, in May.

I hear there is frost just north of us.

With marigolds planted by the pond, lilacs and cherries in full bloom, tulips lingering, we have one burst of late spring here in Minnesota.

A cold night really does strike fear in our hearts!

Everything was mowed yesterday, the lawn chairs situated, and yard projects done (for now.)

The party was a wild success, for a "school night."  Many of the attendees were also home-schooled. What a nice bunch of kids.

My eldest son is off to his ROTC duties. He'll be in and out all summer, same with my second son. They have launched themselves, I really think, when I look at them all spiffed up in uniform I burst my buttons. My boys are my joy.

Cherie has a cold. She got to play "Ghost in the Graveyard" last night, one of her favorite yard games. Our older children played it nightly, but she has few friends in the neighborhood---so it is a rare treat for her. Such joy on her face. She loved Margaret's friends.

Ed, with his sunny disposition, sacrificed his evening to teaching about bees  at an elementary school environmental fair. He's so good at it! We taught together a couple of weeks ago, at a University of Minnesota Extension school field trip outing event. He is a natural in front of people.

He has to learn that everyone is NOT as interested in the details of beekeeping that he eloquently shares! But he certainly knows his material! He probably needs to take a "methods" course in elementary education to hone his skills.

His pipe organ playing continues to delight us. I can't say enough about the local Catholic church which graciously allows him practice time every Thursday. They are so generous with their organ, and the beautiful space.

School is wrapping up. We finished the "Character Sketches" series this week. All three volumes!!! It took this whole year to get through them. My only regret is that my older children didn't get to read them. We never even tried!

We also finished a book by Alfred Duggan about the Middle Ages. That book is amazing. It's written for children, but the history of economics and politics is so complex that we had to read only short excerpts each day, especially toward the end of the book.  Really, it should be required reading FOR EVERYONE.

Today I'm the recipient of several Stella d' oro daylilies that my friend's wild deer are decimating. I get them to save their lives.

How beautiful.

The sky is blue. The yard is perfect. It's May.

Perfection on earth.

(Tomorrow there is a significant astronomical event: the chains of Andromeda will be 'broken' by the comet Lemmon. Since Andromeda is the symbol of the church, this is a sign of something very dear to believers! Signs in the heavens, predicts the Word of God. Can you look at the events of the week and not begin to see God's redemption drawing closer? Look up, fellow believers!)

Quirky Connections

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2011/07/mountain-lion-killed-in-conn-had-walked-from-south-dakota/1#.UZ4Om0qneuh                                                                          Mountain Lion

This is the lion that apparently terrified people in Minneapolis and St. Paul a few winters ago. It seemed to stick to the Mississippi River, which flows near my home.

That he ended up in Milford, CT near to where my brother lives, and where my husband lived for a time when he was a very young child, makes me think warmly of him. We connect.

It is a remarkable story, really, that it could have had such a wide range, or long journey.

He was photographed just across the river from here. http://cryptozoologynews.blogspot.com/2009/12/dnr-confirms-cougar-sighting-in.html

Roberta Brown's Testimony

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/collections/special/2012/campaign/amendments/marriage/timeline/home/

This is a lengthy program aired last week on Minnesota Public Radio.  Roberta Brown is an old friend of my mother. They prayed together years ago on the phone, for the legislature, and all government issues relating to spiritual matters.

We live in a spiritual war. 

God wins.  We need to remind ourselves of this in light of a battle.

Now What?

http://www.atgrace.com/information/general/sermon-archive/sermon/now-what

This is the sermon by the pastor at Grace Eden Prairie last Sunday. This is a large church south of the Twin Cities. Those of us concerned about the political trends in our state should listen in.