Lost in the Wilderness?

Are you are going through a wilderness? Take heart. God has promised that in the wilderness experience that He will speak tenderly to you. This word is emotive and means from the very heart. God will speak to you heart to heart, but you will have to listen for His tender words. It's hard to hear God speaking when you are consumed with your problem rather than listening. (Hosea 2:14)

 This was something that I read yesterday and reposted on my Facebook Page.

Life is full of ups and downs.  There are many highs and many lows.  But at times it may seem like there are more of one or the other.  And then there is the "wilderness experience."

Have you ever been lost?  When I was younger I mean before children and probably when I had my license for just a few years I always thought it was fun to drive around and try to get lost.  And no matter how "out-in-the-wilderness" it seemed I would get eventually I would end up on a road that I would recognize and of course find my way home.  A.L.W.A.Y.S!  At times it was disappointing...it was after all my goal to drive around aimlessly and not know where I was.  Of course, I never did this alone...I was always with someone.

 As I sit here and ponder this thought, I can honestly say I don't think I ever played the lets drive around and get lost game while I was alone.  I just didn't sound quite as adventurous or fun.    And now that I am much older and wiser less up for adventure I realize how life can be like a lost-in-the-wilderness kind of feeling at times.  We feel like we are just existing walking through life not really knowing who to turn to, where to go to, or even what the next step is.  Often times we are walking through this wilderness alone and feeling that no one understands or cares.  Walking through the wildness can be scary, frustrating, or it can even make you down right mad.

But no matter what the situation, how you may be feeling there is someone right there beside you wanting to be your guide on the way out.  The road out may be bumpy and filled with many twists and turns, but if we just allow ourselves to not be consumed with the wilderness (problem we are facing) and listen to our director (God) we will see there is hope.  And you will not be lost forever!

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? 

Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?  

As it is written:

   “For your sake we face death all day long;
   we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.  For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,  neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

~Romans 8:35-39~

Be Encouraged!

 

 

Overcome

"If only you could see me yesterday
Who I used to be before the change
You'd see a broken heart
You'd see the battle scars
It's funny how words can't explain
How good it feels to finally break the chains
I'm not what I have done

I'm what I've overcome"

Beautiful lyrics. I've been wanting to write about this song for a long time! This song is by the talented band Fireflight. Yes, these lyrics aren't over-the-top deep, but they mean a lot to me. Let's break this down. 

"If only you could see me yesterday, Who I used to be before the change." 

I love this line because it states the fact of the significant CHANGE in a person when they become saved. When you truly have the Holy Spirit living within you, there is such a miraculous different within, it's almost unexplainable. 

"You'd see a broken heart, You'd see the battle scars"

Without Jesus, we're all broken. I don't know everyone's personal struggles, but I know that I have had a broken heart, & I surely have had scars.  With Jesus though, those broken hearts are mended & scars are healed. 

"It's funny how words can't explain, how good it feels to finally break the chains"

As I stated above, when we are saved it's almost as if the feeling is unexplainable. There are no words, no emotions, no thoughts. 

"I'm not what I have done, I'm what I've overcome"

One of my favorite lyrics. We are not defined by our past & the mistakes that we have made. We are defined by the person that Christ has enabled & created us to be. Don't hold onto past hurts and let them rule your behavior or your thoughts. You are who are you because you've overcome whatever obstacles life has thrown at you. 

I'll get my preach on for a moment. :) 

I made a phone call today because I got an urgent Facebook message from a friend. I won't go into details why they needed me, but during the conversation this person made the statement; "You know (certain person) could ruin the rest of my high school years for me. Everybody will think I'm a slut & nobody will talk to me." 

To this, I had to think of a calm way to respond. A lot of thoughts were running through my mind.

1.) Why in the world would you put yourself in a position where you could make others think badly of you. 

2.) I'm extremely saddened by this person's issue because it's showing they have no respect for themselves. 

3.) God has placed this person in my life for a reason & they trust me enough to tell me their secrets, so I must do my best to help them. 

When my friend told me this, I explained to them that if they were so worried about what people thought of them, then they really shouldn't have done anything in the first place. High school kids run their mouths. Obviously, they hadn't figured that out yet. 

I also told them that they needed to re-evaluate their standards. Respect is a key thing in any relationship, & if you don't have any for yourself...why should the other person respect you? 

I told them that if all their friends bailed on em', that they could always count on me to be there.

Lastly, I told them that I would pray for them. 

Reflecting on the conversation today, I thought about how this friend was so concerned & distressed about what other people thought about them. 

I know people talk behind my back. I know people dislike me. I've lost a lot of friends over the years because of my beliefs & I've been called names that nobody should even think of. But, (as Pastor Cliff preached about on Sunday), "If God is for us, then who is against us?" 

It doesn't matter! If I'm so caught up in what people think of me, I'm going to spend my days very miserable because I can't please everybody. That's not what I'm supposed to do anyway. 

There's only one thing people can say that is 100% true about me.... 

I'm forgiven.

 

 

Cedar Point

OK this summer i am going cedar point with my sister Hayley and my uncle.Here are some amazing rides.The Magnum is classic it came out in 1989 and broke tons of  records.

 

Then they have wicked twister it counts down 3 2 1 you blast backward and forward again.

 

Hayleys fav is Millennium Force.It got its name because it came out in 2000.Its been known for its drop 300 feet off the ground.It travles at speeds up to 93mph ,and is one of the best rides in the park.

The best ride at cedar point is Top Thrill Dragster it120mph and 420 feet up in the air.

 See you guys next time.


Dylan.

Schmuck or No Schmuck

If you read the title of this post you are probably wondering what in the world I am talking about.

Last week Phil, Hayley & I had the privilege honor horror of shopping for a new vehicle.  In early Spring our trusty 2004 Dodge Grand Caravan decided to remove it's presence from our family.  We always said we were going to drive it until the wheels fell off of it.  However, we didn't think that it would happen so soon. 

To make a very long story short we were having a wonderful family day out.  Traveling to Pennsylvania for a quick shopping trip before heading to West Virginia to watch our beloved Wheeling Nailers hockey team in the playoffs.  Without a warning as we were heading to the arena for the game, our van decided that it was going to act "funny".  When I say funny I mean make a strange noise and then barely go forward as we were trying to go through a stop light.  We made it to the parking garage where Phil proceeded to tell us to just go enjoy the game and we would deal with it later.

Our prayers after the game were to make it to my mom's (about 1 hour away) nice and safe.  And God does answer prayers!  As we pulled into her housing development the van would no longer move forward without the law of gravity pulling it down the hill.  It also decided to perfume the neighborhood with a horrific odor while polluting the environment with billowing smoke from the front end.  Yes, we blew up our transmission.  C.O.M.P.L.E.T.E.L.Y! 

Thanks to Mom & Dad Money we were able to have a vehicle that we could all fit in for a few months as we decided what on earth we were going to do.  (You see being a family of 6, you can't just fit into any old vehicle with 4 wheels and drive down the road.)

So, we started out on our  journey adventure trip-through-h*ll car shopping early last week.  (Let the game show music begin now!)

Now mind you we had done much research prior to our journey to "car dealership ______" (you fill in the blank.)

A few days prior we drove through several establishments to "window" shop.  And on Monday we took the plunge and drove in while they were open and met our first Schmuck (ooops I mean, Salesman) of the journey.

Of course the vehicle we saw on their web site was "not available", but they had several others that would meet our criteria.  We looked at a bunch, drove a few, and decided to bring one home for the night to have it looked at and see how we liked it.  Would you believe that when we returned the vehicle the next day NOT a single one of the salesmen we had talked to were available for us.  And they have NEVER called us to follow up.  NOT.DEALING.THERE.

After dropping off drive home #1 we went a few more places and my husband decided he wanted to have some "fun" at the next place.  We are standing in the lot surrounded by VANS when another one appeared.  (Schmuck/salesman....you get to choose this time.) 

"Can I help you?" he asks. 

My husband replies with, "I want to buy a van."

While Hayley and I began to melt (because it was literally 90+ degrees) we had to wait for him to "get information" not once but TWICE and then he still never gave us the information we originally asked for.

Lots of looking a trip around the block in one and we were off to get us some dinner. S.T.R.I.K.E. 2!

Not wanting to strike out a 3rd time, I wasn't sure what we were going to do short of driving what we already had and sweating through the rest of the summer with no air conditioning.

A few more Internet searches and phone calls.  And we actually were able to walk into a place that treated you like you were somebody.  They had a product knowledge like no other.  And a vehicle that had more options than what we were looking about for about $3,000 LESS than what we were looking at else where.

Patience is the lesson we are still trying to learn.  However, I was glad that we were able to hold true to our values throughout this process.  These people are "trained" to make you feel like you "need" this-or-that-or-something-else.  They are trained to make you commit to something that you aren't ready for.  They are less prepared for you to be firm such as not making a decision the night of the test drive or not paying retail for something.  But I encourage you, if you are in the need of a different vehicle make some decisions BEFORE you head out to the lot.

Here is glimpse of what we do:
1.  We will never commit to a sale the day/night of looking at vehicle.
2.  We need to be able to have it inspected by someone of our choice for maintenance concerns.  (Trust me we have learned the hard way on this one.)
3.  Never pay retail.  There is always some wiggle room in the price.

Have you had to make a large purchase recently?  Did you have to play the Schmuck or No Schmuck game?  What are some of your rules before making large financial decisions?

(Pics will come later...I have dusty new van from a trip to the Amish Farm this week....)

10 Confessions

I haven't blogged in what seems like forever!

If any of you who read this are my Facebook friends, you might have realized that I posted a note the other day (that I was randomly tagged in by a friend) that was titled "My Confessions." In the note I was supposed to write 100 confessions about myself. So, I sat down on a Sunday afternoon & wrote down 100 confessions that were quite boring, but very true. If you read them all, I love you. If you didn't, I don't blame you.

I thought that I might limit my confessions down for my blog. (So you all wouldn't have to sit here through a long grueling process of reading 100 confessions). I also thought it'd be somewhat interesting to actually go into some depth & description of my confessions.

Confession #1 - Jesus is my Savior. There shouldn't be much of an explanation for that. Without Him I would be absolutely nothing. He truly is my best friend, someone who I can constantly count on, & I'm not ashamed to say it.

Confession #2 - I don't believe in edited music. That might sound strange to some people, but I believe that music is an expression. When editors take out swearing, or certain phrases, I think that takes out the genuineness of the song. For people who don't like profanity in their music, or long crazy guitar rifts that go on forever & ever, then I suppose edited music is for them. As I see it, if you don't like the original copy of the song then you shouldn't be listening to it.

Confession #3 - Hockey is my passion. If it wasn't, I wouldn't play it. It's hard to explain, so I'm going to leave it at; I love it.

Confession #4 - I stated this in my "My Confessions" on Facebook, but I'm going to say it again. I truly believe there's a difference between loving someone & being in love. I hate when young girls my age or younger will start dating a guy & be with him for maybe 3 days...then they will gawk "OHMYGOSH I LOVE HIM SO MUCH!" Okay, let's get one thing straight sweetie, you've been with him 3 days. You hardly know each other. I've had a boyfriend, we were together 7 months & I'll tell you one thing, I sure wasn't in love. I did care about him, but I wouldn't even go as far to say that I loved him. I think 3 little words are thrown around way too much in today's society. Those words are "I love you." If you don't mean it, or you don't know what it feels like, don't say it.

Confession #5 - I don't like using the word "hate". But, I really do hate it when people proclaim Christ as their Savior, but rebuke Him & live like Hell outside of church and outta their parents sight. I have a certain friend whom goes to church every Sunday, basically lives there, & is always involved with church activities. Unfortunately, they don't live their life as they proclaim they do. It makes me sad to see them literally destroying their lives before their own eyes. I don't understand how you could be so two-faced. After trying to help them & trying to show compassion, praying for them is the only thing I have left to do.

Confession #6 - I am terrified of frogs & fish. I am totally convinced that frogs are demonic animals. I don't know why but I find their beady eyes and slimy bodies very disturbing. As for fish, I can't even stand looking at them. I also, hate seafood.

Confession #7 - I dislike it when people sterotype. Numerous times I've been called or asked if I was "emo." Let me clear something up for everybody. The term "emo" comes from the word 'emotional.' It's an abbreviation. God created all of us humans with emotions, so I guess being called emo really isn't a big deal. It bothers me because I don't look at a cheerleader & say "Oh, you're a bubbly brat, right?" Assuming things about people is rude. I'm not a depressed cutter, so don't put me in this little box because I'm quiet & like tons of music. Jeez.

Confession #8 - I LOVE scary movies! I will sit through anything. My mother calls me "demented" because I sat & laughed throughout half of the Saw movies.

Confession #9 - Okay, Nirvana's my favorite band. I'm a sucker for 90's music. I wish I could've grown up when Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, & Alice in Chains were still making the best music. Grunge, FTW.

Confession #10 - I'm not afraid to embrace who God created me to be. Therefore, I don't care what you think of me.

Thank you for sitting & reading this novel of a blog. :)

Where are you?

Hello again. I seem to be on an every other week schedule. I was thinking about life in general and how I want the world to view myself and my family. These are questions we all should ask ourselves and questions that should be at the forefront of every believers mind.

1. Do I show the grace Christ has show to me? (Learning from this week, it takes a lot of grace to deal with car salesmen.) John 1:17
2. Do I share a kind word, and am I concerned with others well being and destiny? Proverbs 29:8
3.Am I willing to help others? Philippians 2:4
4. Am I willing to give to the work of Creator? James says we are the firstfruits of His creation.  Should we not give of our firstfruits?
5. Am I teaching my children truth? The Proverbs says to train up a child in the way they should go and when they are old they will not depart from it.  Am I teaching them to Love God, Love others, Live in the Freedom and Security of Jesus, and Live surrendered to His will?

All of these are questions we must answer. The world does not know and can't give you the security, freedom, happiness and truth that is only found in Jesus. The world gives us answers like good spirits, vibes, and karma. None of these can hold a light to the Son of God dying for us and giving those who believe on His name eternal life. As you well know all of these questions I listed are not easy. They are not easy for me. It is only by His grace can we achieve these things.

Bob Dylan said some 40 years ago "It may be the Devil or it may be the Lord, but you're gonna have to serve somebody". I want to be a shadow of the grace given to me and I want to do all of these things well. It does not require a system of good works and proper behavior or religious clothing to get there. It requires an act of surrender to the Spirit. A humbling of one's self and a walking in the grace received. If you are not here yet, give up all of the things blocking you from getting there and walk with Jesus.

Blessings

Bro Phil

Summer in full swing....

Sometimes I wonder where the saying the "Lazy Days of Summer" has come from.  For those of you who know me, Summer is my FAVORITE time of year.  (I know, some of you are cringing right now as you read this.)  And many in my family are also.  You won't hear me complain about it being too hot or that the sun is too bright.  I LOVE IT!!

Here we are pretty much finished with the 2nd week of July.  WHAT!?  How can that be?  I feel like it was just 1 hour or so ago that I was typing about how I couldn't believe it was July 4th. 

As the kids are growing and getting older, I am realizing more and more that our Summers are going to be anything, but "lazy".  I also have come to the conclusion that we are actually going to have to "SCHEDULE" family time.

How is that possible?  We are together all of the time, some might say.  Here is a brief breakdown of what has been going on since ummmm...the final day of school.

Summer started off with a week of swimming lessons for Nathan. 

It was pretty exciting to see Nathan relax and allow himself to just float on his back during his lessons.

While Nathan was cooling off in the pool.  His big brother, Dylan, was "heating up" on the basketball court.

This is how Dylan feels about getting his picture taken.

It was pretty exciting when Dylan won an award for the Free Throw Competition that week.

While my taxi services were in full swing that week.  I also played Domestic Diva at home making sure that my older two children had all of the items necessary for their upcoming camping trip with their Youth Group to the Alive Music Festival.  As well as the packing up our family for a weekend of a Celebration of Hope at our local Relay for Life.

Which leads us to the week where Natalie had swimming lessons. 

She is a back stroking diva!

And learned how to dive & go off the board.

And Hayley & Dylan left the comforts of their home to spend time in their posh hotel outdoors.

After about 5 days away, they arrived home at the break of a new day.  (2:00am)  Exhausted, yet full of energy and stories, they made their way to the comforts of their own bed.  Upon waking up the next morning, Dylan was less than happy. 

Use your imagination of what he may have looked like.  Had a tough time trying to get a photo for memories sake.  (See above photo on how Dylan likes photos.)

His eyes were swollen shut.  (I believe he found some poison on his outdoor adventure.)

So, it was off to the ER after we dropped dad and the rest of the family off at  church for the Morning Worship Service.

Praise God for steroid shots because the next day he was ready to go and the remainder of that week was spent with the 2 oldest children helping put on Sports Camp for the community.  And the younger 2 participating in Sports Camp. 

 

Hayley & Dylan made new friends and built relationships with youth from Tennessee while helping do Community Service Projects in our local area after helping run the Sports Camp.

I thought, we were finished and would have the family back together again after that week.  However, my mom a.k.a. Mimi, really enjoys spending time with her grandchildren.  And so Hayley decided she would like to have some "only child" moments with her Mimi. 

This is Mimi holding my nephew, Jayce.  Isn't he a cutie!?

(Our family dynamic minus one family member is always different.)  Do you notice that also?

Never to fear...we were back together last Saturday to celebrate precious Natalie's 9th Birthday. 

We went fishing, and Natalie caught the 1st fish!

However, short lived, because we while we gained the one missing family member back (Hayley).  We lost 3 (Dylan, Natalie & Nathan) as they went to spend the week with Mimi.

I share all of this with you why?  I'm not real sure to be honest with you.  If you are still with me...THANK YOU!

However, sometimes I feel like through the busyness of life we get so wrapped up in all that we are doing.  That we forget to take a moment to breathe.  And to see what God is doing for us.  I am so guilty of this many times!  This morning as I woke up (believe it or not) before the sun was up I was able to hear the birds chirping.  While this season of life is very busy for this family of 6, I don't want us to be so busy that we aren't able to build relationships with those we love.  I don't want us to lose focus on the greater picture and calling that God has placed in our lives. 

While this has been one of the busiest summer's on record for our family.  I have realized, that we are starting to get some of that "building of relationships" back.  My children are making friends with other "like minded" youth.  They are building relationships with people "outside" their general circle of contacts.  We have had time to sit and talk with extended family and spend time with them as well.

Last night we were reunited with a dear friend, who has spent the last year in China.  We consider her family (as well as her family).  Here is a precious young woman age 18 who was obedient to the calling of God in her life to travel to China for 10 months and be a light unto others.  As we were talking last evening, something really spoke to me.  She was sharing with me how she was asked to share with her Youth Group about her trip.  Feeling pretty comfortable with this group of individuals, she felt confident enough to just "wing-it".  She didn't really have a "scripted-plan".  And while she was feeling okay with that her father sat down and talked with her.  (Something that I am sure is not uncommon for them).  But while he was talking with her he made it a point to share with her the following:

That she didn't know what God was doing in the hearts of these young people she was going to be sharing with.  She can be an encouragement to them to help them to see that they CAN be used by God.  It doesn't just have to be someone like her a young MK, who has lived overseas for a long period of their life. 

That really spoke to me because, am I sharing that same vision with my children?  Am I helping each of them even at a young age to see their strengths and encouraging them to seek out how God wants to use them in their lives.  Through all of the crazy schedules and "fun" that they are having are they taking time to reflect on the talents God has placed into them?

What about you?  Do you find summer to truly be a lazy relaxed time?  Do you find yourself running constantly?  What do you do to keep your family time memorable?

Perspective

I know you have all heard the saying referring to a glass as either half full or half empty.  Always hearing that it is the persons perspective as to whether or not the glass is full or empty.

I always considered myself a half full kind of person.  I try to look at things from the "bright" side of things.  There is ALWAYS  a silver lining, right!?!?

Well, I must admit there are times (more recently) that I haven't been that "positive" type of person.  I know last week I posted that there has been a lot going on in our lives.  And quite honestly, it isn't what I would consider a lot of "positive" things.  However, I realized the past few weeks that my perspecitve is not always what it should be.

Let me share with you an example of  what our family friend, Nathan shared with me today.  I have always considered the town on where I live to be "in-the-middle-of-no-where!"  I am sure those of you who know me well enough hear that, "Thirty minutes in the car is NOTHING!  I drive EVERYWHERE I go.  It takes at least 20 minutes to go ANYWHERE."  As I was driving today our dear friend stated, "You guys live in the BEST PLACE!  You are so close to _____town, _____town, _____town, etc."  In fact, he named 5 places that we are "close" to.  In the 11 years I have lived here, I have never even considered that we are actually 10 - 15 minutes away from these paticular places.  Of course, these are also "small" towns that may or may not offer me any type of service that some of you are able to get in a 10-15 minute trip.  However, as I sat and thought about it...in 10-15 minutes I can go to a swimming pool, get gas, and even pick up a pizza in 3 of the 5 places he mentioned.

Here is just one more example of perspective, that has just slapped me up the side of the head  brought to my attention.  A wonderful woman, who has followed the leading of the Lord, is going to be getting married July 16th.  It such an exciting time in her life.  And as I looked at her gift registry I couldn't help but be reminded by my perspective on needs/wants.  Here is a sample of what my precious friend is asking on her bridal registry:

Spaghetti Server, Nylon Ladle, Whisk, Collander, Spatula Set, Apron, Any type of Seasonings, Levi's Jeans, Zip Lock Bags, & Batteries. 

That's it FOLKS!  No special china, silverware, or stem ware.  You see, this precious lady has been living in Mozambique, Africa as a missionary.  Her new home is exciting for her because she will NOT have a dirt floor. She is ecstatic to have an indoor toilet.  The newlyweds won't have any running water, though.  Which isn't a problem because all that they will need to do is transport the water from a nearby access area and carry it on their heads back to her home.

She is happy and couldn't be any happier!

I don't know where any of you are in your life.  I don't know what you are going through.  Life is tough.  Quite honestly, as I type this message I am burdened beyond words for family members and dear friends that are going through some very major situations right now.  It helps to keep my life in perspective.  Am I doing all that God wants me to do?  Am I living each day to the fullest? 

I have a decision to see the glass as half full or half empty.  What about you?  How is your perspective on things these days?

Getting Back On Track

If you looked up the definition of exhaustion, you would find a picture of me. These past 2 weeks have been phenomenal. I have made life-long friendships, made a best friend & have grown closer to my Savior, Jesus. 

I left for the Alive Festival last Wednesday morning and let me tell you it was an experience of a lifetime. I'm surprised I made friends considering I looked like a homeless person the entire week. Nonetheless I would label these past two weeks the best of my life so far.


After Alive I came home one night, slept in my own bed, went to church & then went back to the church to spend a week with a missions team from Tennessee. Jesus has truly blessed me with some of the most loving, caring, beautiful friends. 

Sure, I had an amazing time hanging out with these FANTASTIC people, but I was there to serve God, & to grow closer to Him. 

I'll be honest with you, before these past two weeks, I was slipping. I was really struggling with my Faith, & I was starting to get extremely upset with God. I started feeling sorry for myself, and began to fall back into my old routines of being defiant, and angry. 


God works in mysterious ways. Did I think He was going to bless me in ways that I couldn't even imagine? NO. Truthfully, I didn't even want to go work with the missions team. I wanted to stay at home, sleep & be lazy. Which would've been the easy thing to do. Instead, God spoke to me while I was at Alive. It was almost as if He whispered in my ear & told me "I'm still here, I still care, just follow ME." 

I sometimes wonder why God does certain things, but once everything settles down & you take a step back and look around ... it's as everything He has done is perfect. He has a plan, obviously, He knows what He's doing, & I don't.

Pastor Todd said this morning "You cannot become more like Christ, apart from serving Christ." Isn't that the truth?!!!

I believe that if YOU serve Christ to the fullest that you can serve Him in your situation, He will bless you beyond your imaginations.  I'm not saying that all your problems are going to be solved, & your life is going to be 100% perfect, but if you proclaim Christ as your Lord & Savior, don't you just want to serve Him all the time!? 

I know I want to be a servant for Christ, & I intend to do everything in my teenage power to glorify HIM in all that I do.

-Hayley 

Independence

Hello to the 3 people who actually read this blog.

I took last week off as I was on vacation and decided to hack up a freezer in my basement. This was one of those freezers the size of a small village from 1800 that the house was literally built around. With the help of my Dad and buddy Turtle we made short work of that beast. I think Turtle enjoyed using the Sawzall to make short work of the freezer, he is pretty crafty with that tool.

This weekend we pause to remember our Nations Independence. For most people this means we eat hot dogs, drink beer, and maybe watch a parade. I ask you to search your soul....Why do we celebrate the 4th of July? What does America mean to you? Are we the people we say we are?  The Statue of Liberty reads:

Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these — the homeless, tempest-tossed — to me;
I lift my lamp beside the Golden Door.

Today as I read this I can't believe the French wrote this. This sounds directly from Jesus himself.

That is the America we once had — the beacon of liberty, providing light and hope and inspiration to the entire world — the America we have forsaken for a mess of tasteless pottage.

Granted we did a lot of wrongs along the way. Most of you by now know exactly how I feel about the Native American. We need the Native alive and well in their homeland and free from the oppression we have set upon them. Furthermore, are we content with a Nation full of abortion, pornography, selfishness, greed, and imperialism. I say rise up America become the Nation we were appointed by Creator to be.