195. Drastic weather changes to remind us that only God knows what tomorrow may bring
Following an extended period of spring like weather, it sleeted yesterday. It's April which means it's springtime! The weather was back to being sunny and warm today.
Proverbs 27:1
"Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring."196. The soothing sound of raindrops that lulled my kids to sleep for a nap so that I could enjoy a few moments of calm in the house on the last day of spring break
197. Calf massages to relax my achy muscles given by our bunny who thinks they make a nice salt lick
198. The blessing of friends whose company my kids enjoy so much that they refuse to let them leave after a play date
199. Friends who are positive influences of my children and who, despite having to look down on my kids physically, lift them up in every way that matters
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| My man checks out his birthday present |
When new parents welcome home their first child, they immediately move out of the limelight as it seems, for a season, that all the attention is on the newborn. Their easy, carefree lives turn into a lives of service, constantly attending to the needs of the new child. Becoming a parent can be a very humbling process.
201. Observing a hint of new humility in my son
This morning, he said to the bunny, "You are the cutest member of our family. Before you came along, I thought I was the cutest, but now you are the cutest one of all."
Proverbs 27:2
"Let someone else praise you, and not your own mouth; an outsider, and not your own lips."202. Watching the kids becoming more responsible as they discover that protecting and taking care of a little life require a lot of work
I wonder if the bunny will eventually help them grow to appreciate their own parents for the sacrifices they make, or is that just wishful thinking?203. The taste of unconditional love the kids are experiencing as they pour out affection on a bunny who may or may not receive it well
Some days our bunny will plant his face sweetly on their laps or offer bunny kisses while at other times, he will bite or scratch. Yet, their love for him holds fast no matter how he responds. I pray they will grow in awe at the depth of God's unconditional love for us, demonstrated by dying a brutal death on a cross while those He loves despised, mocked, and tortured Him.
Ephesians 3:17-19
"17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."204. Learning tough love by implementing consistent discipline
As the kids attempt to teach the bunny not to bite or not to chew on wires by putting him in time out, they are discovering that effective discipline must be consistent and requires that one's mind rule over his/her flimsy emotions.This bunny is teaching me a few lessons about life as well.
205. Our bunny's reminder that freedom is a marvelous gift for which we must fight to preserve, resisting threats to remove it
Now that our great floppy eared explorer has discovered freedom outside the pen (His pen is at least four times larger than most rabbit cages, so even in his pen he is experiencing more freedom than most pet bunnies), he absolutely relishes the few times each day when we let him out to exercise. While outside the pen, he sniffs over every square inch of our third floor, creeping one moment and racing so fast the human eye can barely see him the next. He dances, prances, performs death defying leaps, does front and back wheelies, turns 180 degrees in the air, or rotates 90 degrees in the air as if doing a sideways hurkey. I really want to video tape his aerial moves, but he moves so fast I can't keep him in my camera frame or know when he's in the mood to fly in time to start filming. Here's a video of him zooming out of my frame when he spotted my irresistible laptop within reach.
Our baby bunny really cherishes freedom. Yet, in America, there has been an alarming trend toward disregarding freedom, even selecting and supporting leaders who want to control our lives and make all our decisions for us. If only we could turn the tide and start viewing freedom as a sacred gift endowed by God to be valued and defended.
Whenever it is time to put the bunny back into his pen, he flees, hides, kicks, or scratches. He does everything in his power to resist our tyrannical efforts to put him back into the bondage of the pen. Instead of resisting tyranny, Americans seem to be following each other right off the freedom cliff, accepting whatever lies or distortions politicians or the distorted media outlets may spew. (CNN has been receiving large financial gifts from the federal government to cover certain stories and disregard or distort others.) Christ's desire is for all men to be free. (See Acts 7:34) Let us not give away the freedom that nearly 1,346,000 U.S. servicemen have given their lives to preserve.
Yet, how can we peacefully fight for freedom? We certainly must not resort to name calling or physical violence amongst fellow Americans. The founding fathers intended that the electoral process with term limits be our vehicle for preserving freedom. However, election propaganda, media distortion, and voter fraud seem to be skewing this process. And now that the POTUS has just signed a Presidential Proclamation establishing a Presidential Commission on Election Administration, which seems like a clever way to use taxpayer's dollars to rig elections, the voting process is becoming even more ineffective. Thankfully, those who value freedom can use similar strategies by educating and recruiting voters as passionately and relentlessly as those who think bigger government is the answer to every problem are doing...preferably with civility and moral fortitude.
The new federal education standards program, Common Core Standards (CCS), could also contribute to the loss of freedom in America. With significant federal funding attached, schools are choosing to implement CCS because they want the money, but federal funding gives the federal government the right to determine what is taught in those schools, thereby usurping local control. There is speculation that college placement exams will be revised and based on this new curriculum, so that even those attending private or home schools (because their parents want the freedom to have more control over what and how their kids are taught) will also need some CCS exposure in order to pass college placement exams.
Some are concerned the the data tracking system that comes with the CCS. This database, funded by Bill Gates, tracks 400 data points on every single student. Such a system hinders the right to privacy and puts children and family at great risk should such data fall into the wrong hands. Parents can fight for freedom by voicing their concerns about CCS now while local governments still have the power to reject it.
Regardless of curriculum used, parents need to be aware of what is taught in the schools. For example, CSCOPE has produced curriculum being used in Texas that teaches anti-American, Pro-Islam views. One radical elementary teacher in Texas, for instance, went so far as to teach his students that the U.S. was to blame for the 9/11 attacks and that the Bill of Rights included the right to food and medicine. Parents can present their concerns to the administration, correct false teaching, and supplement as necessary at home. Parents can also be a voice for freedom by opposing the UN Resolution on the Rights of the Child which would greatly limit the freedoms parents have to train their children according to their own personal values.
America was established as a country offering freedom through equal opportunity. Unfortunately,
Should we educate others on the impacts of regressive taxation? A tax system that penalizes those who work harder and excel in their vocation forces people to work/contribute less with results in less income for individuals, less GDP, less tax revenue for the government, less job creation, less spending, and economic retraction. Less tax revenue equates to increased government deficits because the current administration has demonstrated a desire to only cut spending where it hurts people the most as an emotional strategy to convince congress to raise the debt ceiling. Interestingly, while my struggling single mom friends are being forced to take unpaid time off from their government jobs due to the "sequester", government officials have no problem spending $585,000 on a hotel tab for Biden's one night stay in Paris, $385K for a study on duck penises, or $5.3 million over three years to decrease human elephant conflict. By buying votes through tax payer funded entitlements, the government is ensuring that fewer people will have the opportunity or work ethic to pursue the traditional American dream both for themselves and all Americans, including those who are disadvantaged.
Regressive policies also stifle charitable giving. Since our days of premarital counseling, we have dreamed of increasing our giving percentages every year until we eventually give away 90% of our income as J.C. Penney did and Rick Warren still does. With increased inflation (which will soon turn into hyperinflation considering how much money the fed is printing), expected loss of employer funded health insurance due to Obamacare mandates we neither need nor want (most of our health care providers do not accept insurance since it is far more cost effective for them to offer us services at the cost of whatever our co-pays would be without ever having to file an insurance claim or deal with insurance companies at all) significantly increasing the cost of health care, and regressive taxation, we're finding it much more difficult to continue increasing our giving levels from a financial perspective.
Yet, the blessing here is that we learn to trust God more when we give sacrificially. And my hope is that as America's fiscal cliff grows steeper, Americans will discover that nothing this earth has to offer will last, nor can any of it truly satisfy. The silver lining as I see it is that God could be using these frustrating times to bring more lost people to their knees. Will we, as God's followers, be faithful to love on them and give generously, even in our own state of "perceived" need? For truly, God is faithful to supply all our needs.
206. Invitation to trust God more deeply
207. Opportunities to be the hands and feet of Jesus
208. Hope of spiritual harvest
Just as grapes must be pressed and stomped on to produce sweet wine, times of persecution or unjust rule have historically yielded wonderful spiritual harvests!209. God's sovereignty which reminds us that while circumstances aren't what we would desire, He is in control and is allowing them for a greater purpose
210. The promise in Romans 8:28 that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him and have been called according to His purpose
Whether we live in freedom or bondage, wealth or poverty, or in sickness or health, we can be content knowing that God is always good, and true joy is not a function of our circumstances, but rather in a personal, intimate relationship with Him. Only living for His glory in relationship with Him can bring true satisfaction in life.
Philippians 4:12Yet, I still find myself wishing we could fight back in some way such as by demanding that our elected representatives enact a law that prohibits them from passing any legislation enforceable upon all Americans except themselves. Let's begin by placing all elected officials under the Obamacare mandate. I recognize the tendency of the human heart to pursue one's own selfish interests instead of the good of the people, especially when a leader is given too much unchecked power. So, my desire is to simply find peaceful ways to put those checks and balances back into place.
I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want
Then I consider that resistance is futile for our bunny because God has placed man in authority over the animals, and we bought this bunny for a price. He belongs to us, and we determine what is best for him. It is not his choice. Loved ones have told me that there is nothing we can do and that resistance is also futile in the political realm because God has placed these leaders in authority over us, so we must submit without complaint. The Bible certainly has much to say about grumbling, so I struggle to find the balance between speaking truth about the way things are going in an effort to search out ways to make positive changes without complaining from a bitter spirit. And we can always pray from a heart that cries out to God, fully trusting Him! Finding that fine line or balancing point always begins with humble prayer.
Jesus teaches us to give to Caesar what is due him, so as believers, we must submit and obey. However, we must first obey God. Hobby Lobby has provided an interesting example of how we can fight back while honoring those in authority over us. This company agreed to pay whatever penalties would be levied for not following the Obamacare mandate when it violated their religious convictions even though the penalties were so steep that they would eventually shut down the business. They trusted God to work it out, and so far, He has!
Thankfully, no government system can ever take away the freedom we have in Christ. While kings, presidents, and dictators may rule over us, God is still on the throne for those who choose to make Him Lord over their lives, and no one can usurp his ultimate authority.
211. Adoption into God's family and citizenship in Heaven which nothing or no one can ever take away
John 10:29212. Everlasting freedom for our souls
My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.
John 8:35-36
"35 Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."213. The power of prayer to restore our nation
2 Chronicles 7:14
214. Our true king, Almighty God, who fights for His peopleIf my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
6 But when they said, “Give us a king to lead us,” this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. 7 And the Lord told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. 8 As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. 9 Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will claim as his rights.”215. The armor of God
10 Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking him for a king. 11 He said, “This is what the king who will reign over you will claim as his rights: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. 12 Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. 15 He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. 16 Your male and female servants and the best of your cattle and donkeys he will take for his own use. 17 He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. 18 When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.”
19 But the people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We want a king over us. 20 Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.”
21 When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the Lord. 22 The Lord answered, “Listen to them and give them a king....”
Ephesians 6:11-17
11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
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