Mr. President, I Built This

I stumbled on this video put together by Bristol Palin, Sarah Palin's daughter.  It certainly made me smile.  What a wonderful response to Mr. Obama's remarks about the government building businesses.  I'm certainly glad that there was a farm mentioned--and from Pennsylvania at that!

Mr. President, I Built This


We are surviving the drought.  God, as always, has provided for us through our little garden, which we consider important to our living a more healthy life.  We also consider it important to help get us through these economic times.   It is good to have more than enough so that we are able to share with friends.  Food prices are only going up, it appears.

Pride is so subtle, that it can gather strength even from those gracious manifestations which seem directly calculated to mortify it; so dangerous, that a [besetting sin] may be esteemed a mercy, if overruled and sanctified by the Lord to make or keep us more humble:  therefore, though we can never be too earnest in striving against sin, too watchful in abstaining from all appearance of evil, and though those who wait upon the Lord may confidently hope that he will preserve them from such things as would dishonor their profession in the sight of men; yet I apprehend those who appear most to adorn the Gospel in their outward manner of life, are conscious of many things between the Lord and their own souls which covers them with shame, and that his tenderness and mercy to the, notwithstanding their perverseness, constrains them with admiration to adopt the language of Micah, "Who is a God like unto you, who pardons iniquity, and passes by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage?"  -- John Newton   (they wrote long sentences in those day!)

Election Day 2010

This was my third election where I was able to actually work at the polls.  A poll worker.  Not a person handing out literature, combs or nail files, but a real poll worker.  My job was to take the voter's name and check to see if there was any request from the county election board for ID and have the voter sign their name, checking their signature, of course.

It was a most interesting day.  There was a line outside before the polls even opened at 7 am. and there was a steady stream of folks most of the day.  We had a few times where there was a line, but it just seemed to be steady.

There were several things that I observed throughout the day that were very interesting to me.  The first being the number of voters.  Our precinct have a 60% voter turnout!  Second, were the number of folks who had not voted for some time.  Those who had not voted since the card system/touch screens had been introduced.  We had to rescue folks who correctly signed in on our side of the room, ( there are two precincts in one room--granted, it is confusing) but tried to go to the other side across the "chain fence" , of sorts, that divides the precincts to vote.  Many needed instruction on using the machines.  There were even three people who were listed as "inactive" who came to vote.  I think you have to have not voted for a over ten years (I don't really know, but it is a long time) to be considered "inactive".  This signals to me that folks were very interested in this election!  Third, there were a number of parents who brought their children to purposely show them the entire procedure.  One mom proudly dressed her boys in red and wore a red "Don't Tread On Me" sweatshirt!  She told me, "We all wore red today!"  All I could do was smile--I have to remain neutral.  I wanted to cheer all these parents who were educating their kids on our freedoms.

Working the polls is a long day.  One needs to be at the polls by 6 am to get things set up and check for any "bugs".  The machines all need to be run to make sure there are all zeros.  There are a lot of things going on in the background.  Folks who are at the wrong polling place, name changes, cards not working correctly, handicap folks who need assistance and snacks...can't forget the snacks!

By 8 pm everyone is beat and it is time to tear things down.  The machines are run to tally the votes and the information is all gathered to take to the courthouse.  (Did you know that a copy of the tally of votes from each machine is posted at the polling place before we leave the building?)  The machines are folded up and placed in the car along with all the paper work.  It takes almost an hour to get everything in order.  Then, the judge of elections and I (since I'm the majority inspector) take everything to the courthouse.

So, home by 9:30 p.m. and ready for a shower and off to bed.

Even though I am new to the area (six years is still new around here), I am starting to see folks I've met and they will say "hello"!  Both of my physical therapists and my surgeon said "hello" as well as a couple of neighbors.  Everyone else at the table has lived in the county all their lives, so it is a great time for them to see old friends.  I am happy that my number is expanding just a bit.

No matter who folks were voting for, it was a good day.  People exercised their freedom in large numbers.

O Holy Father, thou hast freely given thy Son,
O Divine Son, thou hast freely paid my debt,
O Eternal Spirit, thou doest freely bid me come,
O Triune God, thou dost freely grace me with salvation.
...To enjoy thee is life eternal, and to enjoy is to know.
Keep me in the freedom of experiencing thy salvation continually.

More Thoughts on Thanksgiving by Dr. Hendrickson

Dr. Hendrickson at Grove City College has a great piece on the effects of affluence on civilization. He also gives some great reasons to be thankful.

Another piece to check out is by Judi McLeod. She writes about the current government and its ties.

The new world devised by Maurice Strong and George Soros, http://canadafreepress.com/


We are fortunate enough to be getting some meat for our freezer from a local farmer in a couple weeks. Knowing that our freezer needed, shall we say, help, I set about at cleaning it out and trying to get it organized. While I am pleased that we have room now for our meat, I am ashamed that I needed to throw away so much. Frozen veggies that were unrecognizable. Food that had "01" marked on it. I desperately need to do better about using what I have and get my freezer under control. What has happened is sinful and wasteful. There was chicken that I knew we were not going to be able to use before it had freezer burn. So this evening I figured I better get it canned. Thankfully, I was able to can six quarts of chicken. There is stew meat in the freezer, too, but that will have to wait for another day.

"Thy understanding in infinite; I know nothing as I ought to know. Thou canst not behold evil; I am vile. In my ignorance, weaakness, fears, depressions, may thy Spirit help my infirmities with supplies of wisdom, strength and comfort. Let me faithfully study my character, be willing to bring it to light, observe myself in my trials, judge the reality and degree of my grace, consider how I have been ensnared or overcome. Grant that I may never trust my heart, depend upon any past experiences, magnify any present resolutions, but be strong in the grace of Jesus..." excerpt from Self-Noughting, Valley of Visions

Are Our Freedoms and Way of Life Lost?

Ever since the campaigns began in earnest, which seems like years ago, my thoughts have wandered down the path of, "Is America going to fall like Rome?".

I remember things that grade school teachers and high school teachers told us. When I was in elementary school, Russians were the really bad guys. A neighbor even had a bomb shelter. Jets flew overhead on a regular basis, breaking the sound barrier. My folks did a great job hiding the outside world from us. I didn't know about the bomb shelter until we were exploring in the woods and stumbled on it. I didn't know much about the Cold War, until high school. Vietnam was bad, but I never really understood anything about what was going on. One day, while discussing how horrible the Great Depression was, our teacher said we need not worry, as long as the folks who lived during the Depression were still alive, they would make sure it never happened again. But, he warned, once they are gone, America will go through another Depression.

The "Greatest Generation" is all but gone. Those that remain were young during the Depression and don't seem to know how we got there. It now appears that we are on the brink of our next Depression.

It is now that I wish I could talk to my Grandmothers. How did they manage? What are tips for preparing that they would share? I want to soak it all in so I am prepared.

Our country seems so lost...in the biblical sense. Are we just getting what we deserve? Has God left us to our sins? We honor bad behavior, we scantily clad our daughters and our boys are not encouraged to be men. Anything goes and is OK unless you get caught, then just blame your upbringing. I found this article at Grove City College's Visions and Values site: http://www.visandvals.org/The_Threat_Within.php Dr. Hendrickson seems to say what I was thinking...or fearing.

God is in control. He knows what is going on. My grandparents gave me a godly heritage. I want to pass that on to my grandkids as well. Not a fearful one, but one that is confident in God and his love and care for me and that he always does things for my best.


"Help me not only to receive Him, but to walk in him, depend upon him, commune with him, be conformed to him, follow him, imperfect, but still pressing forward, not complaining of labour, but valuing rest, not murmuring under trials, but thankful for my state." excerpts from The Convicting Spirit from The Valley of Vision

Applesauce Day -- Chapter 3

Today was a fun Applesauce Day with Andrea and little Daniel. While Daniel didn't "help" he certainly was helpful by being so good at entertaining himself.

We did a bushel of Jonagold, which I've never done before. They turned out great and she was pleased to get 17 jars. I was so glad to be able to help her. I remember trying to can with a big belly and being tired. One regret I have is that my mom was not more helpful. With three kids and so much responsibility around the house--inside and out--it would have been nice to have someone with which to do canning. I really want to be there for my family in whatever way I can be. My talents may not be amazing, but I don't mind helping do this kind of stuff. I admire the Amish who get together to do these things. Why don't we have more of a sense of community and do these things together? It's more fun to have a friend or two around. It makes a long day go fast and a day with friends is always a good day. Why not get a couple friends and split a bushel or two at the end of a day? Laura and I used to split a bushel, but now her family is growing and she needs that bushel. I'm more than happy to be with her and the kids for the day to help! Maybe, when I grow up, I can be a professional canner :-)!

It was a beautiful fall day, again, and Daniel and I took a walk in the leaves. He loved to hear them crunch under his feet. We checked out the neighbor's horses and a pinecone that was a present for his mom....a good walk.

And about the election...while I struggle to understand what people were thinking, I have to hold on to God being sovereign. Without that I would be so depressed. No doubt, things are going to 'change', and I am pretty sure I'm not going to like the changes, it is my job to be faithful and live like a Christian in a culture that seems to forget that it was once Christian. It will be good to remember and be reminded how the early church had to live and how they loved their neighbors and each other. Or Daniel and how they were instructed to live in exile. It will be interesting to see what God is going to do. Is the church being disciplined? Is the country being disciplined? Will the church get it's bearings and grow stronger? We may not live to see God's full purpose fulfilled, but we know that all things work together for good and His glory, that we are His and cannot be snatched out of His hand and that His promises are true.

My good friend, Karen, has this beautiful painted verse on her wall, "God is the blessed controller of all things". He is in control. Always and forever with every thing.

"Believer, the events of history march as a victorious legion under a skillful leader. Do not think we can order our affairs in better style. " C. H. Spurgeon

Keep the faith and don't stop praying for our country and His Church,