I was one of the many who jumped on the Palin bandwagon…she sounded so sophisticated and knowledgeable at the Republican National Convention.  But since then, it has been a down hill plummet for her.  No matter her track record or how FanTAsTic she makes people feel, no matter how funny or how attractive…she just has NO IDEA!!  It really is unfortunate, b/c experience isn’t everything.  Sometimes a new, fresh mind that hasn’t been corrupted by politics is just what we need.  But in our desperate times, in the horrific state of our economy, Sarah Palin needs to have it together…and she doesn’t.  If you haven’t seen her interviews with Katie Curic and Charles Gibson, you should check them out - EMBARRASSING.  I dread the VP debates.  It will be like watching the kid on stage who has forgotten their lines to the play.  It hurts to watch and you feel so sorry for them.  I am afraid that it may turn out that way for Sarah.  Should my expectations be so low?  Should yours?  Maybe so, b/c with low expectations, any success will be great success. 

Some are suggesting that she should step aside, saying she should claim that she wants to be with family more. Some are also saying that it is possible John McCain is looking for a way to drop her.  She seems to be screwing with his credibility and good name.  I don’t know what I believe or what I want to happen.  They are all liars and blame each other for everything, without ever actually taking any blame for anything themselves.  It is so frustrating to watch. 

I am so ready for this election to be over so our country can get put back together.

Oh the words that come out of my mouth at times!!!  This weekend, Megan (Pastor Mikes daughter) talked about taming the tongue.  Using it both to build up our lives by speaking goodness into them, but also by doing evil.  Basically it was speak up and shut up!

Speaking up is not about simply believing in your heart that God will do good things, but about speaking them with your mouth.  Even the devil believes there is a God.  He believes in Jesus Christ…why do you think he fights us so hard.  But what he hasn’t done is confessed this belief with his mouth.  Megan talked about speaking and praying good things over your children (You will be healthy, you will grow up to know God!), speaking them over your health (I will get better, I will not let sickness rule my life!), and over your marriage (I will honor my vows, I will have a healthy sexual relationship!) and so on.  You get the picture.

Shutting up is pretty self explainatory.  Quit letting diarrhea flow from your lips!!

 A lot of what God has to say about the tongue is in James, so that is where I started with my devotions this morning. 

James 3:  The tongue is a small part of the body, but is makes great boasts.  Consider a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.  The tongue is also a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body.  It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.  All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue.  It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 

This message hit me pretty hard.  I have been stressed about some things lately, going through some personal trials and God is trying to teach me something.  My best worldly solution is to snap at people and take my stess out on them.  It feels right…and good…in the moment, forgetting what Jesus would do and yelling at people. Friday night at work I was pretty hostile to some of my co-workers.  Boy did I feel awful, b/c they are my friends…but most importantly, I call myself a Christian…and I was giving us a bad name. 

Talk about sparking a fire and burning the place down!!!

Did you know: 

When a potter bakes a pot, he will check to see if it has solidified by taking it out of the oven and thumping it.  If it “sings,” it is ready to come out.  If it “thuds,”  it isn’t.  Human character is also checked by thumping.

I have been getting lots of thumps lately…finances, work, school, the kids, quizes and exams, the economy…but do I sing?  or do I thud? 

In Luke 6:45, Jesus says that out of the overflow of our heart, our mouth speaks.  OUCH!  I really don’t want people to think that I have a cold, hateful heart.  I want people to hear me sing!!!

 I don’t know about you, but when I go through trials and tribulations and I allow my heart to “thud,” it effects my relationship and walk with God.   It makes me feel unworthy and distant.  Why should God continue to forgive me when my walk is such a yo-yo…with such high kicks of devotion and commitment and then forcefull, full speed lows that, when I hit the bottom, I seem to go unconscious and forget what God has just taught me?  I forget how to sing!

It is in these trials that God builds our character and shapes us into who we are meant to be.  James 1 says that we should consider it joy to face trials!! JOY?!?!  You must be kidding?  James continues, saying that testing of our faith develops perserverance which will finish the work and make us a mature and complete Christian…not lacking anything!

I love to sing…literally!  But I want others to hear the song of Christ when I talk to them.  I want people to see that when I am having a bad day, I don’t make it about myself, but that I take joy in the fact that God is teaching me a lesson, making me complete; making me perfect! 

Do you sing?

I am just proud to be American….yet I know I am going to catch A LOT of heat about this one.  So here goes…hold on tight!!

Basically I think the words “Democrat” and “Republican” are just terms for people to argue over.  Can you really just be Republican?  or Democratic?  How can you call yourself an American and see only one side?  What do the words REALLY mean?  This is my question and the HOT TOPIC for discussion!!

Democrat:  one who supports and is for the democracy…a proponent of a government ruled by the people.  If you don’t call yourself a democrat…get out of the USA!!!

Republican:  advocates of a republic….which is a state or country not led by a hereditary monarch, but in which the people have impact on it’s government. Once again…if you don’t believe in a republic…you should find yourself a country with a queen!

I grew up in church, so naturally I am a “republican,” right?  Well, partially that is true.  Most important, I believe God should be a part of our government backbone, the 10 Commandments should hang in our courthouses and prayer should be in our schools.  Our forefathers founded this land and wrote it’s constitution on the basis that it would be a God fearing and God loving country. 

Patrick Henry stated:  “It cannot be emphasized to strongly or too often that this great Nation was founded not by religionist but by Christians; not on religion, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For that reason alone, people of other faiths have been afforded the freedom to worship here.”

Thomas Jefferson wrote,” I am a real Christian, that is too say, a disciple of the doctrines of Jesus.  I have little doubt that our whole country will soon be rallied to the Unity of our Creator.”

James Madison, the primary author of the Constitution of the United States, continued with this: “We have staked the whole future of our Nation not upon the power of government; far from it.  We have staked the future of all our political constitutions upon the capacity of each of ourselves to govern ourselves according to the moral principles of the 10 Commandments.”

If these quotes aren’t enough for you, visit http://www.eadshome.com/QuotesoftheFounders.htm. 

With all this said, I do believe in the 1st Amendment…Freedom of Religion..and so on. This amendment means you have the freedom to practice the religion of your choice, but it is not your place to change the backbone of a country.  It would be like going to France and demanding that they change their language for you!!! We were founded on these principles and if you don’t agree with them, too bad.  We aren’t forcing our faith on you, but unless you are atheist and have no moral standards, the 10 commandments shouldn’t be that hard to live with.  Whey wouldn’t you want everyone to live by them?  Huh…maybe that is our problem! With the Christian Faith as a cornerstone, you have your very freedom to choose whichever faith you like.  Try that in China!

But what about my Democratic side?  I must confess that I registered Democratic on the ballot this year.  I wanted to vote for Hillary.  A little because she was female and it would make great history, but also because I like what she fought for.  Universal health care….no one should be denied!! I understand that we as Americans would pay for it with taxes and such, but don’t our taxes also pay for war?  or for government debt?  It is disgusting to think that people are denied health care b/c of no insurance, yet we pay to set up a democracy in Iraq that will be destroyed the second we leave!!!  My nephew was recently denied health care coverage for a procedure that he needed to stay alive.  The hospital in Minnesota didn’t want to deal with the medicaid insurance so they denied him a life saving transplant. Makes me want to throw up.  Thank goodness the Doctors at Duke have a heart! 

I also agree with the woman’s right to choose.  Calm down!!!  Read it again.  I said the RIGHT to choose.  I didn’t say abortion was right or that when people make stupid mistakes that it is ok to kill a baby.  What I do know though is that no matter what the law says…abortions will still happen.  So instead of a pro-life/pro-choice issue, it becomes a health care issue.  Now you have more women dying or contracting HIV or Hepatitis because abortions are done in the back alleyway.  Each of us will meet our Maker (Jesus Christ or whomever you serve) and it is at that time that we will have to answer to our actions.  It should be a no-brainer.

So can’t we all just get along and quit crying discrimination or that your feelings are hurt.  Why can’t we all just learn to tolerate and give just a little; I scratch your back, you scratch mine.  Intolerance is Ignorance and by no means are we an ignorant country, yet our government is out of control. What we need to do is vote for the issues, not the person or the party!  All everyone does is argue about what is wrong with others.  How about what is right with You?!?!

Believe me, there are many other issues I could talk about but then no one would read the blog b/c it took two days.  Anyway, this is just my two cents, written b/c of a frustrating conversation I had at work.   If you don’t agree,  that is fine, that is the beauty…and freedom of it all. 

It has been quite some time since my last post.  I have started back to school and finding time to do anything but study is a joy.  Now that I have managed to figure out my schedule, I have decided to catch back up to life!!

Let me start by saying that I am not a “doubting Thomas!”  Especially when it comes to money, I have always known that God would provide…if I first didn’t rob him of what was his.  I have been lucky enough to hear God and know that this is true.  But…over time…tithing has fallen by the wayside with all the other bills that have seemed to pile up.  SHAME ON ME!

So in the process of trying to get back to God, we joined our church…and the convictions began.  The areas of commitment that they asked of us before “officially” joining the church were several ideals; serving, tithing, salvation, baptism…and a few others.  I had no problem with these since I had been doing most of them already.  I had been saved and serving for many years, but tithing…well I gave, but not the 10% God asks us for.  Where in the world was I going to get 10%?  I had no idea. Our bills were already tight, and we basically lived from paycheck to paycheck.  We committed anyway, but agreed that we would start at 5% and work our way to 10% to see if we could “swing” it. 

9 months later….still not at 10%?  I was RoBBING God!!

“Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me.”  But you ask, “How do we rob you?”   “In tithes and offerings.  You are under a curse - the whole nation of you - because you are robbing me.  Bring the WHOLE tithe (10%) into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this, ” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.”   Malachi 3:8-10

I was robbing God!!!

Over the past month or so, God has been yelling at me, in church mind you!!!.  You know He is trying to bless you when He tells you, week after week, to give, give, give.  Wow, to know the love of God is Incredible!!! To know that He is speaking directly to me, because He has something amazing in store for me and my family is awesome…and reassuring. 

For those of you who have stumbled upon this blog and want to know where the 10% comes from…well I’ll tell you. 

Back in the day, high up on Mount Sinai, God would speak to Moses, giving him commandments and telling him how to live a life pleasing to God.  One such talk involved God explaining how to give to God what was rightfully His.  “Redeeming what is the Lord’s.”  

“A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord…the entire tithe of the herd and flock - every tenth animal that passes under the shepherd’s rod - will be holy to the Lord.  He must not pick out the good from the bad or make any substitution.”  - Leviticus 27:30

Substitutions?!?!  God wants us to give cheerfully and faithfully, not with a stingy heart. And since we don’t pay with flock and herds…He means money. 

I can’t tell you how we will survive, but b/c I know that God is faithful, I will give my 10%.  Granted I am nervous and wonder everyday where the money will come from!  MUSC Physical Therapy school starts in May and that is a hefty load…big time loans and little time work….but all I know to do is trust that b/c my God ask of me…He will provide.  Maybe not in the way I expect, but He will take care of us and bless us more than we have room for. I know that!!  It worked before I fell off the wagon and I have faith that it will work again. 

It sounds a bit cavalier, I am sure, to those who don’t understand, but who wouldn’t want the Heaven’s to open and for blessing after blessing to fall on them?  You can call me crazy, or brainwashed, or stupid…but in these times…what else is there to live for but the wonderful love, blessings and forgiveness from a God that knows how to make it all better!?

Observe the commands of the Lord your God, walking in his ways and revering him.  For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land - a land with streams and pools of water, with springs flowing in the valleys and hills;

a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey;  a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing, a land where rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills.

When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you…otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God….

You may say to yourself, “My power and strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth.

If you ever forget the Lord your God and follow other gods and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed.  Like the nations the Lord destroyed before you, so you will be destroyed for not obeying the Lord your God.

I have found a new love….

By no means am I a wino..but I do know a good wine when I taste one…and this is it.  We have this wine at Carrabba’s, but we only sold it by the bottle.  We didn’t have a lot of luck with it, probably b/c no one knows a lot about it.  So now it is off the menu and we sell it to bar guest by the glass.  It was only by this occasion that I got to taste it.  Magnific…I am sure it can be found at Total Wine if you are interested.  You should check it out!

Ruby red in color. The aromas present a distinct mix of floral and fruity notes; ripe plums, cherries and blackberries along with white pepper, roasted coffee and chocolate create a smooth and refined finish. On the palate, the medium-bodied wine is characterized by elegant, fruity notes and smooth, velvety tannins. An impressive finish with lingering notes of strawberry pie and raspberries.

There is no place like home!!!  After 12 hours of tapping my heels together (flying and driving ) we finally arrived back in Goose Creek, SC!!  It was so great to have a 15 day vacation away from home and work, but it is great to be home.  Back to the hustle and bustle…swim practices, lots of work, chores, and school…but OoOoOoOoOhHhHh does it feel good.

What I missed most….My bed, my plants, my shower…and my friends!

Saturday and Sunday, we spent our days touring the town that gave the baby his name.  Boston, Mass.  We had such a great time seeing the family and old friends.  In this picture with us is cousin David and his awesome girlfriend, Elizabeth and Josh’s marine corp buddy, James. 

On Saturday, we went to the Boston Children’s Museum and to Faneuil Hall.  The museum must be the best in the world..no kidding.  It has 3 floors and hundreds of hands on activities for the kids (and adults) to play with.  Bubbles, Blue Man Group Music Pipes, climbing walls, an actual Japanese House to tour, a life-sized chess set, “musical” chairs that actually make music when you sit on them, construction zones, dancing floors, and much, much more.  The kids had a great time.  We took Kiser to this museum about 4 years ago, but lucky for us, it was a lot different then we could remember and Kiser couldn’t remember it at all. 

If you have never been to Boston and to Faneuil Hall, you are missing an amazing trip.  Faneuil Hall Marketplace is the true Boston experience.  There are hundreds of shops (full of RedSox goodies), restaurantsand live entertainment.  We got to see live statues, dancers, clowns, jugglers, and musicians playing drums on tin cans and 1 gallon plastic buckets.  We had such a good time, and to our surprise , it didn’t rain!!! 

On Sunday….we toured Fenway Park :)  Ah…there is such a magic to the oldest ballpark in the country that you can’t help but be mesmerized when you see it.  Not only is it the oldest, but it is the smallest ballpark sitting no more than 40,000.  Guess that is why they can charge an arm and a leg for tickets ;) 

We talked about the “curse,” Ted Williams and the famous Red seat…painted b/c he hit the longest homerun in Fenway Park and hit and woke a sleeping Yankees Fan!!!  Go Ted Williams.  We also got to sit in the press box and walk up on the Green Monstah!  Fabulous

I have decided that Massachusetts is where I want to be!!!

This is why I come to Maine.  Ok, not really…maybe it’s reason #2.

Who doesn’t love lobstah?  I have to say it that way in New England, they will suspect I am a southerner and I will never hear the end of it :)  I had been craving Lobster since I got here and there is no better place to find it then on the coast of Maine.  Josh and I (and the kiddos of course) took a drive up to Searsport, Bucksport and Belfast on Monday. These cities are right on the coast and boy…how beautiful.  These are seriously cities that I would consider parking in permanently.  After a fabulous lunch, we drove down to Ft. Knox. 

Ft. Knox you ask?  Yes, apparently there are two.  One in Kentucky and one in Maine…both named after the same guy.  Take a look…suprisingly it looks like…..a fort

The view from the fort over into Bucksport was beautiful  We also came across an amazing bridge that looked all to familiar.  It was like being back in Charleston. This bridge looks exactly like the Ravenel Bridge in Charleston, SC.  

Isn’t it strange how much they look alike?  This bridge has a lookout tower in the top of the first tower…if you look closely you can see the windows. This is the only bridge with an observatory in the western hemisphere and one of only 3 in the world.  Pretty cool!!  It towers 420 ft above the ocean.  We had such a great time we are considering going back on Sunday to hit up the garage sales and flea markets.  I’ll post some of the awesome pics on my FLICKR photos so you can see just how breathtaking this state is.  Never been?  You should seriously consider it!!

Does anyone have any idea what the heck this is?

Josh and I found this mysterious bright orange mushroom on our ride through the woods on the mule. I have tried to look it up on the Internet, but am having no luck.  My best guess is the Jack-O-Lantern Mushroom, which is super poisonous, but apparently it grows at the base of trees in clusters.  These were found as loners in the middle of the path.  If anyone has any ideas, please let me know.  I would love to learn more about them.