Tuesday, March 23, 2010

The Truth About The State of Our Country

I have been stewing.  Stewing and pondering and desperately wanting to write down my thoughts, but I've been so frustrated and angry and sad that I've been careful to choose my words wisely (and until now, that has been to hold them).

But, the silence has to be broken - I can no longer hold my tongue against the atrocities that have been committed against the US people as a result of the recent passage of the "health care insurance reform" bill by congress under the cloak of night late Sunday when the rest of us (who will be shouldering the heavy bill of this legislation) were resting before starting our workweeks on Monday morning.  My conscience demands that I say my peace.

Because I am so concerned about choosing my words wisely, though, other than voice my utter disagreement with this legislation, I have been stumped at what, exactly, to write.  Until this morning, when I read a blog post by Del Tackett of Focus On the Family's The Truth Project on his blog, The Truth Observed.  I wanted to share an excerpt of Dr. Tackett's words with you because they express my sentiments more eloquently than I am able to right now.

Dr. Tackett writes:

"The world says it is all about you…God says it isn’t. And the wondrous thing is that when we “take up our cross and follow Him”, He gives us not only life…but life abundantly!

The world says this is foolishness.

Now, if one is caught up in a desperate frenzy of chasing the world’s standards and trying to make yourself into something that you simply aren’t and will never be, then there is wisdom in being content with who you are in those areas that are unchangeable.

 But these words go beyond that…way beyond.
“When I accepted me…I started listening to and following my inner voice…”
I know people who have accepted themselves and their inner voice says ‘I don’t want to get a job’; or their inner voice says ‘I want to sleep in this morning rather than go to class’; or their inner voice says ‘I don’t want to throw anything away’ and they end up with a house so packed with junk that it takes a HazMat team to clean it out.

The point is that we have an inner nature that wants to get its own way. That has been true from the bad choice in the garden and it hasn’t changed. The heart of man is “desperately wicked” and somewhere, sometime, we need to say “no” to the inner voice. That flies in the face of Maslow and New Age and our “it’s all about me” world, but it’s the bold-faced truth.

We are fast descending into the tar pit of self-centeredness from which little escapes.

If it is all about me and my inner voice says that I want your stuff, then I expect to get your stuff.

Most of our modern day politicians, like marketing gurus, know the heart of man better than most and they can play your “inner voice” like a concert violinist. All they have to do is promise that they can get you want you want. And if I haven’t learned to say “no” to my inner voice then I will actually applaud them and cheer them on.

What they conveniently fail to tell you is that the cost is very, very high.

Marketing gurus simply make you a slave to consumer debt; the neo-politician simply makes you a slave.

God warned the children of Israel about setting up a king who did not live under God’s restraining Hand. The new king, God told them, would take 10% of their stuff and give it to those who support him and they would become his slaves. What is interesting is that they chose slavery…clamored for it.

Yesterday, this nation took a huge leap in paying dearly for another piece of gruel in the feed trough.

The high cost is not simply adding to a debt that is already insane, but it is the cost of becoming more and more the slave of the state. Don’t be fooled into thinking that there is something virtuous in stealing from the wealthy to line our own pocketbooks or pay our bills.

There is no virtue in making someone else a slave.

And there is no wisdom in continuing to pull spark plugs out of the economic engine.

Whatever a man sows, that will he also reap.

You cannot drain the profit of the wealthy and not expect to see the loss of jobs.

Pick the pocket of the wealthy and you will soon find that it is none but your own.

But, the political rhetoric is thick and will soon get thicker. Yesterday, one of our leaders said this: “Today, we have the opportunity to complete the great unfinished business of our society and pass health care reform for all Americans that is a right and not a privilege.”

I have unfortunate news for all of us.

This is NOT the “great unfinished business of our society” and if the king can make you believe that it is your right to take from others and give to you, then there will be no end to what you consider to be your “rights”.
                             
        Next on the list:
–car insurance for all;
–life insurance for all;
–internet access for all;
–cell phones for all;
–homes for all;
–food for all;
–clothes for all…
‘Free for all’ will soon become a ‘free for all’.

This is not a political problem.

This is a worldview problem.

“He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves.” 1 Samuel 8:18"

Well said, Dr. Tackett.  And my sentiments, exactly.  I, for one, do not want my freedom to be translated into slavery, nor do I want that for this country that I love and call home.  As I've said before, trouble is, it's hard to stop a runaway train...

Friday, March 19, 2010

You know you live in Vegas when...

Last night I was enjoying a mom's night out with my local MOPS group and the funniest thing was said.  It gave me an idea for a new series of posts titled, "You know you live in Vegas when..." 

Anyway, the ladies and I were discussing how it can be difficult to meet neighbors in this city that never sleeps - everyone is on a different schedule, and when it's over 100 degrees outside, most people prefer not to be socializing outdoors.  One of the women in my group was talking about her neighbors, and her comment reminded me that I'm not in Colorado anymore, Toto.

You know you live in Vegas when a friend says (in all seriousness), "My next door neighbor is a dealer, so he works late nights."  Then, sensing an awkward silence, she chimed in, "NOT a drug dealer."


LOL!

There will be more of these to follow, as I'm often struck by some of the things I'm experiencing while I'm getting used to living in the desert.  I thought you'd enjoy them, too!

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Lone Nut or Fearless Leader? You Decide.

A blog post was forwarded to me today and it gave me pause to think.  I get the concept and I'm intrigued by it... 

The jury's still out if I agree with the conclusion the original blogger came to about what makes a true leader (and who that is), and I'd love to hear your thoughts (feel free to leave them below!!). 




(Taken from http://sivers.org/ff:)

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Sisters

So, this morning, I was in my office wrapping up some website work I've been doing and my two girls were sitting in the kitchen talking with one another.  I was eavesdropping and the exchange was too cute not to blog about.  Here's what I heard:

4 year old: "B, am I still your best sister ever?"
8 year old: "Um hmm.  D, you're my only sister."
4 year old: "Will I be your best sister for all of our lives?"
8 year old: "Yes."
4 year old: "Bless your heart."

Doesn't it make your heart melt?!?  So sweet.

Monday, March 1, 2010

Welcome to March, National Caffeine Awareness Month

So, I'm not really trying to say that addiction is a laughing matter - it is not.  Anyone who's ever struggled to overcome any addiction knows just how hard it is to kick the habit, whether it be to food, smoking, alcohol, drugs, television, exercise, pedicures...  (well, you get my point).

But, apropos of one of my friend's very recent texts about how Starbucks should deliver, and since I did run through the drive-through this very morning to get my favorite highly caffeinated drink (venti non-fat cappuccino, in case you'd ever like to surprise me one morning...), I thought it was really humorous when I learned that March is National Caffeine Awareness Month.   And, because today is the first day of the month, I thought I should blog on the topic, in honor.

(If I could insert right here an audible snippet of my laughing out loud, and it wouldn't be more annoying or disturbing than not, I so would.)

I mean, seriously??

There is an entire association dedicated to the education of the public about caffeine and its ill-effects on people, society, and the economy.  HUH?

I know, I know.  Addiction to anything is indicative of a life out of balance.  Addiction to caffeine can cause serious health effects, and I hear it's not too good for your nerves or the whiteness of your teeth.  I do know that an abrupt halt in caffeine usage can cause some serious headaches and general angst in my own life, but I think that might just be proving the Caffeine Awareness Association's point, and that isn't helping my cause.  I like, no LOVE my coffee every single morning, and find that my day goes so much worse when I don't get it (on the very rare occasions that actually happens).  My day is made happier with that early morning kick of caffeine, and, if drinking it is wrong, I don't wanna be right.

Oh, and the other thing that I found funny about the Caffeine Awareness Association is that it is based out of Seattle, the birthplace of all great coffee.  Come to think of it, if not for the rainy, dreary weather, I could totally consider living in Seattle JUST for the coffee.  I'm just sayin'...