Will you be a single issue voter?
Watch this video. It's a plea going out to Barack Obama to support protection for babies born alive during an abortion. In case you didn't know, Obama has pledged to sign the Freedom of Choice Act as his first item of business if elected president. He opposes the ban on partial birth abortion. We can't turn a blind eye to this. It is a human rights issue. If President Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr. had turned a blind eye in their time, where would America stand on slavery today? I will be a single issue voter this year. Life is more important to me than money any day!
You can donate to Citizenlink here to help them in their efforts to bring awareness.
Palin
I have shied away from saying much about politics on this blog for various reasons. However, when I stumbled across this great
link from a Philidelphia newspaper, I couldn't help myself. I will say no more and let the article speak for itself, but just know, my blood is boiling over this 2008 election, and this reporter's words prove I'm not alone in my frustration!
Labels: politics
I just finished reading
Henri J.M. Nouwen's little power house of a book,
In the Name of Jesus: Reflections on Christian Leadership. You won't find it in my sidebar under "On My Nightstand" because it's not a long enough book to place there (only 81 pages). It took just a couple of hours to read and that's with stopping and taking lots of notes!
But listen to me when I say it's the most intriguing little book I believe I've ever read! So simple, yet so profound!
I'll share with you the bottom line of the writing, but there's so much more to his story that you must read for yourself.
This print was published in 1989 and after Mr. Nouwen decided to leave his prestigious position in academia to begin a new life for himself. He felt called by God to move into a home for the mentally handicapped where he ministers as a priest to the people themselves and their assistants. His "Reflections on Christian Leadership" is a result of the many things he discovered while living in this community. Fascinating, I know!
The basis of his writing comes from two passages: Matthew 4:1-11, the temptation of Christ; and John 21:15-19, the commissioning of Peter to "feed my sheep." He compares the temptation of Jesus by satan to the following:
1)Turning bread into stones - temptation for relevance
2)Throwing yourself from the pinnacle of the temple, allowing angels to rescue Him - temptation to be spectacular (popularity)
3)Receiving rule of the world - temptation for power
He uncovers the fact that christian leaders in the ministry face these temptations as well. How should the christian leader of the future respond to the draw for such things? By getting back to basics...."feed my sheep," Christ told Peter. Nouwen calls this the "life of downward mobility," allowing God to lead us to places where we would rather not go. Becoming like Jesus through prayer, vulnerability and trust.
There's so much more in the book that fills in the blanks. It's convicting and, if implemented in the church today, could change the face of ministry as we know it! Pick up a copy for yourself. You won't regret it!
Labels: books
Crunch Time!
This summer Dave and I made some decisions to whittle a few things down in regards to our budget. I realize we aren't the first to take these measures, but I also think sometimes it helps to know there are others out there feeling the crunch, too. Add to the mix two teenagers and a ten year old and you soon find your grocery budget that has worked for so long is no longer cutting it! So here are a couple of things we've done to make the ever-shrinking dollar go a little bit further...
First of all, with gas prices as crazy as they were up until a few weeks ago (So thankful for a little relief for the time being!) we consolidated as many trips as we could...common sense, not drastic. However, we did say no to a couple of local outings in order to save in our gas budget. Saying no to fun is not something we do well in the Kush home! But we're learning...
Next, after a lot of research, we dropped DirecTV. Yep, you read right! Just in time for football season (Dave was such a trooper)! Since August 1 we have been running purely off of an old fashioned antenna! With the lack of decent programming on the local networks we've experienced a huge decline in visual entertainment in our home! The thing I miss the most is the ability to record the few shows we do like and skip past the crazy commercials. We did get push-back from one child in particular, but she (a bit of a give-away if you know our family!) is adjusting and has a new-found favorite channel--Qubo, go figure! Another bonus...we've started a Monday night Bible study with the kids!
We've also buckled down on food consumption. I've always been a menu planner, but I've gotten more frugal in my meals. We are eating a lot more casseroles, soups and other one-dish meals...big money savers when you're feeding four adults and one growing adolescent! And eating out is a big no-no!
Another big change we made was losing our "land line". We've gone totally cellular. That, too, was an adjustment and required adding a line for Mollie (a bit of a trade off for her with losing satellite tv and all!). Honestly, I have not missed the grating ring of a cordless phone echoing through my house!
All in all, the timing was perfect. The savings on these items isn't huge, but every little bit helps during sad state of our country's economy. Oh yeah, and I can now brag that I don't have to endure an endless parade of political phone calls and television ads!
Labels: family, finance
Catherine Hickem
This past weekend I had the opportunity to visit
Calvary Chapel Jupiter, the church where my brother pastors the youth, for a Women's Retreat. It's always a treat to go somewhere different and slip in with no obligation to set up, tear down, organize, clean or serve. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy serving, but a once-in-a-blue-moon event like this is golden to me!
The featured speaker for the weekend was a woman by the name of Catherine Hickem. I had never heard of her, but after this weekend am now a big fan! She has a ministry called
Intentional Moms and has written a book called Raising Your Children with No Regrets, which you can see in my sidebar. If you ever have an opportunity to see her in person, it would be well worth it to those of you in absolutely any phase of mothering. The book is THE best I've read on the subject of motherhood. I'm two-thirds of the way through and have read much of it out loud to my husband! I encourage you to pick up a copy for yourself, no matter what stage of parenting you find yourself in. It's very well organized and practical. You'll not regret the investment!
Labels: books, parenting
SNAP!!--A New Blog!
Well, I did it! I've jumped off into the deep end of the pool, by starting another blog. What am I thinking??
With so many people out there interested in photography these days, and with the new range of DSLR cameras available for amateurs, I decided to share what I've learned and am learning as an intermediate hobbyist myself. I'll be posting images from the 2006 purchase of my Sony DSLR as well as helpful hints and resources I've stumbled across in my journey of often frustrating discovery. Maybe we can even help each other out along the way! Check out
SNAP!!.
Baby Picts
It's been awhile since I've posted any pictures so I thought I'd share my most recent ones. Enjoy!
Labels: photography
