Responding to Haiti Long-term*

Haiti remains shell shocked after its 7.0 magnitude quake little more than a week ago. The people braced themselves once again as another powerful aftershock (6.1) ripped through the country Wednesday morning. According to media sources this further complicates search and rescue efforts and is hampering the ability to distribute aid.

Soon after the first quake rocked Port-au-Prince I had an interesting conversation with a friend that began with this engaging question, “How should we respond to the devastation in Haiti?” I realize there are some obvious answers to this question, and I know for a fact that this individual is invested both financially and physically in helping the people of Haiti, so I knew there was more to his question.

I asked if he could elaborate. He went on to say that he was finding it difficult to relate to the people of Haiti. He was frustrated that his emotions and his heart weren’t lining up with what his head told him he should feel and do.

He was not asking how will I respond to this tragedy, but how should I respond as a human being to the suffering of people that I don’t know.

Some will understand his quandary and others will not, dismissing him out of hand as an uncaring individual. What he was getting at was the larger picture. His statement was, “If I involve myself, I’m all in. If I choose to feel then what I feel may be immobilizing. How can I help one person if I can’t help them all? How can I help them now, if I am not willing to continue helping them in the future?”

This is a great point. It is much easier to involve ourselves with prayer and aid at the beginning of a relief effort and then once Haiti begins to heal and falls out of the news forget about it all together – though there remains work to be done. How can we identify with Haiti and its people or any devastated people on a long term basis? Should we even try?

Our church started a journey with Haiti months ago through the Global Orphan Project and The Crazy Love Campaign. Our goal is to help buy land and build a self-sustaining village to house and care for the orphans in the Jeremie region. We started by giving financially last year and have continued to follow up by sending teams and planning mission trips for the future.

When the earthquake hit my first thought was, “Oh no! What about our kids?” Amazingly through divine persuasion and practical mobilization my heart and my support were already connected to those who were hurting. We are linked in a tangible way to the people, the orphans, and their well-being. I began to think about the future and how our plans for building would be different because of the relief that all of Haiti would need immediately.

I visited our church’s blog to get on-the-ground updates and watched the news searching for more information. My search generated two stories that pressed deeply on my heart and those of my family. The first came from our local news about a couple here in Tennessee, who was in the process of adopting a five-year-old girl from Haiti named Tia.

Twelve hours after the quake, Mike Wilson, the adoptive father flew to Haiti with relief supplies and the resolve to bring his daughter home to the states. He soon discovered that Tia was safe but that all court documents for his adoption had been destroyed in the disaster along with the papers of thousands of other Haitian orphans leaving him to wonder if he would ever bring his little girl home. Miraculously only a week later Mr. Wilson and Tia left Haiti together. They arrived safely in Nashville early Tuesday morning and were greeted by a tearful group of family and friends.

The second story that moved me is harder to digest. Even Steve Harrigan, a seasoned reporter, from FOX news was choked up as he reported on the devastation around him. The most haunting image I recall is that of a woman lying on the ground insane with grief after having lost four of her children in the earthquake and the fifth shortly thereafter at the hospital. Her husband sat grief-stricken as well cradling her head in his lap and gently attempting to comfort her.

As a mom to four children and a fifth now with Jesus, my heart leapt out of me and raced to this inconsolable mom. A surprising desire to hold and comfort her, as well as run to embrace my own children overwhelmed me. Even now I long to comfort Haiti’s orphaned children and her childless mothers.

Compassion is awakened in us when we identify with another’s pain, grief, or loss. Busyness, stress, and everyday realities threaten to separate us from empathy toward our neighbors and even our own family members. This disconnect can be magnified exponentially when those experiencing loss are thousands of miles away and come from a different culture.

So, how should we respond to Haiti?

Many have acted quickly and practically by sending prayers, money, and much needed supplies through trusted organizations. And I believe we can further bridge the gap between us and the people in need by embracing the heart of God. God loves the people of Haiti and embracing God’s heart means laying our own hearts bare and asking God to let us feel their pain. Let us help to shoulder their burden.

Instead of steeling ourselves against pain and suffering through distance, culture, and isolation we can choose to get involved personally. This could mean adopting a family, an individual, or even serving on a short term mission project.

Fostering a personal relationship adds a name, a life, and a soul to the images we see on T.V. These efforts to build relationships go beyond Haiti and natural disasters. They reach across the globe and just outside our front doors to the hundreds of thousands who are hurting, hungry and alone.

My prayer is that more hearts will be softened through this tragedy and more eyes will be opened to the great need all around us, so that each of us will find a way to give, to go, and to feel.

*This post appeared first on Caffeinated Thoughts

Tickle Attack

Have you ever been the victim of a tickle attack? This is the ambush you never see coming – the surprise attack so shocking that it encounters your angry face before ever reaching your funny bone.

You’ve seen it happen – a mom quietly minding her own business, cradling a hot cup of tea while reading a magazine or book. Suddenly she shoots up out of her chair; barely aware of what has happened, registering pain on either side of her ribcage and under her arms. The tea she was holding now stains her top and still sloshes in her cup. She hears something akin to laughter coming from a nearby corner where two little hooligans skulk guiltily. The offenders who anticipated surprise and laughter have achieved only one of their goals and awoken a sleeping giant in the process. They are summarily dismissed to their rooms to await proper punishment while mom cleans up and cools down.

Tickle attacks are part of most adolescent boys’ vocabulary, and for some strange reason my son has a great need to include me in this ritual. Why he needs to see me wriggle and squirm uncontrollably I do not know. I’d like to think it’s just because he wants to see me laugh, but let’s face it, tickling is not about laughter – it’s about shock and awe!

To reduce the incidents of just such an event I foolishly granted my nine-year-old son’s insane request that every Wednesday be deemed Tickle Day. What was I thinking?

In my defense it was a compromise which I made under extreme duress. I don’t want to be the mean mom, the one who doesn’t like to have fun, or bans tickling altogether. Surely, I could be prepared for my son’s stealthy attacks one day out of any given week. But wouldn’t you agree that after awhile all the days seem to run together into one crazy blur? As such, I can never remember when Wednesday is coming. This puts me at a distinct disadvantage and ups the ante where my son is concerned. He has one day to get all of this tickling out of his system. Therefore, he must make good use of it, and with Mom off guard the sky is the limit.

But these situations, even when sanctioned, rarely end well. I have informed my children, and even my husband, that I cannot be held responsible for my actions once the tickling has begun. My body loses all sense of propriety and goes into survival mode. This means I will do whatever is necessary to guard myself from pain. There’s no telling who will be kicked, clawed, or flailed upon in the process. You tickle at your own risk.

This has given rise the public tickle attack. The kids are getting smarter. I’ll give them that. One day last summer while running errands with all four children we stopped in at Target to return a couple of items. While there, I, unwisely, decided to try a few things on. The kids were noticeably over it, and began to flop and complain. The nine-year-old had another idea.

Between trips to the dressing room and the retail aisles the kids were hiding in the racks of clothing. I’d finally found something of interest and upon holding it up to my body and examining it in the mirror I felt that familiar shock of pain in my ribcage. I quickly grabbed the intruding little hands and whirled around to face my attacker. Before I could open my mouth he announced, “It’s Wednesday!”
Of course it was. I didn’t even try to suppress the smile. We laughed out loud as he made another go for it. This time I was ready, but found I had to withstand a siege from three more squirrelly recruits as they charged. We received many a justified glare from passersby who were witnessing the greatest blitzkrieg Target had ever seen – as far as tickle fights go I’m sure. Once the fighting had died down, I gathered up all of my little enemy combatants and headed for the door wondering what our next public outing might hold particularly if it happens to fall on a Wednesday.

Avatar, Mother Earth and Jesus

Check out my review for Avatar on Caffeinated Thoughts

CT: New Year, New Technology, Same God - Thank God!

I first posted this on New Year's Eve on Caffeinated Thoughts.

As we greet 2010 – a brand new year, I marvel at the changes brought by 2009 and how fast-paced our world has become. The constant flood of information we receive through our radios, TVs, computers, and phones is endless. Technology greets us as we wake up in the morning and follows us to our cars, our beds, and sometimes even joins us in the bathroom.

It is understandable that we have succumbed to this technology bug because the access to the information it provides is amazing. As a result of our immersion into this sea of iPhones and internet we are able to remain abreast of the current news ready to share and comment on the events of the day by the minute.

We need not wait for a paper to be delivered or for an editor to receive our letter – for the blogosphere and social networks like Facebook have made it so convenient to read, research, and communicate our thoughts and ideas.

But when do we turn it off?

Today I was reading in Isaiah – my favorite Old Testament prophet. He writes:

You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock eternal. He humbles those who dwell on high, he lays the lofty city low; he levels it to the ground and casts it down to the dust.

Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts. My soul yearns for you in the night; in the morning my spirit longs for you.

Lord, you establish peace for us; all that we have accomplished you have done for us. Lord, our God, other lords besides you have ruled over us, but your name alone do we honor.

Isaiah 26: 3-5, 8-9, 12-13

Sometimes I forget that this world rests in God’s hands and that nothing escapes his notice. The concerns and the challenges that each new day and new year hold can grip my heart and mind pressing me to seek out more and more information rather than turning to God and his Word for rest and comfort.

I was reminded over Christmas as I spent time with family and friends that missing a day or even a week worth of news was not the end of the world. The truth is one day this earth and all that is in it will pass away. At that time I won’t be writing an article or commenting on a blog. I will be bowing down in worship.

Though I put little stock in New Year’s resolutions, I will make one this year. My desire is to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness. I pray that as I continue to write and comment on newsy items, His name and renown will be the desire of my heart, and that rather than yearning for more news and information my spirit would long for the Spirit of God – for only the Spirit of God prompts me to act in ways that have lasting value.

Happy New Year!

The Topsy-Turvy Christmas Story

Sometimes a home reaches a creative boiling point. Ours reached that point one morning last week as the kids acted out their Christmas play. This was an impromptu event which took the place of our normally scheduled Bible Time. I was purposely excluded from the preparation of this pageant and given the role of narrator, so my anticipation grew as the starting time approached.

Everything began beautifully. As I arrived, the director, my nine-year-old son handed me the Bible and told me where to sit. Shortly thereafter Mary, played by my seven-year-old daughter, entered with a blanket wrapped around her head and waited for Gabriel to appear. Gabriel flew in with brilliant, white, feathery wings to inform Mary that she was going to be the mother of Jesus.

After some stops and starts I discovered that a few scenes had been deleted due to artistic differences between my nine and five-year-old. Well, I guess that’s showbiz. About the time the shepherds were watching their flocks by night the five-year-old rejoined the cast and insisted her role be that of the star the wise men followed from the East – an interesting and inanimate choice. Since the star had to be directly above the manger, my darling diva stood on the couch and leaned her star wand precariously over the place where baby Jesus lay.

It was at this point we all learned the three-year-old was losing interest for he slumped to the ground and complained that he did not want to be a shepherd or a wise man any longer. My nine-year-old struggled to maintain his composure as he sensed he was losing control of his young cast. “But we haven’t even sung any songs yet,” he pleaded. “I thought this was going to go perfectly as I planned, but things have just gone...topsy-turvy,” he concluded. A good assessment, however my seven-year-old daughter took all of these things and pondered them in her heart.

I massaged the situation by promising cinnamon rolls for everyone who calmed down and agreed to participate. Now that we had everyone back on track, our Christmas train threatened to derail once again when the kids realized that the wise men never actually made it to the manger scene, but only found Jesus when he was around age two! Impressively, they compensated for the difference by having the narrator turn to the book of Matthew and helping “Mary” find some clothes for baby Jesus. The rest of the story was peppered with songs that the recovering director had decided to play on the piano.

After a rousing rendition of “Joy to the World” the maestro wrapped it up informing everyone that we should practice a little more this week, so we could do a better job in presenting the play to the grandparents on Christmas. It seems this show isn’t over. Although practice may make perfect, I’m not sure I could have enjoyed this little performance any more than I did today. It is, in fact, the imperfections that define our home and remind me of our need (even in the little things) for a Savior.

CT: The Devastating Mercy of God

This is a reprint of my post last week on
Caffeinated Thoughts.

Today I was reading from the book of Isaiah, and I was struck by the holiness and justice of God. God was in the midst of chastising the nation of Israel. This judgment was proceeding because of the Israelites’ great sin, namely bowing down to idols, pursuing the gods of other nations, and exalting themselves and their own will above God’s. After repeated warnings to repent and turn from their ways God told His people via Isaiah that he was going to send men from Assyria, a wicked nation in their own right, to destroy them.

Despite many admonitions and divine intervention throughout biblical history it seems the Israelites just can’t keep out of trouble. Even after the miraculous parting of the Red Sea we find these stiff-necked rebels cornering Moses’ brother Aaron, and convincing him to cast a calf out of gold for the people to worship. After witnessing this scene or one like it play out in nearly every book of the Old Testament one begins to wonder, “What were they thinking?” As if we in our glorious hindsight could have done, or presently do, any better.

Consider for a moment the state of our country, our churches, and our homes. Are we any different from the Israelites who share with us the simple misfortune of being a member of a fallen humanity? “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” (Romans 3:23).

I too have been subject to the chastisement of God. I could make excuses and tell you that I have never bowed down to an idol, but that wouldn’t be true. I have bowed down to my work and my craft while ignoring my relationship with God. I have given my allegiance to news and entertainment while ignoring the family that God has given me to care for. I have put my wants and desires above the needs of the widow and the orphan.

These are not statements made from hyperbole or out of a desire to elicit some feeling of shame or guilt. This is simply the truth of my sin, and it is why I must stand shoulder to shoulder with the Israelites and bear the judgment that God meted out to them. I am no better, I am no worse. I am a sinner.

The wonderful thing about the book of Isaiah, and the rest of the Bible for that matter, is that the story does not end with the Israelites destruction or the damnation of humanity. God tells his children, even in the midst of armies laying siege to Jerusalem that he is going to send a deliverer. He sees that they are weak. He knows that they are unable to achieve righteousness on their own; so he sets out the most bizarre and devastatingly merciful rescue plan ever conceived of.

Yes we will experience pain and there will be devastation, but as a result we are shaken from the prison of ourselves so that we can see God and in seeing Him, understand that a holy God cannot abide sin, not any at all. It is in this revelation that we see the Lord high and lifted up, and we hear his voice as it shakes the very foundations of the earth. So along with the angels we can’t help but bow down and cry, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty, the whole earth is full of his glory.” We humbly confess that, yes, we are a people of unclean lips and we live among a people of unclean lips, but we rejoice with shepherds who while going about their duties are the unlikely audience to a heavenly chorus who proclaims the arrival of the Deliverer.

Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” (Luke 2:10-14)

For it is only in the blanket of salvation offered by the tiny babe born in a manger that we find true hope, lasting peace, and genuine restoration.

For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, (Isaiah 9:6)

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CT: Global Gore-ing and the Nobel Racket

There has been a lot of news stirring on the Global Warming front. Curiously many of the major media outlets have failed to report on this major news item.

I posted my thoughts today on “Caffeinated Thoughts.” I welcome you to stop by and add yours!

Click on the link below to read more about uncovering the Global Warming hoax.

“Global Gore-ing and the Nobel Racket"

Blogging for Caffeinated Thoughts

I just started contributing to a blog called Caffeinated Thoughts. I invite you to check it out and read my most recent post. Just click on the title below.

“Pocketbook Economics Meets the College Koozie.”

For stimulating musings on news, politics, culture, life and theology it is worth the read.

I welcome your comments both here and on their blog!

Thanks,
JP

P.S. I will still be posting thoughtful and humorous essays about family and life on this blog too!

A Case Against Apathy

I am a new contributor to the blog "Caffeinated Thoughts." Please check out my first post on their site. Just click on the link below. I would appreciate your comments!

A Case Against Apathy

Thanks, JP

We All Need a Little Enrichment

This year we joined a new homeschooling group and decided to experiment with some enrichment classes. Most of these classes are taught by a mom within the group who has a gifting or an interest in a particular area. Others are taught by professional artists and licensed teachers.

We signed each of our children up for three one hour classes once a week. Mondays are now affectionately referred to as our “school day.” The kids love their subjects ranging from Zoology to Public Speaking.

At dinner one Monday we were discussing what each of the kids had done in class that day. They regaled us with stories about the snake their Zoology teacher brought to class, the Dinosaur speech given in Public Speaking and the crafts made in Art (God bless that woman for giving me a break from scissors and glue)!

After most of the evening banter had died down and the little ones had splintered off to get ready for bed our 9-year-old lingered at the table. He took the opportunity to fill us in on his last class of the day, American Constitution and The Declaration of Independence. All at once he whipped out The Bill of Rights and proceeded to read them for us. Asking if we wanted to hear them was a foregone conclusion.

As our son read he paused to break down each amendment explaining what it meant. We listened politely as he continued, but the further he got down the list the more sober we became – taking in the truth and weight of the words he spoke.

Upon reaching the Fifth Amendment he needed a little help; so my husband and I took turns expounding on the meanings of the amendments. When we got to number ten I read,

“The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.
“What does that mean?” he asked.

“Well, it means that the states and the people should have more power than the Federal government,” I said.

Holding up his Bill of Rights he said with conviction, “Well somebody needs to show this to the Federal government!”

Indeed! Perhaps we all need a little Enrichment. I can’t remember the last time I looked at the Bill of Rights much less gave them due consideration. In light of this and the precipice on which our nation hangs, I am listing our Bill of Rights below. May it be an encouragement to us, a reminder of our great freedom, and an admonition of the responsibility we have to preserve what we have been so richly blessed with!

“From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” Luke 12:48b

The Bill of Rights

Amendment I

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Amendment II

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

Amendment III

No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.

Amendment IV

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Amendment V

No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

Amendment VI

In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.

Amendment VII

In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.

Amendment VIII

Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

Amendment IX

The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

Amendment X

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

*http://www.constitution.org/billofr_.htm

Last Night I Died a Little

Have you ever really cried? That’s a silly question. I’m sure the answer is yes. I guess what I mean is when was the last time you cried?

I cried tonight, but not with tears. I groaned recognizing a pain in my heart and a lump in my throat that could not be swallowed. My ears rung and my eyes swam in an attempt to hold back a flood for I knew that if the tears came they wouldn’t stop at least not for awhile.

No one died. Nothing really traumatic occurred.

But what did happen stopped me cold. I witnessed something that left me broken, and then I encountered the heart of God.

I tasted a hint of the tragedy reserved for the mother who has lost a child. I felt a touch of the pain known to those who are estranged from a loved one. I carried for a moment the weight of being hated, unloved and unappreciated. Ultimately, I embraced the reality of a lost and hurting individual who is separated from God.

When was the last time you cried?

God is reconnecting me with my emotions. For a while I didn’t want to have anything to do with emotion. Writing and music fell by the wayside because for me those two activities require a great deal of passion and vulnerability. As a result it was easier to put them away rather than deal with the burden of having to feel so strongly.

Passion is dangerous. Once you open the door to such a strong emotion the pendulum can swing just as easily in the other direction. But one of the things I love about God is how he can take my emotion and do something totally out of my character. He can move me outside of myself and propel me to pray. He can show me his heart and give me a passion for His desires. So maybe it would be more accurate to state that God is reconnecting me with His emotion.

Yes I will pray tonight, but I will not pray as one who has no hope. I will pray as a child – broken, weak and needy, yet confident that my Father loves me and will answer my cries.

Maybe someone did die a little tonight. I pray that I would die a little more tomorrow and the day after that. “He must become greater; I must become less.” John 3:30

Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Matthew 16:24-26

I'm Just Playin'...

What a wonderful invention – the Wii. It affords you the mindless fun of a video game, the unmerited skill of an athlete, and the favor awarded an Olympian upon successful completion of his appointed task.

We are not video game junkies in the Murie household, but we do occasionally succumb to the lure of competition.

One gray Saturday afternoon I observed a commotion coming from the TV room. I walked in to the pleasant hoots and high-fives of my four children. They were congratulating one another for scoring well in target practice.

I stopped and watched as each child in turn swung the Wii remote like a golf club while aiming for one of two targets on a virtual golf course. After awhile the kids turned and convinced both myself and my husband to compete.

We agreed. I was up first and stepped to the tee, club in hand. My first attempt wasn’t bad. We watched as my ball sailed over the first target and landed on the next garnering 50 points for me!

“Good Job, Mom!” they encouraged.

I patted myself on the back and prepared for my next swing. This time the ball flew over both targets – a miss.

“That’s okay Mom, try it again,” sang a chorus of little angels.

I did and struck gold with a perfect swing and a bull’s-eye worth 100 points. The crowd went wild! You would have thought I had won the Nobel Prize – so undeserving, so unexpected. There was jumping, there were high-fives, and there were shrieks of joy! “I could get used to this,” I thought.

I continued the game consistently scoring 25 points here and 50 points there, but every time I hit 100 there was a spontaneous celebration as I was swarmed by my adoring fans. I let myself enjoy the praise and used it to propel me toward the finish. After all, I now had to live up to my children’s great expectations and my ill-perceived potential.

After capturing the high score I left the game pumped up, feeling rather good about myself. In my children’s eyes I was the champion – the conquering hero. How kind they were to lend me accolades that I did not deserve. I recall the look in their eyes. There was no judgment, no jealousy, just unbridled excitement and satisfaction that I had done well.

Oh, that I could turn around and reinvest those smiles and cheers in each of my children as they live and learn, rise and fall come what may.

Perhaps I can prepare for this feat by heeding these words.

“But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you will be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” Hebrews 3:13

“Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.” Proverb 16:24

We Are The One World Government

Depending on your leaning the term one-world government might conjure up apocalyptic images of the end of the age, or it might throw you back to a couch in the 80s where you and a friend sat glued to the television as Michael Jackson and company sang “We Are the World.”

These days it seems that more than just preachers and pop stars are addressing the idea of a one-world government. In fact, nationalism appears to be a thing of the past. Government need only accuse its subjects of pride and prejudice while regaling world peace and unity, and the people fall in line. The desired effect sees lemmings marching mindlessly toward this one world union with hands outstretched ready to exchange hard won freedoms for a guilt-free conscience.

Lord Christopher Monckton, chief policy advisor to the Science and Public Policy Institute and former policy advisor to Margaret Thatcher, made the news two weeks ago after addressing The Minnesota Free Market Institute at Bethel University. Monckton spoke in regard to Global Climate Change and National Sovereignty.

Through detailed analysis Lord Monckton dismissed the premise that CO2 emissions generated by humans are responsible for measurable climate change. He demonstrated the flaws in the arguments of proponents of global warming by introducing peer-reviewed scientific evidence to the contrary.

In closing, Monckton called attention to a treaty soon to be negotiated in Copenhagen.
He stated:

I read that treaty. And what it says is this, “that a world government is going to be created.” The word 'government' actually appears as the first of three purposes of the new entity. The second purpose is the transfer of wealth from the countries of the West to third world countries, in satisfaction of what is called, coyly, 'climate debt' - because we've been burning CO2 and they haven't. We've been screwing up the climate and they haven't. And the third purpose of this new entity, this government, is enforcement."

Of course this "government" which is short hand for an international enforcement authority would not be actually elected by the people who would be required to live under its dictates. No doubt taxes would have to be raised in countries that would be compelled to pay environmental reparations to the Third World. The enforcement authority or "government" would also have the power to regulate energy policy in the countries that sign the treaty.

Statements like those above are usually made to elicit a reaction, but that isn’t an altogether bad thing. While we need to be careful and not overreact like Chicken Little did, we must still consider such statements and research the validity of the claims for we may indeed find that the sky is falling! In light of that I found a draft of the aforementioned treaty and began to read it. I listened to Lord Monckton’s speech in its entirety, and I am continuing my own research on both climate change ‘theology’ and the United Nations. My initial findings are disturbing and somewhat in line with those of Lord Monckton.

The UN is a curious body. While there may be advantages to having a forum where world leaders can gather, there are the obvious pitfalls such as grandstanding dictators, murdering despots masquerading as corrupt politicians, and corrupt politicians posing as benefactors of the people. For years we have witnessed this organization wield treaties in an attempt to grab power and push its own agenda. How wonderful to be at the reigns of such an assembly. Why you could rule the world by means of blackmail and underhanded diplomacy.

Personally, I am very wary of giving rulers, whom I have had no party in electing and have no interest in vesting, aid in determining which liberties my country will uphold and which ones they will take away. These foreign leaders should have little to no decision in the course my country takes concerning climate change, industry or defense.

Still, I wonder will climate control be the avenue through which the UN realizes its liberal global agenda. What defense is there for critics of the policies purported to address the flawed science of global warming? Resisting the propaganda is inconvenient at best and scandalous at worst. It is a gamble that truth seekers take and in so doing are widely condemned as earth haters, barbarians and the like.

America at large has believed the lie perpetrated by those in the United Nations and the partisan scientific community. As a result we have been guilted into accepting the blame laid on us by the world. The price we will pay is our sovereignty and freedom.

As far as this one-world government is concerned, it may come, but that is not our immediate plight. I am not interested in conspiracy theories, and I am not worried about the apocalypse. I know where I stand.

What I care about right now is freedom. The freedom found in America still offers hope to many across the globe. If that freedom is taken from us, it is taken from multitudes. If we let the freedoms we don’t care about – the ones we’ve never really used slip away, then it won’t be long before our speech is muffled or silenced altogether. Government will reach in and take and take until it has all it needs. Sadly, it will never be enough.

It is arrogant for us to think that what has occurred in so many other nations cannot happen in America. The question is will we stand idly by and watch as our nation goes up in flames. In that regard I suppose the images we began with are appropriate as we end. If we will not act and we will not speak then perhaps we could simply join hands together and sing “We Are the World” as we watch it burn.

*One of the great reasons we need to pay attention and guard our freedoms is so that we might share God's Word without censorship. Today I share truth from Isaiah. I am always amazed at how God uses his Word to speak to the issues of the day.

Isaiah 8:11-19
11 The LORD spoke to me with his strong hand upon me, warning me not to follow the way of this people. He said:
12 "Do not call conspiracy
everything that these people call conspiracy;
do not fear what they fear,
and do not dread it.
13 The LORD Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy,
he is the one you are to fear,
he is the one you are to dread,
14 and he will be a sanctuary;
but for both houses of Israel he will be
a stone that causes men to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall.
And for the people of Jerusalem he will be
a trap and a snare.
15 Many of them will stumble;
they will fall and be broken,
they will be snared and captured."
16 Bind up the testimony
and seal up the law among my disciples.
17 I will wait for the LORD,
who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob.
I will put my trust in him.
18 Here am I, and the children the LORD has given me. We are signs and symbols in Israel from the LORD Almighty, who dwells on Mount Zion.
19 When men tell you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? 20 To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn. 21 Distressed and hungry, they will roam through the land; when they are famished, they will become enraged and, looking upward, will curse their king and their God. 22 Then they will look toward the earth and see only distress and darkness and fearful gloom, and they will be thrust into utter darkness.

There are many things that vie for our attention in the media both socially and politically, but I pray that we might look to God and his Word for our response to the problems that present themselves each day. Lord God, have mercy on us and rekindle our love and passion for you so that others might come face to face with your grace and truth.

When Thinking Tanks

At what point did our thinking tank?

Was it when we abandoned our work ethic and became dependent on handouts from the government? Maybe it was before that when we refused to curb our spending because of our own personal and corporate greed. Could it have tanked when we accepted the proposition that government really does know what is best – rather than the individual? Or was it in the midst of all of this when we simply stopped believing that our voices could even be heard within the sea of corruption that stymies Washington?

Regardless, it appears that many of us haven’t let the collective brain melt bother us too much because we don’t think that politics affects us immediately or personally. The sad thing is we are wrong and unaware of the degree to which it does. So we plod along through our days, weeks and months wholly unconscious that we are being stripped of our liberties one by one – a little here, a little there, just so that we barely notice. Sadly, when we finally do notice we may find that the decisions made by those in power affect us much more personally than many of us ever imagined they would.

For our part, I think we tend toward one of these three schools of thought.

One, we are in agreement with big government’s policies and don’t take issue with whatever our party thinks is best. “After all, they must have our best interests at heart.” We reason, “Those who disagree are against progress and motivated by self-interest not the good of the whole.”

Two, we just don’t want to get involved. We tell ourselves, “It takes too much time. I’m not sure I’m really qualified to speak to those issues. I’ll let the person who handles those kind of things handle them. Surely someone is holding them accountable. I have a business and a family to manage, why should I concern myself with the bureaucracy of people out of my scope of reference.”

Three, we are scared – scared of the implications if we stand up and speak out. We ask, “What if I’m wrong? I don’t have all the answers. When is it right to speak up, and when should I just be silent? What kind of response will I receive?”

For many I have noticed the tendency to jump on the bandwagon of popular thought, or that thought which everyone applauds as forward and inclusive. But for the one who differs on politics or issues of faith there is often no parade. Fear may cause him to tiptoe through a landmine of friends whom he is worried about upsetting lest he bring a firestorm down on himself along with the label intolerant. This same fear may keep others from coming to his aid.

These paradigms are nothing new. They play out day to day, from decade to decade, which is why this at some point ceases to be about politics or even current events. For at the end of the day all politics is folly, and every society a vapor, a breath. Every man’s reason is flawed and every man is subject to his Creator.

With this in mind we must ask ourselves. Are some ideas superior to others? The answer is yes, because truth is non-negotiable. Are some governments superior? Again, yes. It must be so because absolutes do exist. There are universal, physical and moral laws that we are bound by, and they demand adherence. Above all we must value the right of individuals to live their lives and sustain their liberty in peace. The entanglements of an invasive government choke out liberty. Therefore the government which protects its people without encroaching on their liberties is a superior form of government.

Let us not forget these words penned by our forefathers, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” The Declaration of Independence 1776

These men believed we each have a right to the pursuit of happiness but not necessarily to happiness itself or to another’s pursuit of happiness on our behalf. We lose ourselves when others begin making decisions for us. That is why we have a bill of rights.

George Washington said, “If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.” “Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.”

More recently Gerald Ford stated, "Government big enough to supply everything you need is big enough to take everything you have. The course of history shows us that as a government grows, liberty decreases."

We can no longer be bullied by a power-hungry government. We must no longer allow our taxes to be spent on stimulus packages the government can neither afford nor implement. No matter how good they are for us.

Is it my job to care for the widow and the orphan? Yes it is, but it is not government’s job to make me care for the widow and the orphan. This is the responsibility of the church and the individual. And we – the church, have failed on many fronts. First we have failed to speak truth with boldness, clarity and love, and secondly, we have been slow to follow through on Jesus’ command to take care of the least of these.

Are we selfish? Yes, we are, and we should weep over this sin. But the answer to our problems does not come by throwing money that we do not have at these problems. It certainly does not come from giving our earth more attention than we do her Creator. It comes only through repenting as a nation over our sin. This sin has been committed, not against the nations of the world, but against our God whom we have ignored. It is then and only then that our thinking will begin to rise from the gutter in which it now stagnates.

Maybe we should take our cue from the Old Testament which reads, “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14

You're Invited to Dinner

In many families the dinner table is a traditional space for sharing. One is likely to find laughter, inane banter, discipline and the recalling of events from the day.

Our family embraces this time-honored tradition; so one evening in accordance with dinner table bylaws I asked my 9-year-old son to tell his dad what he had done that day. Always the joker he responded with a crooked smile, “What do you mean Mom? I did a lot of things today.”

I gave him the look – the look that all moms give their irreverent children. I held his gaze for a moment before my easygoing husband interrupted, “Why don’t you tell me about your day, bud. How did it begin?”

With what appeared to be another stunt from his playbook my son tilted his head and spoke thoughtfully, “My day began by getting up. I never know whether to get up or stay in bed. I think it’s because I’m always so tired.”

I was prepared to pounce on his impudent reply before I recognized the sincerity in his voice. There was no hint of humor or sarcasm. In fact, it was as if he had been waiting all day for someone to come along and unlock the vault of his mind. My husband had cracked the safe with just the right combination of words. What he found was a wealth of information provided through a detailed accounting of our son’s rather routine day.

Moments like these remind me that my kids are interesting, fragile, and more than ready to share. However, I do not always find myself as tender and ready to listen. Their demands are so many and so frequent that I have difficulty maintaining a proper perspective where they are concerned.

I struggle consistently with how to block out the distractions children bring without blocking them out altogether. I want to hear my kids without it requiring a meltdown, a mediator or a disciplinarian, but too often this is exactly the point where I step in. Unfortunately, the result is that I sometimes miss the precious moments, the moments of innocence.

I long to really see my children and to see myself praising them for who they are and what they have done right rather than finding fault with them in their moments of weakness. Clearly, I must pay attention. I must resist the urge to say, “No, not now – later,” and I must not assume that my kids are headed down the path of mischief and mayhem. Why borrow trouble? There will be plenty of opportunities to correct them without anticipating imagined infractions.

Luke writes:
Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.Luke 6:37-38

I am challenged by this scripture. These very words give me pause when I am tempted to withhold from my children the grace which is extended to me each day.

While addressing this challenge our family will continue to set the table with exciting stories serving up both grace and correction along with a fair helping of sarcasm and wit. Beyond that my hope is for our table to be an open forum where family and friends linger and laugh. Isn’t that what we all desire – a warm space to share our lives and the freedom to be ourselves.

“Better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house full of feasting, with strife.”Proverb 17:1

A Beautiful Mind

My daughter loves arbitrary numbers. When the dogs are barking she will frequently say something like, “Maybe they’re barking at something 22 miles away.” When driving somewhere she often asks, “How much longer till we get there?” If I answer, “Just 30 minutes,” her reply is, “Well, at least it’s not 142 minutes.”

Optimistically put.

This fascination with numbers has an origination point I’m sure. But each time I come close to unraveling the mystery that accompanies my 3 foot 9 nine inch enigma, she throws me a blistering curve ball.

The other evening my husband and the boys were gone to soccer practice while the girls and I sat happily munching on pizza. Between bites my five-year-old chirped. “I’m smarter than Joel Caleb.”

Now this was a bold statement because Joel Caleb is one smart kid not to mention four years older than she is. Still I was curious to hear her logic; so attempting to guard her fragile ego I asked, “Why do think you are smarter than Joel Caleb?”

“I know I’m smarter because Joel Caleb doesn’t know that I eat paper.”

I sat there slack-jawed as she continued, “I try not to, but sometimes I still do eat paper,” she said with a mischievous grin.

Pushing the paper-eating comment to the back of my mind and trying to introduce reason I posed, “It’s not nice to say we’re smarter than somebody else.” But she couldn’t be stopped, so I gazed in amazement at my fiber-friendly munchkin while my seven-year-old giggled at the exchange.

“Well, I know I’m smarter about me because Joel Caleb doesn’t know what’s in my head. So I am smarter about my head.” She then elaborated on the anatomy of her brain. I must tell you; it was fascinating. “This part of my head is always counting, and it is so annoying. My forehead is always telling me to play my piano, and this part is telling me to take a bath,” she said while pointing to the different parts of her head.

She seemed exasperated after recounting the various functions of her brain. I just couldn’t get past the phrase, “This part of my head is always counting.” Ever trying to resolve the number mystery I wondered aloud, “What is it always counting?”

“It’s counting to a million,” she said reasonably.

“Do you even know how to count to a million?” I countered.

“No, but my head does!” she smiled.

So the number mystery remains hidden in an annoying region of my daughter’s brain. I can only assume the random number we hear at various times during any given day is not really random, but a number plucked from a series of numbers as her head cycles through one million over and over again.

Yes. I guess that would be pretty annoying.

When is it OK to Exploit Children?

Have you heard of Roman Polanski? Let me introduce you...

The filmmaker/pedephile was arrested Saturday, September 26th, regarding a three-decade-old underage sex case as he arrived to receive a lifetime achievement award at the Zurich film festival.

Celebrity, Debra Winger claims that the event was “exploited in an unfair fashion,” but last I recall it is the thirteen-year-old victim who was exploited – through use of drugs, alcohol and forcible sexual relations by a forty-four year old man who then fled to France the evening before his sentencing. This man now seventy-six is unrepentant and just “not sure if anyone was hurt.” Yes, those are his words.

His advocates claim we should let bygones be bygones. Others state that, “It’s really no big deal because we have so many other important items to deal with.” Since when is justice a choice? Do we give someone a pass because they are popular, or because they claim to be an artist given to the radical circumstances of the times?

We as a society should condemn those who support a pedephile like Roman Polanski. And I mean we should be taking down names! I’m disgusted by some of the articles I’ve read listing celebrities and public officials who support this fugitive of justice. I’m shocked by the people I’ve heard call into radio programs to justify Polanski’s actions and attack our justice system’s recent arrest.

How is it that we reward criminals and admire their outstanding achievement in business while ignoring their moral depravity? This man was set to receive a lifetime achievement award for his work as a director in film. He has scores of followers crying out for his release. But where are the voices crying out for the children? Where are the voices that demand justice?

Let me be clear. This is not about Roman Polanski.Is it any wonder that there still exists in our world the wholesale exploitation of people through the slave trade? We have set the table for the appetites of those who continue to degrade women and young children. We need only look as far as our own computer and the bloodlust of the Porn industry. To borrow a quote from Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu in his recent UN address, “Have we no shame? Have we no decency?”

Below are a few statistics concerning modern day slavery and human trafficking. I would ask that as you read them you first consider your own children, and then that you please pray considering how learning these statistics might move you to action.

Lord have mercy on us. We have excused ourselves through ignorance for too long.

Statistics:
An estimated 27 million people are held in slavery worldwide, meaning there are more people enslaved in the world now than were taken from Africa during 300 years of the trans-Atlantic slave trade.

After drug trafficking, human trafficking is tied with the illegal arms trade as the second largest criminal industry in the world, and it is the fastest growing. (hhs)

Approximately 800,000 to 900,000 victims are annually trafficked across international borders worldwide. (Dept of State)

In the United States alone, it is estimated that there are 200,000 slaves.

The average price of individual slaves is less than a new cell phone or about $90. (nfs)

By 2010, Human Trafficking will be the # 1 crime worldwide. (Dept of State)

Every 10 minutes, one person is trafficked into the U.S. Around the World, a victim is exploited every minute.

Each year, more than 1 million children are exploited in the global commercial sex trade. Approximately 80 percent are women and girls and up to 50 percent are minors. (Dept of State)

The majority of transnational victims are trafficked into commercial sexual exploitation. (Dept. of State)

13 is the average age of entry into pornography and prostitution in the USA. (FBI)

(*Source for statistics http://www.free-international.org/)
For more information check out: http://www.notforsalecampaign.org/

I agree with the French President...who'd of thought?

I wrote this note a week ago during the UN summit and after recent statements by French President Nicolas Sarkozy I've decided to post my own commentary regarding current U.S. foreign policy. Here goes:

President Obama’s foreign policy appears naive at best and dangerous at worst. The administration’s most recent decision to scrap the ground base missile defense shield for Eastern Europe telegraphs a posture of indifference toward our allies and panders dangerously to our enemies. Likewise our approach to strategic arms reduction at this point in time puts our national security and that of our allies at great risk – at risk because those to whom we would make ourselves vulnerable do not adhere to the same rules.

We endanger our own citizens as The United States caves to world pressure to be nice and play fair. Our longtime allies – Poland, The Czech Republic and Israel sense betrayal, and these friends are certain to bear the brunt of our attempts to court dictators like Hugo Chavez, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and Kim Jong-il. And for what do we trade our friends? Is it the reputation as a tolerant, world-conscious United States, or is it for treaties with pompous leaders who would use our Chamberlain-like acquiescence to move forward with their own maniacal plans – nuclear proliferation and the like?

Has history taught us nothing? Is it possible that diplomats think so much of themselves that they believe they can make mad people sane by catering to their whims and entertaining their lunacy? This is the height of arrogance. This pride and denial of reality is what put Europe in danger in the 1930s and set the stage for fiends like Hitler, Stalin and Mussolini.

I suppose many are tired of hearing references to the WWII era, but they bear repeating. We are following in the footsteps of a weak and woeful Great Britain weighed down by the ineptitude of Neville Chamberlain. But the stakes are far greater today as we deal with an unparalleled access to information and technology – technology which can cripple and kill from thousands of miles away or be carried lightly in a suitcase.

Have we imagined that man’s consciousness has evolved since the 1930s? Have we gone mad? Evil is still evil. Men still thirst for power and will seek to promote themselves to the detriment of others when left unchecked. There is no negotiating with mad men. They understand nothing, but their own lusts. They respect nothing but the fear they incite, and they will hear no voice but their own.

Appeasement is futile.

The Delinquent Tooth Fairy

You know your kids are growing up when they begin to dispense with make-believe characters like the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy. Now Santa Claus is a little more difficult to let go of, but the Tooth Fairy – let’s just say my son has no problem throwing her under the bus.

My oldest son is nine and reason is beginning to settle in his mind leaving less room for childish notions. Recently he lost a tooth, and like most children his age, he assumes this means money in his pocket via his pillow. We have yet to address this sense of entitlement.

After the initial excitement of the lost tooth began to fade my son approached me with a look of diplomacy. “Mom, since we both know who the Tooth Fairy really is, I just want to remind you that I’m putting my tooth under my pillow tonight. I don’t want you to forget because last time I got really frustrated when the Tooth Fairy didn’t come – for a LONG time.” After this tender reprimand, he walked off to examine his toothless grin.

I had been dressed down by my nine-year-old son. He was right of course. The tardy Fairy was derelict in her duty by about two weeks (please don’t judge the Fairy). Poor boy kept looking under his pillow every morning to find nothing but his little baby tooth. I kept telling him the Tooth Fairy probably couldn’t get into his room because all the windows were closed. He wasn’t buying it.

Eventually the tooth disappeared, but nothing took its place. We would discover later that it had slipped down into the abyss under my son’s bed. I determined this time I would not forget about the tooth. The Fairy had been put on notice.

Throughout the rest of the day I continued to receive little notes from my son delivered on scraps of paper and napkins. The first note was delivered via airmail. It spiraled down from the loft and landed at my feet. I picked it up and read, “De-spare tooth...under pillow.” My son explained that it was an adaptation of a joke about a very sad car tire, De-spare tire. Ha!

After a long day I crawled into my bed ready for a good night’s sleep. I leaned over to my nightstand to grab a book and found scrawled on a napkin, “Don’t forget about my tooth.” A smile caught my lips; I shook my head in disbelief and proceeded to read my book.

After all of that, there is no justifying the inaction that followed. Despite many reminders the Tooth Fairy remained true to form. Attribute it to ADD or pure exhaustion, but the Fairy did not visit the pillow of the toothless boy that evening or the next. Lazy Fairy! The Poor little tooth was bound to lie in despair under my son’s pillow a little while longer. And due to the Fairy’s gross negligence, taxes, and tooth inflation, I suppose my son is now “entitled” to a larger payday.

Do Over!

We homeschool.

This statement elicits a myriad of responses and suggests as many teaching styles.

Homeschool stereotypes are not hard to come by. Some suit us, others do not. I’m not sure that you could label us a typical homeschool family, because no two are alike. The most common characteristic of families who homeschool is they are Independent.

Given that disclaimer, it shouldn’t be too surprising that my children are fairly independent learners, but like any child they require good instruction to point them in the right direction.

One particular morning my newly initiated second-grader was demonstrating just such independence. She had been attacking her math all morning, completing three days of assignments (6 pages) in one sitting without my prompting. While I busied myself with varied household duties she moved on to Grammar.

Between Laundry and dishes I wandered over to check on her and discovered that she had entered unfamiliar territory. She was faced with putting a group of words in alphabetical order.

The directions were clear enough to me but baffled my daughter. Being the self-starter that she is, she moved forward performing the task as best she knew how without asking for my help.

She took the list of five words she was given – EAT, ORANGE, ABOVE, GRAPE and BANANA and instead of placing the group in ABC order, she alphabetized each word. EAT became AET, ORANGE became AEGNOR...well you get the picture! She had done an excellent job in HER assessment of the situation, and I praised her for her ingenuity; however she did not complete the task assigned. She had misunderstood and consequently had to do it again. It was an understandable mistake, but a mistake nonetheless, which resulted in having to start over.

How often have I with the best of intentions moved forward on my own accord doing just what I thought was best or necessary and made a great mess of things simply because I misinterpreted a situation or flat out didn’t understand? I wish life was as easy as Grammar. Just read the directions, follow the instructions, and at the end of the day wad up the pieces of life that I did wrong, throw them away and start over.

I spend so much time agonizing over the consequences of my actions real and imagined that I often make things worse through my worry or attempts to make things right. Though I can’t cite a “do over” and change my past I can admit to my error and ask forgiveness for a wrong and clear direction for the future.

The Psalmist King David writes of God:

"he does not treat us as our sins deserve or
repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
Psalm 103:10-12

John writes:

"The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, 'Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women.' But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger.

When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, 'If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.' Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there.

Jesus straightened up and asked her, 'Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?' 'No one, sir,' she said. 'Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. 'Go now and leave your life of sin.'"
John 8:3-11

What incredibly good news! Through Jesus, God has given us a “do over.” If we confess our sin before him and leave it behind, he no longer holds it against us. We may not be able to undo our mistakes big or small, but we can start over with a better understanding.

That is why I am thankful for the Bible which introduces us to God, reminds us of his faithfulness through past generations and enlightens us of his promises for our future. Through this guide He provides clear direction for anything we will encounter and grants us an unparalleled opportunity to start over – with better instructions!