Swing Life Away

What does it mean to live the simple life? I think it means having a child-like excitement about the everyday things.

I was recently introduced to the song Swing Life Away by Rise Against. The words that really jumped out at me are as follows:



We live on front porches and swing life away.
We get by just fine here on minimum wage.

Maybe nothing too profound. Except that no one seems to get it.

"We live on front porches and swing life away." I have this amazing memory from my childhood. This memory is of sitting on my friend Nancy's porch swing, drinking lemonade, and enjoying conversation with this sweet older lady. I have plenty of other memories of spending time swinging on her porch swing, enjoying the breeze on sunny days. Simple. But why does that memory stay when so many other childhood memories are gone? It was special to me as a child, and still is.

So living the simple life may mean having a child-like excitement about the things in life. But the problem is, I think even kids today are missing that. Working at a children's party facility opened my eyes to a whole world of materialism that I never would have imagined. To say it's wrong to have a fun birthday party jumping on inflatables with friends is not my goal, nor do I believe that. (I've had my fair share of parties there, and I enjoy the environment ; ) ) But coordinating the parties for two year olds with 30+ gift bearing friends is an experience. As the mom carries out a load of battery run gadgets, video games, and bicycles she often calls out, "Thanks! We'll be back next year!" I always wonder what will be left to give that child on his third birthday. A cell phone? What about his 10th birthday? A car?

It also makes me wonder if the two year old has any concept of the fact that a fun day can consist of sitting in a sand box with a cardboard box and a stick for hours on end. Or sitting on a porch swing drinking lemonade with an older lady.

A few months ago my friend Ray, an older gentleman in my church, was telling me about his birthdays as a child. He described walking down the stairs on the big day, his excitement growing with each step. The source of this excitement? When he got downstairs into the kitchen, his mom would give him a kiss, smile and say, "Happy Birthday. I love you!". And maybe, if it was a good year, there would be a cake in the oven.

I compare this to the chaotic party room filled with jealous, crying two year olds and the birthday boy, covered in a pile of expensive toys, who can barely open another gift because of the overwhelming environment. I compare a kiss on the cheek and a happy birthday wish from a loving mom to a party that eventually adds up to several hundred dollars EVERY. SINGLE. YEAR. And it makes me wonder what is wrong with us. We've forgotten the joy of simplicity. Not only have we forgotten it, we have robbed our children of it.

"We get by just fine here on minimum wage." Contentment is not often the forte of the American people seeking the "American Dream", and beyond. But nothing is as satisfying as being content in "whatsoever state you are in". (Phil. 4:11) Maybe kids require a more extravagant birthday party every year because their parents require a more extravagant lifestyle every year. Maybe kids are discontent with their toys because parents are discontent with THEIR toys (a new car here, a new house there). Kids have been taught that happiness can be bought. And they've been taught that by example. In case you didn't know, happiness can't be bought. And that's why materialism never ends. We think, "Oh if I could just have or do THAT , I'd be happy." And once we have or have done THAT there is always another THAT to have or do. And so true happiness always barely escapes us because we throw out the contentment that happiness requires. Children have been blessed with a natural appreciation for the simple things. Let's learn from that instead of training them out of it.

My hope for my friends and family is that you would all love living simply and find happiness in the everyday things. I hope the kids in my life know what to do when they're handed a cardboard box. I hope they have experienced a world made out of rocks. I hope they know that a Weeping Willow tree can provide days of happiness and entertainment and that a sandbox is where the real fun happens. I hope they realize that a kiss and "Happy Birthday. I love you!" from mom is worth excitement in every step to get to it. And I hope they know that to swing life, or the afternoon, away on a porch swing with a glass of lemonade is happiness.

"... Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands..." 1 Thess 4:11

Love me or hate me. Take it or leave it. My thoughts on Twilight.

Twilight. As the next movie gets closer, I see the excitement rising from many of my girl friends. And shockingly, from some of my guy friends too. The guys I don't really understand, but I understand the following this series has from young women. I get the teeny-bopper girl appeal. Edward (in some sick way) is what girls want. He is a mysterious man who comes out of nowhere to love and rescue his girl.

I read all four books and I saw the first movie three times. That's when I started to realize that my Twilight obsession needed to end. Actually, that's not true. I realized my Twilight obsession needed to end a little ways into the first book. But Twilight, for me, was addicting. And it was the kind of book that I HAD to know the ending to. I couldn't put it down. I enjoyed it. Yet even as I enjoyed it I read it with a nagging feeling that maybe I shouldn't be enjoying it. I gave up the Twilight series- movies, books, Team Jacob fan club membership- all of it.

What do I have against Twilight? This could be a book.

I am no feminist, but I hate that the "heroine" is portrayed as weak and clumsy and that she finds her worth in a man (if you can call him a "man"). I hate that the book is so poorly written but somehow draws its readers in. I hate that Bella is so annoying. I hate that Edward sparkles. I hate that Jacob falls in love with a baby. I hate that Bella constantly has guys chasing her down. I hate the hundreds of millions of times that Bella refers to Edward as "god-like", "angelic", and "beautiful". I hate that it's somehow OK for Edward to switch moods and become angry for no reason. I hate that Jacob never seems to be able to find a shirt (we wouldn't want him to rip another one!). I hate that Bella is suicidal when Edward leaves her. I hate that Edward would like nothing better than to eat Bella because she is somehow extra tasty. I hate that Bella would be alright with being eaten. I hate that Bella uses guys to her own advantage and ditches them as she wishes. I hate that the human men in her life were not enough for her. And I HATE the "spida monkey" quote.

As you go to watch Eclipse, let me just give you a little food for thought. There are only two things I PASSIONATELY hate about the Twilight series.

The first is that for some reason the Christian community has adopted this series as pure and even as a Christian series.

Why? Because they wait until after they're married to have sex. But please tell me that we don't have that skewed of a view of purity. Purity is a lifestyle, before and after marriage. Purity does not equal not having sex before you're married.

Edward and Bella do not live a lifestyle of purity. They want to 1. have sex and 2. eat each other (perhaps another portrayal of sex, in the guise of sucking blood). The only thing that keeps them from this is Edward's morals, because Bella doesn't mind not waiting. They may have waited, but certainly not from a lack of dwelling on it.

In the 80s as homosexuality started creeping into our media and entertainment, Christians were concerned and made a stand. Now as occult, blood sucking, people/animal attraction themes enter our media and entertainment, Christians find a way to make it Christian! What will be next? And will we even notice?

Twilight is about lust. It is about lusting after what is forbidden- the forbidden fruit that has always haunted us and caused us to sin.

The second thing that I passionately hate about Twilight is that many say it has a prolife message. This, quite bluntly, makes me ill. Bella becomes pregnant with Edward's child- half human, half vampire. The baby is attacking/eating her from within but she "chooses life". PEOPLE, what is WRONG with us?! There are a lot of things I could say. But let us STOP comparing a monster vampire eating its mother from the womb and born in a blood bath to the prolife message. This does not help the prolife cause. This is not a prolife story. And to be honest, I'm offended when I hear that Twilight has a prolife theme.

All of that said, I actually don't have a problem with people going to see Eclipse. We all make movie choices daily. My personal choice is to stay away from Twilight because from past experience I know how involved I get in it. One thing I ask of the Christian community- please do not make the assumption or claim that Twilight is a good or Christian series because its pro abstinence and prolife. I would like to think that the Christian young women of today have purer thoughts and hearts than the so-called pure Bella Swan. I would like to think that the Christian young men of today are stronger leaders with more pure intentions toward their Christian sisters than the so called pure Edward Cullen. And I would like to think that the prolife movement has much more to stand on than the life of a monster baby eating its mom.

Oh, and I prefer UNsparkly men who actually wear shirts.

Phil 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.

Education is Considered Anti Choice

http://bluewavenews.com/2010/05/24/norfolk-principal-gave-students-fetus-dolls/

Handing out "fetus dolls" in school is a reason to be put on administrative leave? Because that sounds EDUCATIONAL to me. "The card accompanying the doll described the first 12 weeks of fetal development." Is that not science? It sounds to me like maybe the school was actually doing its job- educating children on the science of fetal development.

“Some people think my life began at birth; but my life’s journey began long before I was born …” This is called truth. It's sad when a place of "education" is required to hide the truth from its students. It just goes to show that the pro choice movement is built on LIES. Lies that have infiltrated the public education system. What are children to believe? That *poof* on the day they were born they were just there? By all means do not explain to them that they developed in the womb before that, because that would be "anti choice".

Anti choice, in my eyes, would be hiding the truth of fetal development from children. If they don't have the facts, how do we expect them to make informed choices? Lying is easier, because then they will make the uninformed choice that the "pro choice" movement wants.

People are so blind that they think an unborn child is "disturbing to see". Let's show kids pictures of the blobs they "evolved from" but make sure they do not see thel creation they were in their mother's womb. Help them understand that they were once apes, but leave out the months before birth.

"Teaching students science based and medically approved sex education is out of bounds, but giving 8-10 year old children fetuses and promoting anti-choice propaganda is somehow acceptable to many on the right."

No, teaching children how to use condoms and have sex is out of bounds. Teaching them very basic science about the development of human beings is the JOB of educators.

Kudos to Ms. Holas for educating kids. Shame on the administration for promoting ignorance.

What I Learned From Rudy

What is God's best? And are you enjoying it?

I once heard that the goal in life should be to know God and to enjoy Him forever. I can't think of a greater goal. I would add that the goal should be to glorify Him and fulfill His purpose.

In a society of "follow your dreams" and "let your heart lead you", I wonder if we have become so blind to our true purpose that we try to fit God into our own dreams and goals, rather than fitting our dreams and goals into God's plan.

I watched the movie "Rudy" with my dad last night. I love the movie and think it's a cool story. But I have never seen it the way I saw it this time. Consider the fact that my view on this is only from the movie, and I don't know how closely the movie follows real life. Rudy is the picture of "follow your dreams" and "let your heart lead you". As a boy he dreamed of playing football for his favorite college team- Notre Dame. Rudy's dream was not unlike most young boys' dreams, whether they dream of being astronauts or football players or the President of the United States. What was different about Rudy? He did everything in his power to live his dream, and accomplished it. Sort of.

You see, Rudy wasn't that great at football. In fact, he was kind of bad at it. Not to mention the fact that he didn't have the grades to go to Notre Dame, let alone as a football player. But his life wasn't all that bad. He had a family and a job and a girl (who had every hope and intention of being his wife). But for Rudy, that was not enough. Rudy wanted to play football for Notre Dame, as he had wished from boyhood. So he quit his job, left his family and ditched his would-be bride. He spent years trying to get good enough grades to attend Notre Dame. He was homeless, broke and relatively alone. Eventually Rudy did get into Notre Dame, and to everyone's disbelief (quite literally) he made the football team. But he never got to play. Until the last game when the crowd cheered him onto the field.. for about 10 seconds. Everyone told Rudy he couldn't do it. His parents advised against it, his girlfriend begged him not to go, and everyone along the way doubted him.

So he did it! Right? Sure, if his dream was to spend years of his life studying and trying to get good enough grades just so he could be on the football team. If his dream was to leave behind his family and friends back home to pursue a nearly impossible goal. If his dream was to give up the girl he "loved" (eventually to his brother) to play 10 seconds of a football game. If his dream was to tell the world that nothing mattered more than playing Notre Dame Football.

Personally, I don't think Rudy was created to be a football player. It's cool that he followed his heart and fulfilled a childhood dream. But what did he give up along the way? Did he really receive God's best for his life?

I think we get Rudy syndrome sometimes. We don't realize how good we have it. Instead, we run off chasing after dreams that have little to do with God's purpose for us. I believe God has a plan for each person, if we will only seek it. I don't believe God hides His plans from us- in fact, He makes them clear to us if we really want to see them.

I was reminded of this verse the other day: Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands.. 1 Thess. 4:11

I've seen it many times but it really hit me this time. What is my ambition? If you know me at all, you know that I don't believe Christians should only be concerned for their own quiet lives. No, I believe Christians should be in every sphere of society- even in the most powerful positions- influencing this world for the better. But what is the ultimate goal of influencing society? To live and to help others live quiet lives, attending to our own business and working with our hands. One brother at Pleasant Valley always prays that we may lead quiet lives glorifying God. There is really something to that. Does living a quiet life mean hiding ourselves away from the world? No. I believe it means living in accordance to God's purpose. Live quietly rather than seeking fame, fortune, education and prestige for the sake of personal fulfillment.

When we seek power, prestige, education and influence for the sake of fulfilling a personal dream, that is when we lose God's best for our lives. Why do you do what you do? Why do you have the ambitions that you have? If you're good at law, please pursue a career as a lawyer for the purpose of glorifying God. If your calling is medicine, become a doctor to glorify God. If you are a mother, focus on your children in order to glorify God. If you are good at football, by all means use that realm of influence to God's glory. But if you're not good at football, do not pursue it just to follow your heart or to pursue a childhood dream.

I do not know Sarah Palin's heart. But as I was thinking on this topic I couldn't stop her from coming to mind. She is a woman that has gained prestige. She obviously has a natural gift of leadership and is using it in the political sphere. But it makes me wonder what her childhood dream was. Did Sarah want to be a mom? Governor of Alaska? President of the United States? And can she really have it all? What was and is God's plan for Sarah?

I think I'll end by saying that God gives us dreams, goals and aspirations for a reason. I do not believe it's wrong to dream of what we could be. I don't think it's wrong to pursue dreams. But I do know that God knew each of us before we were born, and He has a plan for each one.

Jer. 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you", declares the Lord.

God did not leave us to wonder what to do with our lives. He gave us His Word, the Bible, for a reason. Yes, we will have dreams as children. But do they line up with Scripture? He gave us godly people to turn to for advice. Who are you listening to? He gave us prayer so that we could seek His will. Do we use that avenue?

Don't give up God's best for your life. Don't pursue childish hopes and dreams when they take you away from reality. Don't follow your heart when it leads you away from a life filled with knowing God, fulfilling His purpose, glorifying Him and enjoying Him forever.

Sunny Potluck Sunday

Skunks Vs Babies

-Initiative 160, sponsored by Footloose Montana, would prohibit recreational and commercial trapping of wild mammals and birds on public lands in Montana. State signature tally: 4,669.-

- Constitutional Initiative 102, sponsored by the Montana ProLife Coalition, would amend the state constitution to define “person” to include every human being from the beginning of a human being’s biological development, effectively outlawing abortion. State signature tally: 5,073.-

I just read a message from Cal Zastrow and Pershonhood USA and this really made me think. Here we have two initiatives. One would define babies as persons. One would stop the trapping of mammals and birds on public property.

I'm very interested in the results. Have we gone far enough away from common sense and justice that skunks and rabbits will have more rights on public land than babies in their mothers' wombs? Will Montana declare through the votes and signatures of its people that mammals have more importance to them than their innocent unborn children?

40 states have followed the example of Colorado by starting Personhood movements. This is Colorado's second time placing a Personhood Amendment on the ballot. Some say last time was a failure. I can't disagree more. Colorado was the first to legalize abortion, and now is leading the country in ending it. I see God's hand in that, and I know He is with the effort. If we truly believe that abortion is never the right choice, then we have nothing to lose by backing the effort to end it.

So, Montana, will you sign and vote to save the skunks and squirrels and rabbits? Or will you sign and vote to save the babies?

http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/05/06/how-the-pill-liberated-my-mother-and-me/?icid=mainwelcomedl8link3http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/05/06/how-the-pill-liberated-my-mother-and-me/

Happy Mother's Day, Mom! Thanks for helping me NOT have kids! Thanks for showing me that I can be "liberated" by the lack of children. Thanks for helping me understand that the choice to kill off my children is even better than being a mom. Oh, and thanks for making sure I know that I'm a "mistake"...or "a planned accident".

This would be a really disgusting joke. The scary thing is, she's not even kidding.

Sometimes my brother puts things into perspective better than I can hope to. "That's like... You tried to kill me with a gun because you didn't want more kids, so now I'm pro-gun!"

We celebrate the lack of children. We celebrate the ability to prevent them. And we celebrate the fact that we can kill them before they are safely born.

This Sunday let's celebrate children, and pray for more of them. Let's celebrate the ability to be fruitful and bear many children. And for those who can't, let's thank God for the gift of adoption. Let's celebrate the fact that God knew these blessings before He formed them in the womb.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom. Thanks for helping me love children and greatly desire the role of mother. Thanks for showing me that God gives His people great joy through the blessing of children. Thanks for helping me understand that killing a child is never the right choice and that nothing can compare to the love a mother has for her child. And thank you for always letting me know that you love and appreciate me and that you see me as a gift from God, and that I am not a mistake- or even a planned accident.

Happy Mother's Day. Celebrate motherhood, celebrate children, celebrate life.