Just to chat

Hey, Everyone. I hope you are enjoying your summer. Just wanted to share a few words. Nothing really important. What do you think of the new blog header? I created that with Stampin' UP!'s new My Digital Studio. I am very slowly getting the hang of using their digital crafting software. It's fairly intuitive, but I am a slow learner. It doesn't help that I don't get on it enough to really practice. I need to so I can teach John and Nathan how to use it for scrapbooking and school projects. I need to do some Christmas presents on it too.

Um, on a totally different note, can I say I love the Pioneer Woman's recipes. So straight forward, non-fussy, but totally de-lish. I just made her meatloaf on Friday. Super yum, but I would suggest using only half the amount of salt and seasoning salt she calls for. I learned my lesson about salt in most recipes with another meatloaf recipe by someone else. Can we say way tooo salty. So I usually err on the side of less salt. I also made her Rosemary rolls. Oh, my. Yum, yum, yum! Okay too yummy cause I ate like 3 of them. I so do not need to eat three rolls at any time. Hence my walk around my neighborhood and the one down the hill this evening. It felt good.

On a homeschooling note, I think I am dreading this school year already. We school pretty much all year, but I do a very very light schedule in the Summer: math and reading. We got behind on our history reading this past year, so we have been catching up. Please tell me someone else's sons take 1 1/2 -2 hours to do their math. Now I am not talking about hard stuff here. We are talking basic addition and subtraction for 1st and 3th grade, basic multiplication and division for Nathan too. And can anyone tell me why my oldest can speed through this in less than 30 minutes one day , and then low and behold it takes him 3 times as long the next two days? It's getting ridiculous. John just sits and twiddles his thumbs, looks at the wall, pays attention to Nathan, or whines. I'm sorry but math is not a flashy thing. It's not something you can make too super exciting. You just have to learn the basic facts.

How in the world are we going to get through our school day and do writing, history, Bible, math, current events, science, field trips, co-op classes, and what not if they can't do their work promptly? I need electric shock therapy on their chairs, so I can gently zap them when they are idle. Okay, I am totally joking about that. :)

UPDATE: well, my boys have been brought back to me and the alien imposters have gone back home. Wednesday both boys did their math in under 30 min. John who has been the worst at dawdling got his done in 15 minutes!!! Nathan finished his problems (he had quite a few and he has to write them down too) in a little less than 25 minutes. Hallelujah!! I told them they had 30 min to get it done and they were to keep that pencil moving, head thinking, and no talking. We'll see if they can repeat that tomorrow. Oh, I pray they do. I told them that what they did on Wed. needs to be the new normal not the exception. We'll see. God, please let that become the new normal!!

I am praying for guidance on how to sell my handmade goods. I really really want to sell my cards and gift ensembles. I am running out of room to put stuff I have made too;). I have so much fun making stuff, but I know I need to keep my focus on God, my family, homeschooling and the like. I need a very flexible venue for selling that has good visibility but very low fees. My other blog isn't cutting it, cause no one visits it. Can you spread the word about it? Please, please, pretty please! See my header or sidebar to find it. Oh, but wait, maybe no one visits here either. :(

Etsy.com gets a lot of hits, but I need a way to distinguish myself from the rest. One of the reason's I worked on new Title header graphics here was to prepare for maybe using that venue. I want it to look professional. And then there is the dilemma of shipping. I hate that it costs so much to ship something 3-D. Card shipping is relatively cheap, about $1.50 or so to ship in a small padded envelope. Add another $.50 for each additional card. But to package up a gift ensemble or stationary set and you get into some fairly good expense; at least $5 minimum. I just want to cover the cost of my supplies when selling this stuff and a small profit to allow our family some fun money; you know, money for a meal out, movie, outings to parks like the zoo or a national park/cave, etc. Play money. But no one has a lot of extra money for getting stuff shipped. I know I only buy stuff online anymore unless they are running free shipping with another discount promo.

Any ideas would be helpful on how to do this. Etsy.com charges a fee to list each individual item, and then a small fee on sales. The listing fee is for 4 months. So if an item doesn't sell in 4 months, you have to pay the fee again to keep it listed. I guess I could put up my best cards and see what happens. I just need a good way to get the word out about my store, whether it's my blog or Etsy.com or Ebay.

UPDATE: I decided to donate most of the cards I had for sale to my church for the senior sunday school class to use. They send out birthday cards and other cards to all church members, so I figured they would appreciate them. I am going to focus on making more gift items for my friends and if I made an extra or two I might post them on Etsy or something to sell.

Okay well I gotta go to bed. Been up way to long already. Talk to you soon later. Thanks for letting me ramble. Not sure who is out there looking at this blog, but I am glad you are there. Good night.

Happy July 4th. It's America's Birthday!!

It's America's Birthday so to speak tomorrow. I am so honored to live in a country founded on the Godly principles of freedom, liberty, life, and the opportunity to pursue happiness. I am very saddened these days by the bent of our Federal Government to go against these principles. They have been traveling in that direction now since the early 1900's with President Woodrow Wilson and all who have followed him. Our Federal Government has become a lot like the King we declared our independence from in 1776. Our Federal Government today does not listen to us. They enact laws whose intent is to take away our freedoms, our rights to life, and the pursuit of happiness. Our President and our elected representatives and senators do not listen to the will of the people when we call them, write them and tell them that we do not want higher taxes, Healthcare/Obamacare, Cap and Tax, Financial Reform (aka punish business owners), and the confirmation of nominees to the Supreme Court who are clearly activist and unqualified to sit on the Supreme Court. They snub their noses at we the people. They are not interested in upholding our rights, protecting us from foreign threats and threats in our own country (securing our borders and fighting terrorism). Instead they are only interested in their pursuit of power and creating an ever more centralized and socialized government that seeks to confiscate our property, our hard earned income to redistribute to those they think have been slighted, and punishing us for our country's success and accomplishments.

We need to seriously think about another Revolution of sorts, not to get rid of the government that was established in 1776 and after the Revolutionary war when the Constitution was drafted and ratified, but to reinstate it as the law of the land again. We need to repeal several of our amendments, like the one that allows Senators to be elected directly by the people so as to reassert states rights and checks and balances in the government, the amendment that gave Congress the right to a federal income tax, and also the provision that makes our country legally bound by provisions of treaties made with foreign countries. We need to get out of the UN and disband that bastion of terrorism and anti-American policies.

Read the Declaration of Independence and our Founding Father's grievances with the King and England. See if a lot of those things don't ring true to what is going on with our own President and Congress today. They are doing the very same things to us. How long will we let them bring us under tyranny. How much will you allow us to suffer before we say, "ENOUGH" and "NO MORE!" ? It's time to rally around our founding principles and tell Congress we aren't going to let them continue in their tyranny. It's time they get their powers from the consent of the governed again, instead of taking it through unjust laws and policies. It's time to wake up, America and live as a country UNDER GOD, self governing ourselves according to biblical principles.

Happy Birthday, America! May God reign in our country again and restore his hand of blessing and grace.


IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America
When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

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. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected, whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States, that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. — And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.

— John Hancock

New Hampshire:
Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton

Massachusetts:
John Hancock, Samuel Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry

Rhode Island:
Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery

Connecticut:
Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott

New York:
William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris

New Jersey:
Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark

Pennsylvania:
Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross

Delaware:
Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas McKean

Maryland:
Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll of Carrollton

Virginia:
George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton

North Carolina:
William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn

South Carolina:
Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton

Georgia:
Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton

Happy Mother's Day to all the Mom's out there!!

Found this precious poem on Lauren Meador's blog today. Super sweet and too true. I thought it was neat. Although some days are tough as a mom, it is by far the most rewarding job ever. If we could all just embrace this role and make the most of it, just think what a difference we would make in our homes, our communities and the world if we did this job with all our heart and enjoyed every moment of it. God has given us a great blessing to be mom's. It is a hard job, but because of it, we influence so much more than we ever could out in the work force. You leave a bigger imprint, have much more creativity, have more power (given by God), and more precious memories than could ever be found by doing something else somewhere else. We need to keep our hearts at home in God's hands and embrace the beauty of motherhood.

I am so thankful for my mom, who truly embraced and loved every minute of being my mom. She still embraces being a mom and now a Grammie to my two sweet boys. I am so thankful for her tender loving care, her bright smile, her cheerleading, her sweet and giving heart, and her confidence in me. She is the best and I can only hope to be as good a mom as she was to me. Thanks, Mom for all you have done for me and all the sweet memories we have yet to share. I love you.

Here is the poem I found. Enjoy. Have a great Mother's Day.

Before I was a Mom,

I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.

I didn’t worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.

I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom -

I had never been puked on.

Pooped on.

Chewed on.

Peed on.

I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts.

I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom,

I never held down a screaming child so doctors could do

tests

Or give shots.

I never looked into teary eyes and cried.

I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.

I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom,

I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn’t want to

put her down.

I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I

couldn’t

stop the hurt.

I never knew that something so small could affect my life so

much.

I never knew that I could love someone so much.

I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom -

I didn’t know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.

I didn’t know how special it could feel to feed a hungry

baby.

I didn’t know that bond between a mother and her child.

I didn’t know that something so small could make me feel so

important and happy.

Before I was a Mom -

I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10

minutes to make sure all was okay.

I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the

heartache,

the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.

I didn’t know I was capable of feeling so much, before I

was a

Mom.

MDS practice card

Here is a quick little practice card I just created using My Digital Studio. Kind of neat. Just getting the hang of this. It's supposed to be simple, and it is kind of. Thought I would share.

Happy Easter!

Christ is Risen; He is Risen indeed!! Thanks be to God for his glorious grace given to us on the cross. I am so thankful that my sins have been paid for in full. Christ's work on the cross is totally complete. It not only bought me forgiveness, but it works to make my calling in Christ complete. Christ didn't just make it possible for me to be saved, it does all the work to save me. God in his love decided to choose me before the foundation of the world to be a part of his family. Not because he looked down the corridor of time and saw that I would choose him or do something worthwhile to make a good addition to his family, but only because HE chose to set his love on me for no other reason but for his glory. He never had to choose anyone. He doesn't need us. He chose me in love before the foundation of the world only for his glory. So he knew that Christ would have to pay for my sins and make that calling effectual. And Christ's death and resurrection makes that happen. I don't exercise some faith that I was born with, God changed my heart through the work of the Holy Spirit. I got a heart that was no longer dead in my sin nature, but now I was alive and could then live for Christ and choose him. Faith came after I was regenerated in my heart/soul. Awesome. I love that I have an awesome, sovereign God like that. That is the kind of Lord I want to worship and serve all my life.

Hallelujah! Christ is risen. I am glad that my Lord and Saviour lives, and isn't dead. And I will live eternally with him in heaven some day. I am looking forward to that very much. Come Lord Jesus, come.

Hope you had a Happy Easter and rejoiced in what God made possible for you through the death and resurrection of his Son, Jesus Christ. We had a good day with family and having fun enjoying some awesome weather. Spring is here!

In Light of the New Socialist Health Care Law... Some things to think about

In light of the new Socialist Health Care Law that was just enacted un-Constitutionally this Sunday and Tuesday, we need to seriously think about what it means to provide for our families in a God honoring way. I entreat you to read the following I received from a wonderful source, Vision Forum, and start thinking about this mandate from God: that we provide for our families, widows and orphans and others in need in the body of Christ. We as a church in America have sadly abdicated this mandate to the state for too long. We have not followed God's way, and have selfishly given ourselves over to the gods of money, laziness, selfishness, and greed. Please take a moment to read the below letter and evaluate as a family your finances and expenses on health care. See where you can cut waste and greed. Teach your children the value and godliness of hard work and good health, because under these new laws that our government is passing without our consent, it is going to be much harder for our children to provide even the most basic of needs for themselves and their families when they become adults. Their future starts now with your godly example and teaching them to be responsible, god fearing, praying, Bible reading, hard working, money-saving boys and girls. They need to see you sacrifice wants so they can learn to sacrifice wants. You need to sit down as a family and discuss what is going on in our world and country and decide as a family to get back to Biblical principles and live sacrificially. Do it as a family. Share the vision with your church family. The church needs to start thinking in the ways defined below and mentioned above. God, I do believe, is pouring out judgement and calling his people to repent. Do not ignore him. Our country can only remain a free country to the extent we live our lives according to the Bible and for God's glory. Don't consider these things just as a way to preserve your family and your lifestyle. Consider these things to bring glory and honor to the one whom you claim is Lord, first and foremost.

It is going to require a lot of sacrifice and self denial to do these things. My husband and I are checking out the information given below regarding healthcare sharing ministries, which according to what we have initially read are exempt from the mandates given in the new Health Care Law. We have checked out Samaritan's Ministries website and looked at their guidelines. To go this route would actually cost us more than we are paying for health insurance and medical coverage to pay for our shares in this plan and cover our own medical expenses when they arise, but in the long run, we would not be beholden to the government. It would take us cutting out waste in our spending to save for preventative care, dental and other costs not covered in one of these plans. But it would be living up to what God would want us to do. Taking care of our family needs and helping to provide for our Christian family as well. Saving for the above and not relying on our insurance to pay for these things, is what we should all be doing. We wouldn't be in the kind of crisis that we are now in our country and the costs of health care would not be as high if we all followed the ways of God, and some of the things these health care sharing ministries promote. To do this would mean some cuts in our spending on things we have grown attached to. For me, it would mean a total cut of my crafting expenses, but as I look at all the unused items I have accumulated, that won't really be a sacrifice in the long run. Rather it will be a cut that has been needed for a long time. For us as a family, it might mean we have to creatively think of ways to provide a little extra income other than our jobs. It might mean in our homeschooling, we get a little more creative and use the library more. It probably means more hours spent in the garden tending to it so we produce a bounty in the Summer to last us through the winter. It may mean less candy, toys, frivolous requests at the store for items we won't really use. It may mean making more things from scratch, cutting out unnecessary events we go to, being more creative about vacations. But think of the wonderful memories these things will create, the praise we can give our God as we watch him bless us with opportunities and growth and closeness as we become better stewards of our resources, time, and energy. Think of the spiritual blessings that will come from bringing our wants to the throne room of God and praying over them, saving for them, and watching God provide for what he knows is best for us. Think of the spiritual growth that would come from relying on God to meet our needs, as we help take care of others in our church family. Think of the closeness to God we will have when we spend more time in prayer, more time in His word leaning and practicing what he desires for our lives as his people. God is good and he can provide for our needs and he can bless us even with over abundance for wants too that will bring him glory. I am excited to start on this new journey, and I probably won't miss having or getting the things I might have to give up. I have this wild feeling that the rewards of this kind of new living will be so great, we won't ever want to live any way else.

So read below and join us in thinking about how in the light of this new socialist era of our government, we can glorify God and live out his command to take care of our families.

Be not ye afraid of them: remember the Lord, which is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses. (Nehemiah 4:14)

Summary: This week the United States took one more significant step towards greater government control over the family with the passage of President Obama’s neo-Marxist health care initiative. The implications for medicine, entrepreneurship, and the Christian family are far-reaching. In the wake of this devastating news, Christians must stop and reevaluate their approach to health care. It is the purpose of this email to present you with a practical, affordable and Christ-honoring solution to the present crisis in the form of Samaritan Ministries.

Self Government or Statism:
The Battle for the Family

The defining cultural issue of this generation is the battle for the Christian family. At stake is the definition of marriage, the meaning of manhood and womanhood, the preservation of a godly seed, and the future of a multi-generational vision of victory in which our posterity will continue to enjoy the blessings of liberty.

Christians Must Not Become Welfare Junkies

This battle must take many forms. We must proclaim truth from the pulpit, disciple our children around the table, model Christ in our households, and even “stand with the enemies” in the very gates of the land without fear (Psalm 127). But there is another oft-overlooked, but crucial component in a wise strategy of defense for the Christian family — we must reject the welfare junkie mentality, stop looking to the state as our provider, and look to God to work through His people with private-sector solutions to real problems.

Two Theories of Salvation

The Bible indicates that it is the duty of the people of God who make up the Church, not the State, to meet the needs of the Church. Though we have a duty of love and charity toward all men (1 John 3:17, 18), our first obligation is to the household of faith (Galatians 6:10), and those directly within our jurisdiction of responsibility (1 Timothy 5:8). Those who fail to provide for their own are deemed “worse than infidels.”

A key difference between Christianity and humanism is our soteriology (our view of salvation). Christians believe that man’s basic problem is sin. Humanists believe man’s basic problem is his environment. Consequently, humanists advocate salvation through legislation. The idea is that the State can save man through education, wealth redistribution, or other environmental changes. This view of the messianic state — the state as savior — is at the heart of President Obama’s socialized medicine initiative.

The Christian Duty of Self Government

Christians, not the federal or state government, are to care for their own, including widows and the fatherless (James 1:27). One reason for this is that such care is given in the name of Jesus Christ and for His sake. A second reason is that long-term giving must come with accountability. A third reason is that God has ordained the state to wield the sword as a minister of justice (Romans 13), not to become a welfare agency.

Senate Health Care Bill Exempts
Health Care Sharing Groups

The health care bill that was passed Sunday night by the U.S. House of Representatives, often referred to as the Senate bill, contains a provision that exempts members of health care sharing ministries from the bill’s requirement for individuals to purchase health insurance. This is the bill that president has now signed.

Every freedom-loving American, parent, and Christian should be concerned about the effect this bill will have on all the American people, our health care system, and the economy, if the provisions of this bill are actually implemented. While many of the provisions will take effect soon, the individual and employer mandates to purchase health insurance are not scheduled to take effect until 2014, after the next presidential election. We need to continue to pray for God’s intervention in this situation. But, we should act prudently now.

What is Samaritan Ministries?

More than any other successful piece of legislation in the history of America, President; Obama’s bill promises to reshape the nature of medicine, creating disincentives for medical freedom, penalizing physicians and medical providers for excellence, and opening greater avenues for control of the family. Christian parents need a practical and meaningful alternative now. That alternative is Samaritan Ministries.

The highly professional executive team at Samaritan Ministries is made up of deeply committed Christian professionals (some are personal friends of mine) who understand that it is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness. And the candle they have lit is burning bright.

Samaritan Ministries is not an insurance company. Samaritan seeks to meet the needs of the saints through Christians helping Christians. For more than a decade, Samaritan Ministries has been the “shared medical assistance program” of choice for thousands of families. Their track record of support and satisfied members is simply superior. This is a medical assistance provider that is run on Christian principles, by Christians, for Christians. More than just an outstanding alternative to the overwhelming costs of insurance programs, Samaritan Ministries is a means of strengthening individual families and the Body of Christ through a program of personal responsibility, prayer support, and shared financial needs. The benefits of being a member of Samaritan are strong, and the cost is extremely reasonable. In fact, Samaritan families pay a fraction of the typical costs to insure a family through an insurance provider.

Do Yourself a Favor — Investigate
This God-Blessed Option

The mission of Vision Forum is to encourage the rebuilding of the Christian family. Samaritan Ministries makes my life, and the life of the families at Vision Forum, easier by standing beside us (and we beside them) in the advancement of this mission for the glory of God. They bless us by helping families with healthcare needs, by modeling a godly vision of Christians helping Christians, and by providing cost-effective, excellent alternatives to the exorbitant expense of modern healthcare.

Mention Vision Forum when you sign up and receiveThe Politics of Guilt & Pity, a life-changing book on Christianity and private sector solutions to economic and healthcare troubles.

With gratitude to the Lord for the executive team and the faithful families who have wisely and successfully managed Samaritan Ministries for more than a decade, I want to invite you to learn more about them at SamaritanMinistries.org or by calling (888) 2-OTHERS. Moreover, as a satisfied subscriber to Samaritan Ministries and a Christian brother who is deeply grateful to them for their principled efforts to work within the Body of Christ to provide crucial financial medical assistance, and to oppose the continued socialistic extremes of our nation’s civil magistrates, I am pleased to wholeheartedly recommend this Christ-proclaiming, family-defending ministry to my brothers and sisters in Christ. There is no doubt in my mind that God has raised Samaritan Ministries up for such a time as this.

	Persevero,

Some great music to check out

I've been listening to some cool music lately. Okay, I know music tastes are totally subjective, but I like the following.

Jon Foreman (lead singer for Switchfoot) -- his Fall/Winter and Spring/Summer are great accoustic guitar songs. Great scripture in here set to music. Also great songs about daily struggles in the Christian walk.

tobyMac -- his newest release called Tonight is totally awesome. There are so many music influences here, from rock, hip hop, rap, reggae, 80's and some good just fun songs. It has my hips shakin, feet tappin' and just feeling good. We have all of tobyMac's albums and they just make me want to dance and my boys love them too.

Owl City -- we stumbled upon this at the Christian bookstore at Christmas time. My boys totally love it. It's kind of techno pop with totally random lyrics but it's fun and clean and a lot of play on words in rhyme going on here. Just good, fun, peppy, clean music. We first bought Ocean Eyes but now we have all three of his albums. It's just a lot of fun.

Relient K -- Forget and Not Slow Down is their latest and I love it. Okay, I love all their stuff. They are just a fun Christian rock band. Their lyrics are great on a lot of songs and pack a lot of truth in them at times. Other songs are just funny and make you smile. I like their creative play on words titles for their songs.

Switchfoot -- their newest is Hello, Hurricane, and there are a few good songs on here. They are getting a little noise-like for me here lately, but there are still a few good ones on this album. I like all the albums that they have put out before though. Talk about some hard hitting lyrics on many of them. Makes you think while you rock.

Newsboys -- In the Hands of God. Love the Newsboys. We have worship songs with a beat here and some good thoughtful lyrics as well as just some fun. Again, toe tappin' fun.

I love to dance and love any music with a good beat. Not too many people see that in me, but I am a dancin' party girl at heart. I just like to party sober and with good clean fun. Love all this great Christian music that I think is much better than the ungodly stuff going out on the main airwaves. A lot of these above-listed bands get their songs played on secular stations cause it's good music and good lyrics, even if they aren't always overtly Christian in topic. Those of us who know, can find it, otherwise regular folks get a good song with a deeper meaning if God opens their eyes to it. My boys totally love all this music, so I highly recommend it for kids too. Again clean lyrics, good music, and just a way to have fun and praise God too. Great combination.