Tag loves the outdoors and this little guy (although not really so little) is still a pup, but probably weighs in at around 75-85 pounds right now. He and his brother, Rowdy (not shown) were dumped off here last summer and have given me new challenges, companionship, frustration, and entertainment... not to mention lots of love. This was taken when I asked him if he wanted to come in ... it has been very cold here ... but I got his usual 'look over the shoulder' instead of coming in.
January 31, 2009
Another long cold winter day
Another long, cold, winter day. It is registering 1 degree right now and I can't help but wonder when this interminable bitter spell is going to break. The winter season has been a long and cruel one this year. The horses don't seem to mind it ... they have weathered the bitter cold temps pretty well. I wish I wasn't as big of a cold weather wimp as I am ... I haven't been spending a lot of time with them... too cold out there.
Since we are now heading into February, it is time to start thinking about Spring ... with the grass, birds singing, warmer weather and flies. I was looking at some material the other day for ordering fly predators. I used them last year and think they helped, but still had some hanging around.
Since we are now heading into February, it is time to start thinking about Spring ... with the grass, birds singing, warmer weather and flies. I was looking at some material the other day for ordering fly predators. I used them last year and think they helped, but still had some hanging around.
January 27, 2009
Out of Reality
It is the start of a new day, and I have already heard the news that our Senate has confirmed a known tax cheat to an obviously important post in our Federal Government Along with the updates on our Government's 'stimulus package' to try and kick start the economy, it gives me cause to wonder if these people have lost all touch with reality. From some of the comments and reactions from the general public, it would seem that they have more common sense than our elected officials.
The government has spiraled out of control, leaving most of us feeling like we are caught in a huge dark whirlpool of events dragging us down and no way out. By 'out of control', I am suggesting that most of the people in D.C. are not paying the slightest bit of attention to their constituents, and whether this is being driven by power trips, egos, and/or financial gain by pandering to special interest groups, that leaves the average American taxpayer with nothing but the sensation that he is bearing the burden of Washington's blunders while they enjoy a free-for-all ... taking our money and wasting it on garbage that has nothing to do with the benefit of our nation.
My reaction to the confirmation of Geithner was disgust and more anger ... anger at an obviously corrupt system that desperately needs to be trimmed ... firstly of all the politicians that contribute to the problem or even allow this kind of nonsense to go on. Compounded by the massive wasteful spending package they are currently proposing, especially in light of the current economic crisis, the situation is mind boggling. I can't even imagine the catastrophic repercussions of this kind of irresponsible legislation. And we can look forward to at least two, possibly four, more years of the same, if we last that long.
The next election is in two years ... I strongly urge any caring American to begin paying attention to the voting record of his/her congressmen and senators. Contact them regarding your concerns and make note of their responses. Regardless of their party affiliation, if they do not truly represent you, or want to continue voting irresponsibly on issues, then it is time to fire them and get someone else in who WILL listen. To make it a little easier, I am including a link to a web site where you can keep an eye on your senators. I have a link to it on my desktop and plan on using it often ... check it out:
http://www.senate.gov/index.htm
The government has spiraled out of control, leaving most of us feeling like we are caught in a huge dark whirlpool of events dragging us down and no way out. By 'out of control', I am suggesting that most of the people in D.C. are not paying the slightest bit of attention to their constituents, and whether this is being driven by power trips, egos, and/or financial gain by pandering to special interest groups, that leaves the average American taxpayer with nothing but the sensation that he is bearing the burden of Washington's blunders while they enjoy a free-for-all ... taking our money and wasting it on garbage that has nothing to do with the benefit of our nation.
My reaction to the confirmation of Geithner was disgust and more anger ... anger at an obviously corrupt system that desperately needs to be trimmed ... firstly of all the politicians that contribute to the problem or even allow this kind of nonsense to go on. Compounded by the massive wasteful spending package they are currently proposing, especially in light of the current economic crisis, the situation is mind boggling. I can't even imagine the catastrophic repercussions of this kind of irresponsible legislation. And we can look forward to at least two, possibly four, more years of the same, if we last that long.
The next election is in two years ... I strongly urge any caring American to begin paying attention to the voting record of his/her congressmen and senators. Contact them regarding your concerns and make note of their responses. Regardless of their party affiliation, if they do not truly represent you, or want to continue voting irresponsibly on issues, then it is time to fire them and get someone else in who WILL listen. To make it a little easier, I am including a link to a web site where you can keep an eye on your senators. I have a link to it on my desktop and plan on using it often ... check it out:
http://www.senate.gov/index.htm
January 24, 2009
Hardened Hearts
I have just recently begun incorporating into my daily routine a daily bible reading from BibleGateway.com I can't help but find it ironic that I just happened to land in the book of Exodus, where God has instructed Moses to lead His people out of Egypt. As I have been reading along, I first noticed that Moses was God's classic reluctant servant, but he did end up doing what God told him. One of the most intriguing things I have noticed in these chapters, however, is that, after sending Moses back to Egypt, God repeatedly hardens Pharaoh's heart through all of the plagues and wonders until after the final one (it took 10 total), where he loses his firstborn son, as does anyone in the land whose doorpost is not covered with the blood of a sacrificial unblemished lamb (a type of Christ).
As I read through, the troubling facts are there, stated over and over again ... God tells Moses that HE has hardened Pharaoh's heart and so he won't let the people go. Since God is the One who sent Moses to bring Israel out of Egypt in the first place, this does not make any sense. He seems to defeat His own purpose by repeatedly hardening the heart of Pharaoh Himself, putting Moses, the Israelites, Pharaoh, and the inhabitants of Egypt through much testing, although I should mention here that the ordeals the Israelis suffered were at the hands of Pharaoh, not God.
The irony comes in when I look at the condition our country is in today, a nation that was founded by men who loved God and dedicated this land to Him, and can't help but draw a parallel to the situation in Exodus. Then, I wonder how we ever fell so far. There are exceptions, to be sure, but for the most part, our leadership, and I use the term loosely, is arrogant, self-exalting, and in disarray ... many of our senators and congressmen, who represent themselves more than they do their constituents, should be in prison for their corrupt and sometimes outright criminal actions. Often, it is due to the fact that many uninformed, gullible, and sometimes apathetic people keep voting them back into office, expecting the government to take away all their problems, when in fact, it is responsible for creating a good many of them. It is in this state of human pride and foolish attempts to remove God from our lives, bowing down to our own idols, that we stand facing some of the most critical days of our lives.... dangerous days.
The American family is struggling for survival, millions of innocent unborns are murdered daily via the self-centered ideology of 'freedom of choice', Anti-God legislation and rules dictated by humanistic forces are finding their way into our society, and as I have been reading through Exodus, I can't help but wonder who (or what) has hardened our hearts. Has God had a hand in this as in the days of Pharaoh, or have we just hardened our own hearts in defiance and arrogant independence from Him? In either case, we are in for a rough time ahead ... I don't know about the blood, fleas, locusts, frogs, and other plagues that God brought upon Egypt, but He does not seem to lack for imagination, and there are so many ways He can get our attention. 9/11 has been all but forgotten by a good many Americans, and yet it was a day that changed our lives forever ... so what WILL it take for this nation to stop treading the path of self-destruction and turn to God in true repentance?
Why did God continually harden Pharaoh's heart when it seemed contrary to His purpose? From the way Exodus reads, it actually wasn't. The human heart is proud and easily swayed. Human arrogance and tendency to exalt self against God boast themselves not only in Pharaoh's day, but in ours. My example of 9/11 points out just how fickle we really are ... and how easily we forget. Coast to coast, our nation wept and prayed right after that fateful day. Within 6 months, however, our leadership was back to bickering like a bunch of school kids and anti-Christian sentiment was once again rearing its ugly head. Did God know Pharaoh's heart would be so quick to forget ... or that we would?
We are in a precarious situation with our current President, who, for the most part, supports policies that are in direct contradiction with the Bible. He seems to be dangerously close to stepping over, if he has not already, the line. I do not know his heart ... only God does. I can only hope he is not as arrogant as he presents himself to be and that he does not dare to allow himself to be convinced by all his adoring fans that he is something he is not ... he is not our Savior ... he is an elected official. He is not the Messiah ... he is a mortal man. Without God, he can do nothing. God says He will share His glory with NO other. The mindless deifying of this man by millions has been, at least to me, even more alarming than any arrogance he may portray. If these people are knowingly (or even unwittingly) elevating a mere man to God-like status, then we are dealing with mass idolatry ... something that God can hardly bless ... and we really need His blessing now.
I wonder ... the hardening of America's heart ... is it of God, just as he hardened Pharaoh's hearts ... does He deem it necessary for us to suffer through numerous plagues before we bow before Him, or are we guilty of hardening our own hearts? We are warned of the dangers of hardening our hearts in the Bible .... once in the book of Psalms (95:8) and three times in the book of Hebrews (chapters 3 & 4). It also tells us to exhorts each other daily, lest we are hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. Whether it is God's doing or our own, what will it take for God to show Himself God ... not only of this nation, but of the world. He WILL show Himself as God. The Bible says "every knee shall bow and every tongue confess ... that Jesus is Lord, to the Glory of God, the Father".
As I read through, the troubling facts are there, stated over and over again ... God tells Moses that HE has hardened Pharaoh's heart and so he won't let the people go. Since God is the One who sent Moses to bring Israel out of Egypt in the first place, this does not make any sense. He seems to defeat His own purpose by repeatedly hardening the heart of Pharaoh Himself, putting Moses, the Israelites, Pharaoh, and the inhabitants of Egypt through much testing, although I should mention here that the ordeals the Israelis suffered were at the hands of Pharaoh, not God.
The irony comes in when I look at the condition our country is in today, a nation that was founded by men who loved God and dedicated this land to Him, and can't help but draw a parallel to the situation in Exodus. Then, I wonder how we ever fell so far. There are exceptions, to be sure, but for the most part, our leadership, and I use the term loosely, is arrogant, self-exalting, and in disarray ... many of our senators and congressmen, who represent themselves more than they do their constituents, should be in prison for their corrupt and sometimes outright criminal actions. Often, it is due to the fact that many uninformed, gullible, and sometimes apathetic people keep voting them back into office, expecting the government to take away all their problems, when in fact, it is responsible for creating a good many of them. It is in this state of human pride and foolish attempts to remove God from our lives, bowing down to our own idols, that we stand facing some of the most critical days of our lives.... dangerous days.
The American family is struggling for survival, millions of innocent unborns are murdered daily via the self-centered ideology of 'freedom of choice', Anti-God legislation and rules dictated by humanistic forces are finding their way into our society, and as I have been reading through Exodus, I can't help but wonder who (or what) has hardened our hearts. Has God had a hand in this as in the days of Pharaoh, or have we just hardened our own hearts in defiance and arrogant independence from Him? In either case, we are in for a rough time ahead ... I don't know about the blood, fleas, locusts, frogs, and other plagues that God brought upon Egypt, but He does not seem to lack for imagination, and there are so many ways He can get our attention. 9/11 has been all but forgotten by a good many Americans, and yet it was a day that changed our lives forever ... so what WILL it take for this nation to stop treading the path of self-destruction and turn to God in true repentance?
Why did God continually harden Pharaoh's heart when it seemed contrary to His purpose? From the way Exodus reads, it actually wasn't. The human heart is proud and easily swayed. Human arrogance and tendency to exalt self against God boast themselves not only in Pharaoh's day, but in ours. My example of 9/11 points out just how fickle we really are ... and how easily we forget. Coast to coast, our nation wept and prayed right after that fateful day. Within 6 months, however, our leadership was back to bickering like a bunch of school kids and anti-Christian sentiment was once again rearing its ugly head. Did God know Pharaoh's heart would be so quick to forget ... or that we would?
We are in a precarious situation with our current President, who, for the most part, supports policies that are in direct contradiction with the Bible. He seems to be dangerously close to stepping over, if he has not already, the line. I do not know his heart ... only God does. I can only hope he is not as arrogant as he presents himself to be and that he does not dare to allow himself to be convinced by all his adoring fans that he is something he is not ... he is not our Savior ... he is an elected official. He is not the Messiah ... he is a mortal man. Without God, he can do nothing. God says He will share His glory with NO other. The mindless deifying of this man by millions has been, at least to me, even more alarming than any arrogance he may portray. If these people are knowingly (or even unwittingly) elevating a mere man to God-like status, then we are dealing with mass idolatry ... something that God can hardly bless ... and we really need His blessing now.
I wonder ... the hardening of America's heart ... is it of God, just as he hardened Pharaoh's hearts ... does He deem it necessary for us to suffer through numerous plagues before we bow before Him, or are we guilty of hardening our own hearts? We are warned of the dangers of hardening our hearts in the Bible .... once in the book of Psalms (95:8) and three times in the book of Hebrews (chapters 3 & 4). It also tells us to exhorts each other daily, lest we are hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. Whether it is God's doing or our own, what will it take for God to show Himself God ... not only of this nation, but of the world. He WILL show Himself as God. The Bible says "every knee shall bow and every tongue confess ... that Jesus is Lord, to the Glory of God, the Father".
An Introduction
I am not into New Years resolutions, but this year, one of my goals is to draw in closer to God. It is not a resolution per se, but rather have been drawn into it by a rather unique set of circumstances along with my feeble attempts to understand what is going on around us in an increasingly frightening world.
I have been a born again, Spirit filled, Christian, for several years, and, in my walk with Jesus, have struggled through the dry deserts as well as rejoiced in the high places. I have wrestled with my doubts, anger and disappointment with God after going through a traumatic divorce, never letting go, but wondering at times what was I holding on to. The important thing is that I realized, beneath all my emotional fluff, that Jesus never let ME go.
As I begin this new venture, I want to admit I do not have all the answers ... far from. Nor do I think my opinion is the only one of value ... it is not. I love engaging in intelligent debate or discourse, but quickly withdraw when it degrades to name-calling or foul-mouthed attacks. There is no sense in it. Blogging has never really appealed to me, either, but maybe it was a need to 'vent' a little, or just do some journaling to help me sort out my thoughts, and in this case, share them with you ... in any case, here they are....
Just before the New Year, one of my customers, bless her heart, gave me a copy of a book "The Shack", authored by Wm. Young, which I found myself absorbed in and ended up bringing in the New Year reading in its entirety. The impact of the book was not necessarily earth shattering, but yet, haunting. I will not give away the details, but let it suffice to say that it addresses many questions and deep seated issues we have with God. In some ways, it answers them, but in others, we are left with more questions... at least I was. Even now, almost a month after the read, some parts of what I read come back to visit, and make me wonder ... and smile.
In light of our recent election, which was a cliff hanger for everyone, I have also found myself drawn into a more activist position. I have always loathed politics ... seen it as a very dirty business, and would involve myself to the extent of educating myself to candidates prior to elections, and contacting them if something came up to let them know my views. After receiving several 'form letters', as replies, I began to wonder if this was a waste of time. Maybe lobbyists are the only ones politicians listen to, I don't know, but I do know that, if our country is to survive, that would need to change.
I am a conservative ... therefore, I cannot take credit for the man who currently resides as our President. I have serious concerns about him ... right down to his eligibility to serve as our hallowed leader ... and I can see that there are millions of Americans who share those same concerns.... in some cases, coupled with a lot of anger. Whether that concern and/or anger is justified or not, I think it is important that our leaders, on whatever level of government, do not ignore this. Obama and his cohorts did not get swept into office by a landslide vote ... it was far from a public mandate ... it was a marginal win and that is important for those in power to keep in mind.
On closing ... the idol worship of one man who has promised the moon to the citizens of the U.S. is even more frightening than the man himself. He is only a man. He is not God. Those who have given up on God have given up on the One who truly can give them the hope they are so desperately searching for. It is my hope and prayer for Obama that God will visit him, and give him the wisdom it is going to take to lead this country in the coming days.
I have been a born again, Spirit filled, Christian, for several years, and, in my walk with Jesus, have struggled through the dry deserts as well as rejoiced in the high places. I have wrestled with my doubts, anger and disappointment with God after going through a traumatic divorce, never letting go, but wondering at times what was I holding on to. The important thing is that I realized, beneath all my emotional fluff, that Jesus never let ME go.
As I begin this new venture, I want to admit I do not have all the answers ... far from. Nor do I think my opinion is the only one of value ... it is not. I love engaging in intelligent debate or discourse, but quickly withdraw when it degrades to name-calling or foul-mouthed attacks. There is no sense in it. Blogging has never really appealed to me, either, but maybe it was a need to 'vent' a little, or just do some journaling to help me sort out my thoughts, and in this case, share them with you ... in any case, here they are....
Just before the New Year, one of my customers, bless her heart, gave me a copy of a book "The Shack", authored by Wm. Young, which I found myself absorbed in and ended up bringing in the New Year reading in its entirety. The impact of the book was not necessarily earth shattering, but yet, haunting. I will not give away the details, but let it suffice to say that it addresses many questions and deep seated issues we have with God. In some ways, it answers them, but in others, we are left with more questions... at least I was. Even now, almost a month after the read, some parts of what I read come back to visit, and make me wonder ... and smile.
In light of our recent election, which was a cliff hanger for everyone, I have also found myself drawn into a more activist position. I have always loathed politics ... seen it as a very dirty business, and would involve myself to the extent of educating myself to candidates prior to elections, and contacting them if something came up to let them know my views. After receiving several 'form letters', as replies, I began to wonder if this was a waste of time. Maybe lobbyists are the only ones politicians listen to, I don't know, but I do know that, if our country is to survive, that would need to change.
I am a conservative ... therefore, I cannot take credit for the man who currently resides as our President. I have serious concerns about him ... right down to his eligibility to serve as our hallowed leader ... and I can see that there are millions of Americans who share those same concerns.... in some cases, coupled with a lot of anger. Whether that concern and/or anger is justified or not, I think it is important that our leaders, on whatever level of government, do not ignore this. Obama and his cohorts did not get swept into office by a landslide vote ... it was far from a public mandate ... it was a marginal win and that is important for those in power to keep in mind.
On closing ... the idol worship of one man who has promised the moon to the citizens of the U.S. is even more frightening than the man himself. He is only a man. He is not God. Those who have given up on God have given up on the One who truly can give them the hope they are so desperately searching for. It is my hope and prayer for Obama that God will visit him, and give him the wisdom it is going to take to lead this country in the coming days.
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