Do we really have it right? When will we know?

 The ladies of Severn Covenant Church (myself included) are doing the Kay Arthur study of Amos.  I've been thinking a lot this past year about the state of things in the world and I'm concerned.

I've been wondering:  What if we are getting it wrong?  I've spent plenty of time in worship singing songs asking God to help me love others like Jesus, asking Him to give me eyes to see others like He sees them, and all I can wonder is:  do my actions reveal anything of the sort?

 The new song by Casting Crowns - Jesus, Friend of Sinners - mentions that there is no shortage of people who wonder was Christians are against, but how many really know what we're for?

Amos 5 is a funeral dirge in which Amos says that people are praying for "the day of the Lord" but he warns them that they might be disappointed when it arrives because they may find that they are not going to end up on the side they think.  If all scripture is God-breathed and is useful for instruction, then I have to think that these verses are too.

46.2 million people in the United States live in poverty.
     Over half of the world's entire population lives on less than $2.50 per day.
     About 1 billion people lack access to clean water.
     There are nearly 27 million people in modern-day slavery today.

 With these numbers,
 how can I sit back,
day after day,
drinking my nice, clean water,
in my nice, warm house,
with my children who nice and safe,
while we probably throw out
more food a day
than some people will see
in a week
and think that I
will not be held accountable,
to think that I will not have to
answer for this
when I stand before the Lord?

And in light of the Amos 5 scriptures, I ought to be humbled to my core, ashamed to let myself get so complacent, and so apathetic to the cares of so many of God's children. 




 If we are all created to be in relationship, if we are all really connected, since we have the same Creator, shouldn't it bother me that there are people not 30 miles from me, in the heart of DC, who do not know from where they will receive their next meal?

I have to wonder...  if we are all really connected, then shouldn't it break my heart that there are people in the world who don't have even half of what I have?


Just one of the things I'm thinking about today.......

As usual, thanks for your indulgence,

Patty

LENT IS HERE!!!!

Today is the first day of Lent.

The “project” the family is tackling this year can be found on the World Vision ACT:S page, under the Relentless ACT:S of Sacrifice link.Lent 2012 - RELENTLESS ACT:S OF SACRIFICE

Week 1 has us sacrificing what surrounds us by re-creating our physical environment to bring important issues to the forefront of our every day lives.

Starting Monday, our family is going to turn off the television and turn on our writing skills.  We will write letters to individuals that we miss, that are under-appreciated, or overlooked.  The first paragraph will explain what we are doing during Lent and why.  The second paragraph will talk about our daily topic and our third paragraph will talk about how we feel about the individual (what we love the most about them, miss about them the most, etc. – MUST BE POSITIVE).  For Monday, the topic is our favorite family past time and why.

For Tuesday:  “Why you are important to me.”  So, whoever gets the letter that day will learn why they are important to the writer.

For Wednesday:  “What helps you stay a good Christian and why?”  This day, the writer will answer the question, and will provide the recipient the chance to answer as well. 

For Thursday:  “What was the last act of kindness you performed and how did it make you feel?”  Again, this question is for the writer to answer.

Friday:  “How do you know that God is real and that He wants us to come to Him and allow Him to live in our hearts.”  The answers to these questions ought to be interesting, especially from the 8 year old. 

Now, for something a bit more personal:  

          In case you may not have gathered from some of my posts, there have been some hard times in our household over the past almost-year.  For the most part, I have not really lost my resolve.  I keep moving forward knowing that the only way to get past an unpleasant thing is to keep moving through.  Stopping only ensures that I will have to go through the same thing again.  I have questions that only God can answer, and right now, His answer has been, “I got it.”  And not just for me, has that been the answer, but for my husband too.  With all that we’ve been going through, and with all the sitting-on of hands that we’ve been doing, I have taken the position that there is no way that things could possibly turn out any other way than in our favor.  I do not say “why me?” because it is immediately countered with “Why not me?”  There are people all over the world who suffer far worse than what we have gone through for me to whine about our lot.

          That being said, I have been made to question some things about my own faith, my own beliefs.  Many of the prayers I have prayed, I have prayed for the sake of our youngest child.  Whether or not God has deemed it so for me to suffer, I find it impossible to believe that God would jostle the young and impressionable faith of an 8 year old.  I do not think that I would get so mad at God for things going south if it were just me, but there are kids involved here.  I mean, my 8 year old prayed for breeze at the age of 4 and God answered.  Not once, but twice.  And the second time, the breeze continued to blow until we were done needing it.  That is the kind of faith that we have raised him to have.  This young guy, however, has absolutely no idea what’s going on in our house right now, nor does he need to, and I just cannot fathom that it would come to pass that I would have to explain things taking a turn for the worse.  Whether or not God would allow this to come to pass in my own life is beside the point.  I pray that God loves my youngest enough to let this pass over our house.

          Now, however, I am left with a problem.  Does not God love him just as much as me?  Is he not God’s just as much as I?  If I can find it possible to trust that God will take care of me, regardless of what comes my way (this thing included), can I not also trust Him to take care of our youngest child?  I know that, technically, our children are only on loan to us, and I know that His Ways are not our ways, but all I am left to say is “But, come on!  Isn’t enough, enough?” 

          I know I can do whatever God calls me to do, because He will equip me to do it, but where is the justice when a lie could take away my husband’s career, his reputation, and his freedom?  Where is the justice that this lie could mean that our youngest child could grow up without his father? 

          I know that God is sovereign, absolutely.  I know that children grow up without fathers all over the world, and through no fault of their own.  I know that God will take care of us one way or the other, but my prayer that it will be the one way, and NOT the other.  And I pray that God loves our youngest enough to let justice prevail over a lie. 

          I know that the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away, so my prayer is that He will not choose to take away the gift that is my husband and the father of our children.

          Now, with that, I have been led to take on another challenge this Lenten season. 

Matthew 5:44 says:  “But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,”

Luke 6:27-28:  “But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.

Luke 6:35 - But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing back; and your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind toward the unthankful and evil.

Romans 12:14 - Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.

1 Peter 3:9-12 - Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.  10For, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. 11 He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it. 12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer,

          So, from here on, my goal is not to speak negatively about those who are involved in this situation.  It is to pray for them, and to wish them well, and to stop myself (taking every thought captive) whenever I find myself about to say something that would tear them down.

          All I can talk about is what I’m thinking and feeling right now, and right now, I cannot see that I would turn away from God.  I certainly cannot guarantee that I will not get mad at God.  I believe that God’s shoulders are big enough to handle any anger that I may have.  Since I believe it is futile to withhold from Him how I am feeling, I have to believe that I have to be honest with Him before I can get any kind of breakthrough whatsoever, regardless of how this whole situation turns out.  My prayer is to be able to say that common sense and justice prevailed, but if I cannot, then I have to trust that God has me AND MY CHILDREN squarely in the palm of His Hand and that He will take care of us; that he will be a husband to me and a father to my children and that He will provide for us.

          In reality, if things do go south, then God would have to prove even mightier to us than He has ever had to before.  And while I am sure that He can do that, I have to be honest and admit that my hope (my confident expectation) is that this is not going to be the case.

Again, thanks for your indulgence,

Patty

The Parables of Luke 15 and Accepting a Challenge

During Bible class this week, my daughter and I tackled the parables of Luke 15:  The Lost Sheep, The Lost Coin & The Prodigal Son.

Something I had never realized before struck me as I read those parables:  

     

The shepherd goes off in search of the lost sheep that 

BELONGS TO HIM!

     The woman hunts for HER lost coin.

     The father welcomes his son BACK HOME!

What I realized, or learned afresh, is that we belong to God.  We were NEVER created for life in the world in its current state, but rather we were initially created to live in peace, in blissful contentment in communion with God in paradise!

Knowing that, is it any wonder we are all miserable and stay that way so long as we try to fill our lives with anything other than a relationship with our Creator. 

Thinking we can live apart the Lord makes as much sense as cutting down a tree, expecting it to still be able to survive once separated from its roots!

I've been a Christian, at least in name, for a long time.  I've known for a while that Jesus Christ is the shepherd, the woman, and the father of the parables in Luke 15.  And He never gives up on the lost because they belong to Him.

These parables were prompted by the murmurings of the scribes and Pharisees about Jesus consorting with tax collectors and other notorious sinners.

Reading those parables this week left me feeling convicted.

Are we not called, as Christians, to be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ?  How long have I neglected the lost sheep, priding myself on the 99 safe ones?  How long have I settled for the 9 coins I have, never giving a thought for the lost coin?  Finally, how many times have I behaved as the "brother who stayed," complaining about the love and grace heaped upon the "brother who strayed?"

This will not do.

For me, IT STOPS NOW!

On Monday, I'll let you know what I'm going to do about it.

If you're ready for an adventure, check back on Monday for a challenge you can take to bust yourself out of your own comfort zone and begin living a radical new walk.  

A walk that is no longer ALL ABOUT YOU!

Thank You for Your Indulgence,

Patty

P.S.  If you are interested in checking out the parables we've been working through, you can hop over to http://www.padfield.com/downloads/ntbooks.html.  In the first section on the page, entitled New Testament Survey Books, the 5th link - A Study of the Parables of Jesus - is the study we are doing.  It's great to work through if you are unfamiliar with the parables, want to learn more about them, or have kids you'd like to teach the parables.

My Missing Post from Yesterday and How it Has Helped Me Figure Out What to Say Today

So, I fully intended to post something yesterday.  I was out and about last night, had my iPad with me, and typed and typed and typed something that I was going to email to myself, so that I could post it on here.


It was a "Winds-day" themed blog dedicated to how my body is changing and how it's driving me crazy.  For the longest time, if I couldn't get around to eating before my stomach started growling, I would get very grumpy.  It was so bad, that I took a quote from "The Incredible Hulk" and tweaked it a bit to fit the way I felt during those times:  "You wouldn't like me I'm hungry."  It was a standing joke for the longest time.


Well, all that has changed, and it is now no longer a joke, as now it is rare that I feel hungry before I get grumpy.  It seems that if I don't eat nearly every 2 hours, I get grumpy.  I can't focus my eyes very well on what I'm doing, and I can't think straight.  There are times when I'm so angry I just want to hit things.  And do not look at me cross-eyed, or else.  It takes nothing to spin me up.  I feel quite shameful about it.  It's been going on for about 3-6 months now, I guess (it's hard to remember when it started), and the grumpiness still catches me off guard, which really is inexcusable since I am at home, WITH MY FOOD, nearly all day!  You'd think I'd have learned by now.


Well, that was the state I was in last night when I typed what I was thinking about posting for yesterday's Winds-day posting.  I was only going to post about how maddening this particular post was, but looking back over what I wrote, it was pretty caustic.  That notwithstanding, I was in my van, running some errands with my husband for our live-in pseudo-adopted 4th, and oldest, child that were taking longer than they should have (in my hunger-induced opinion).  And all I had was an empty water bottle, a full bladder (b/c my water bottle was empty), and a mini-bag of pretzels.  The plan was to drop our oldest 2 children off at their weekly pre-Navy-bootcamp meetings and then go eat.  But because the errands took too long, the boys missed all but the last few minutes of their meeting (which was "almost done" when we showed up, but still lasted another hour).  I even passed up the change to go get coffee at the Starbucks in the same strip mall because the meeting was "almost over."  So, I was a little steamed while I wrote that post.  To say that it was passionate would be an understatement, but it definitely would not be something that I would be proud to have on this page in  a clear state of mind.  


So, that's why I'm not blogging about it until today.  Today is Thoughtful Thursday and my thoughtful act for today was to reconsider posting what I typed yesterday and to opt for this post instead.  


Thankfully, God is a God of second chances, and His mercies are new every morning.  With the way my body's been behaving lately, I think I can honestly say that they are new every few hours or so, because as soon as I eat, my whole outlook brightens.  It's weird and amazing and quite gracious!  How humbling it is to know that God loves me just as much ugly as He does beautiful.  Even more humbling is knowing that He loved me so much when I was ugly that He sent His Only Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for me, to bear all my ugliness when He had none of His own, just so that I could have the chance to be reconciled with my Creator!  Thank you Lord!!!


And thank you for second chances!


Again, thanks for your indulgence,
Patty

The Plan, The Plan

So, precious readers, though I don't know who you are, I do know that you are there because I have looked at my "Stats" page and I am impressed.  I am not surprised that some folks from the United States have read my posts, what did impress me was that I have readers in Germany, and even 1 in Latvia.  SWEET!

Yesterday, I posted that I have a plan.  I got the line-up figured out.  This is what you all have to look forward to.

First:  Mondays are for Motivating or Get Moving Mondays
     Mondays, I will be posting ways to stay motivated, quotes that move and inspire me, or various exercises that I'm doing, going to try, or are interested in trying.  Feel free to chime in with your own suggestions.

Second:  Grati-Tuesdays, Check Your Atti-Tuesday, or AltiTuesday (depending on what mood I'm in).
     Grati-Tuesdays will be about things for which I have to be grateful, or what it means to be grateful.  There are so many things in this world to be grateful for, I think they ought to be mentioned.
     Check Your Atti-Tuesdays.  From time to time, everyone needs an attitude adjustment.  I will be posting those things that have been helpful in keeping me in check.  Be ready for some "ouch" factor.
     Alti-Tuesday.  When I think of altitude, I think of the heights:  mountain tops, birds on the wing, moments that have left me feeling high as a kite, or have left me wanting more and more of God and what He wants for my life (which, by default, has to mean less of my own way).

Third:  Worshipful Wednesday, or "Winds-Day" (since the blog is called "Breezes" and Blooms)
     Worshipful Wednesdays are going to be dedicated to the hymns I grew up listening to and singing in my Papaw's church, New Liberty Presbyterian Church, in Simpson, IL.  They have a great group of people there, and the hymns they sing, though I thought they were boring when I was younger, have come to mean a great deal to me, now that I'm older and I understand what they really mean.
     Winds-Days will be about the winds of change and how they blow into our lives; sometimes coming in like a lion and going out like a lamb, sometimes, blowing and swirling around us to the point that we think we will be caught up and carried away.  However, we have a refuge, a place to go during the stormy times, where we know we can be sheltered.  These posts will be about finding shelter in the cleft of The Rock (and I don't mean Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson).

Fourth:  Thoughtful Thursdays, Thirsty Thursdays, or Thrifty Thursdays
     Thoughtful Thursdays - take some time to think about people you don't see everyday.  Those people who are a part of your life, but not everyday.  Call them up, let them know you were thinking about them.  Reconnect with old friends.  Call up your Great Aunt Suzie.  Thoughtful Thursdays will be dedicated to reminiscing about the people who have helped shape me into the person that I am today.  And, hopefully, to getting you to do the same thing.
     Thirsty Thursdays - Think John 4:14.  "...but whoever drinks of the water that I give him will never be thirsty again.  The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."  Or else, it will be about drink recipes that I have found that I would like to try, recipes for mixes you can make and give as gifts, or drinks to share with friends with whom you really ought to spend more time.
     Thrifty Thursdays will bring budget tips, recipes that will help you stretch your grocery dollar, and various time/money saving projects you can tackle yourself, all designed to help you feel more like the mom you always thought you'd like to be, or want to be and thought you didn't have time to be.  In this section, I will also include profiles of various friends who have developed their own handy ways of homemaking/money-saving/consignment sale shopping, etc., as well as different websites from which you can borrow tips and tricks to help you in your attempts to live on your own budget.

Fifth:  Fret Not Fridays, Friendly Fridays, or (since I like to travel) Frommer's Fridays
     Finally - we come to Friday!  Gotta love Fridays!
     Fret Not Fridays boil down to one saying:  "If you pray, why worry?  If you worry, why pray?"
     Friendly Fridays - think "Random Acts of Kindness" - Things you can do to make someone else's day a little brighter, anonymously, or otherwise.  And why it's important.
     And probably one of my favorites will be Frommer's Fridays.  Everyone likes to dream about the places they'd like to go.  I know there are plenty of places in the world I'd like to see, and I am thoroughly convinced that I can find something of beauty everywhere I go, if I just take the time to look for it!  That's what this post will be about.  Also, I will include snippets from a book that I bought and like to flip through occasionally, called:  "Frommer's 500 Places Where You Can Make a Difference"  Then, if you can't make it to any of the places high-lighted, I'll drop links to sites that will direct you to places you can volunteer in your own area, so you can begin to implement your own plan to better the world you live in!  Remember, we all have the responsibility to leave the world a little better than it was when we found it.


NOW - Since it is Tuesday.  I am going to talk about gratitude and what I'm grateful for.  Sorry, but this is going to be a bit of a cop-out.  Why do I say that?  Every thing that you just finished reading is what I am grateful for today.  I have needed a plan and have been trying to figure out what I wanted to do with this blog.  Now I've got it!!!  So, I am grateful for having a plan and at least some semblance of direction during a time of my life when things seem to be so "up-in-the-air."

So, once again, Thank you for your Indulgence,
Patty

Finally, A Plan!!

I have been wondering what to do with my blog in terms of posting, as I do not have any kind of schedule, and virtually no plan.  Nobody wants to read the meanderings and ramblings of a bored housewife who doesn't know what she wants to say.  So, there has to be a purpose.  This has been my goal since the start of the new year.  Of course, you can't really tell it by looking at the number of entries I've posted.

Well, now I finally have it.

Thanks to a Pinterest post based on the book One Thousand Gifts, by Ann Voskamp, the website aholyexperience.com and the website: http://onethousandgifts.com/gifts-for-youI will now be posting about my own 1000 Gifts and the impact they are having on my life.  Mine is not the only blog to do this I know.  I have seen many others, but have not, as yet, linked to theirs.  That is also in my plan.

Furthermore, I will begin to have different "days" - much like many other bloggers I've seen.  My goal is to make this something that people will want to check in on, rather than something they look at and say, "Oh..."  So, for now, all I am sure about is "What I'm Reading Wednesday."  Maybe, Inspirational Mondays.  I know, for a fact, that I do not have plans for Saturdays and Sundays, as those are family time and will not be interrupted by blogging.  Why be on the computer cataloging my days to people who don't live with me, when I can be spending that time with the people who do?

So, beginning today, the challenge is "3 things outside" that I am thankful for.

It's winter here in MD.  I love winter.  I can always put on enough clothes to get warm, but I can't always take off enough to cool off.  So bring on the cooler temperatures!

Today, what I found to be thankful for is:

frost covered grass, naked trees, the crossing guards that help our children cross the streets safely, a singular frost covered leaf glistening in the sunlight, and a pile of wood sitting outside our back door that my sons collected with my husband for family nights around the grill spent burning wood (because we like fire), roasting marshmallows, and grilling yummy food

More will follow..

Thanks for your indulgence,
Patty

Indifference makes an excuse. Love finds a way.

So, I know it’s been a while since I’ve posted anything.  Classes started back up about a month ago for me (Grad school for my Psychology degree) and we’re homeschooling one of our children this year.  So, I’ve been playing catch-up for the last month!  URG!  I hate being behind because so much of what I want to do has to be put on hold.  Case-in-point:  I spent all day last Saturday, with the exception of a 2-hour dinner break with some friends, in my room doing homework.  I got back at it at bedtime and worked until 3 a.m.  I got up, got ready for church, worked on more homework, went to church, came home, cooked, and worked on more homework until time to pick up my husband from the airport, came back home and did more homework.  I finally got it all done and, then, I had to get up on Monday morning to start the process all over again.  I vowed that this week I was not going to let the same thing happen.  And VOILA!!!!  Here is it Wednesday and I am as done for the week as I can possibly be.  I will have 2 more things to do on Friday for homework (maybe a half-hour’s worth of work) and then, I will wrap this week up FOR GOOD!!!

That being said, this time has not been all about the homework.  I’ve had plenty of time to ruminate about various thoughts/ideas/plans floating around inside my brain and, to be quite plain about it, I am super-excited!

We are going to buy a house, so we are house-hunting!  YAY!!!  I love looking at houses for sale and walking around in them b/c even if I don’t like the one we’re in or want to buy it, I get ideas for decorating that I can use since people who are serious about selling a house have their places “staged” nicely.  So that’s fun!

I’ve had plenty of time to hang out with my daughter, since she’s the one we’re homeschooling.  We are studying all kinds of things this year and so far, it’s proving to be quite exciting!  Joyce Meyer’s The Love Revolution.  Hebrew.  Geography + World History rolled into one.  Literature – we are reading literature from each of the regions we are studying, specifically folk tales, legends, etc. that help define/describe the culture.  Math.  Chemistry!  And the best part of all:  Friday is lab/art/music/food days (after the tests, of course).  The Art and Music we learn about  will be determined by the country we are studying, as will the recipe we make for the day – and subsequently force upon our family!  (insert evil laughter here!!!)

Now, while those things are great and I have enjoyed getting the lessons together and house-shopping online, that is not even what has my blood pumping right now. 

                As my initial posts showed, I spent the summer reading books about fighting poverty – which were wonderful – and they really got me to thinking about plans that I’ve had in mind and would like to come to fruition. But, I’ve been reminded that the thoughts that I’ve been having lately actually started several years ago when my husband was stationed in San Angelo, and I found Baker Street Coffee Shop on Knickerbocker!  Oh my what a place!!!

                I have been saying for years that I do not want to be just another person on the face of the earth who just takes up space.  I want my faith to mean something and I want people to be able to see that it does based on my actions, not based on my having to tell them.  Seems to me, if I’m doing things right, I shouldn’t have to announce that I’m a Christian.  Anyone with me?

                What keeps coming back to me is:

“Whoever gives to the poor will lack nothing, but those who close their eyes to poverty will be cursed..”                 -Proverbs 28:27

John replied, "If you have two shirts, give one to the poor. If you have food, share it with those who are hungry."               -Luke 3:11

                And the verse that got me started:

Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.  If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?  In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.                     -James 2:15-17

This is how I started “Hoodies for the Homeless.”  I can make scarves, but I’m not so good in the hats department.  AND I’ve tried wrapping the scarf around my head to keep my ears warm and then around my neck for added warmth, but then there’s always the gap at the back of my head that lets out all the warmth I’m trying to keep in.  So, how about hooded scarves?!  Make the scarf, make the hood, attach!  VOILA!  And now the back of my neck won’t get cold.

Now, I can make them, but really, how many do we need.  3 kids and I don’t really need a whole truckload of hooded scarves and I like to crochet while I’m watching TV.  So, what do I do with everything that I crochet?  It’s not likely that I’m going to stop crocheting.  That’s about as likely as my mom not embroidering anymore quilt blocks because she’s made a quilt for everyone in the family already…  NOT LIKELY IT’S GONNA HAPPEN!

Well, here in MD it can get pretty cold.  And sandwiched right between DC and Baltimore, there are plenty of homeless people.  So, that gave me an idea.  Besides that, there’s a charity called Sarah’s House that always has a mitten tree in the local grade schools.  There is no end to the places that could use help.  And that’s just in this area! 

To go out a little further, there are Sioux reservations in the Dakotas and the surrounding states that freeze every winter!  Warmth would be a blessing, I would think.  And those are just a few of the examples.  Check this out:  http://friendsofpineridgereservation.org/

But..that’s not the point behind this post.  The point is:  I was beginning to feel like this idea might be a little lame, or like “who would wear a hooded scarf in the first place?”  I was still thinking that up until last week.

ENTER KROCHET KIDS intl. 

This company was started by GUYS!  Hello!  I know, I know.  I am definitely sounding sexist here, I admit it.  But I did not grow up seeing males knit or crochet or sew (though I did have a cousin who made a quilt for his mom).  But one brother taught his younger brother.  Then he taught some of his friends and they started crocheting hats to wear themselves.  Well, that got people talking and they started taking orders.  Then a few mission trips later and they started thinking that they could teach Ugandan women how to crochet in order to support themselves.  Of course, that’s my paraphrased version.

Go check them out on their website:  http://www.krochetkids.org/

And you can check out their story at http://www.krochetkids.org/who-we-are/our-story/

However, they aren’t the only ones doing good things with a hook and some yarn.  If you crochet or knit and would like to be a part of something bigger than just your own house/family, go check out some of these places:

Warm Up America!  - http://craftyarncouncil.com/

Red Scarf Project (sponsored by Foster Care to Success) - http://fc2success.org/what-we-do/programs/red-scarf-project/

Project Linus: Providing Security Through Blankets - http://www.projectlinus.org/

Crochet Cabana - http://www.crochetcabana.com/   This website has a Charity Links link that you can click on that will take you to many other charities that you can participate in using your talents.

Newborns in Need - http://www.newbornsinneed.org/ - This website is for an organization that accepts crocheted and knitted items for newborns.  There is a link to patterns as well.

Bev’s Country Cottage Charity Links - http://www.bevscountrycottage.com/charity-links.html - This page has links to charities in the US, Canada, Australia, UK, and South Africa.  There is a statement/warning, however, stating that it’s possible not all the places update Bev to let them know if they are still accepting donations. 

So…that’s all I’ve got for now.  The bottom line is:  we can all continue to live lives that focus solely on ourselves and wonder why we are miserable all the time.  Or, we can reach out, do something for someone else and find that maybe, just maybe, our lives are not as bad as we thought they were.

Personally, I’m all for making a difference.  What’s your stand?

Again, thanks for your indulgence,

Rabbit’s Bunny

Running the Race set Before Me!!!

Wow!!!  What a rough couple of weeks!  Got too busy to post anything, what with trying to get myself AND my daughter ready for school here at home, and the two boys ready for their own schooling.  Besides that, we had an earthquake and a hurricane all in one week.  PHEW!!!  By the grace of God, I am back.

I’ve been thinking about the things that I’ve got going on this school year:

            *grad school (I really want to make good grades!)

            *homeschooling sophomore daughter (I hope she enjoys it as much as I think I’m gonna.)

            *training for a half-marathon in mid-October (Am I crazy or what?)

            *getting oldest child ready (the rest of the way) to leave home (What?  He’s that old?)

            *Precepts ladies Bible study (intense)

            *house-hunting (more time-consuming than I thought it’d be)

            *car-shopping, eventually (not as much fun as it sounds, or as I’d hoped)

                        (and this is just the stuff that I know of, right now!)

and the scripture that came to mind is in Hebrews: chapter 12, verses 1-11.  These are some powerful verses.

            Hebrews 12:1-11(NIV)

(1)   Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

(2)   Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

(3)   Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

(4)   In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 

(5)   And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons:  “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,

(6)   Because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son, (Proverbs 3:11,12)”

(7)   Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons.  For what son is not disciplined by his father?

(8)   If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. 

(9)   Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it.  How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live!

(10)           Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness.

(11)           No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful.  Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

  So…Hebrews 12 begins with a “Therefore” and my mother always told me to look and see what it was there for, so I refer you back to chapter 11.  That is the “Faith Hall of Fame” chapter.  And my, my, my – what a line-up.  But verse 39 talks of how all the aforementioned folks were commended for their faith and yet, none of them received the promise.  In fact, all of the people mentioned are from the Old Testament – they just had the mention of a Messiah, of a Savior.  And they went forth, in faith, trusting that they had heard from God, taking Him at His Word.  And they were commended.  Then, in verse 40, we are told that God has something “better” for us.  WOW again!  Talk about motivation to keep on keeping on!

Then, our focus is directed to Jesus!  Are you going through some “stuff” right now?  Does it seem like you are in a hole that is so deep you can’t see much more than a speck of light in the distance?  Guess what!  Jesus is there with you.  He was there before you and He can sympathize with where you are!!!  And still, He asks you trust and obey.  

Everything we have to do, everything He calls us to do and all those things we go through as we are being obedient, that’s our discipline.  Those are the things that are perfecting us, purifying us, so that we are the creation He designed us to be.  We are constantly being formed and molded into the image of Christ.  That is the purpose of the discipline. 

But not all discipline is punishment.  Sometimes, it is just the denying of our selfish wants and desires so that we can obtain something better, something eternal.  Our flesh will scream and it will feel as though we are being punished, but we know in our hearts, we have faith, that the denial will bring us something greater.  The thing is: we don’t get the reward until we are obedient, and put our faith to work.  It isn’t really faith until we take action; before that, it’s just a thought.  As a good friend of mine put it:  you can say you believe that the chair can hold you up, but until you put your but in the seat, you’ll never know.  You have to put your faith to work; that’s obedience.

So, today, I believe that I will set aside everything that tells me this year will be too hard.  I will set aside everything that tells me I should just quit and take an easier road.  I will set aside those voices in my head that tell me my kids will hate me if I don’t let them eat sweets or watch that TV program I don’t like even though I don’t really have a good enough reason for them.  I will set aside those voices that tell me I’m crazy for wanting to run a half-marathon just to see if I can do it.  I will set aside those voices that tell me I will not have enough hours in the day to get the things done that I know I have been called to do.  I will set aside the temptation to 10 cookies when one (or two) is enough.  I will set aside the temptation to sit on the couch and watch another rerun of NCIS when I could be putting away the laundry I folded while it was on, even though I detest putting laundry away.  I will do it because my husband does not need to come home to a dirty house when I am not busy and am not sick and have had all day to complete a 15 minute task and because he does not need to hear the excuse, “I just didn’t feel like it.” 

I will discipline myself not to talk about those people who have hurt my feelings because talking about them only keeps me in bondage to the damage they did to me.  It keeps that wound from healing, and I have already received my healing because of Christ’s stripes.  I will accept that healing and will no longer do those things that keep it from being a reality in my life.  I will choose life over death, hope over despair, love over hate.  And I will continually choose them.  And when I overindulge in self-pity, I will ask for forgiveness and then, I will persevere again.

And, lest Christ shall tarry, I will do it all again tomorrow.  Running the race set before me.

Thanks for Your Indulgence,
Rabbit's Bunny

All Things Work Together for Good for Those that Love the Lord!!!

PHEW!!  It's good to be back on some kind of a schedule.  Last week was super busy and I was missing getting to post something.  But, I am back and with a vengeance.  God has been doing a work in me these last few days and all I can say is THANK THE LORD!!!  God is good and He is good ALL THE TIME!!!

It’s a hard thing to realize that God doesn’t owe you anything.  During this “thing” we’ve all been going through, I’ve been praying and praying and praying and believing and believing and believing that all things would work out good for us because we love the Lord.  But the bottom line is this:  all things will “ultimately” work out for out good because we get to spend an eternity in Heaven with the Lord.  THAT is the “good” in this case.  The only other guarantee that I have found to be absolutely sure is that, while we are here on earth, there will be suffering.  But these “light and momentary afflictions” are designed to draw us closer to the heart of God.  I believe I was in a Kay Arthur bible study (but it may have been a Joyce Meyer teaching) when I heard that far too often people spend their time looking for the hand of God when they ought to be looking for the heart of God.  The heart of God is that we would grow more intimate in our relationship with Him; not that we would be continually looking for hand-outs.  Sure, He will take care of us.  Sure, He will provide for us.  Yes, He will never leave us, nor forsake us.  But, our job is to be getting to know Him better, getting to know His will for our lives, not just looking for a hand-out.  God is not a genie in a bottle, designed to grant us wishes.  God is not our sugar-daddy, there to make our lives cushy and easy.  He calls us to walk the narrow path and the way is not easy.  It is not for wimps.  It is not for quitters.  He is out to separate the wheat from the chaff and you better be careful when you pray for a deeper, more intimate relationship with Him, because you may not have a clue what you are asking for and just what He might require of you until you are down the road a ways and things start looking rocky.

Take the ocean.  The waves that batter and rock the boats are high and they are strong.  BUT, they are only on the surface.  Down underneath, the water is way calmer.  That’s where we need to be hanging out with God.  Down underneath all the waves that bluster about and bang against things.  The people riding on the surface of the water, at the superficial level of the relationship, are the ones having the rough ride.  You gotta go deep.  Down further than you think.  But simply dunking your head underneath the water, where you can still swim is not going to cut it.  Here, you can still save yourself. 

In this “thing” we are going through, I have resolved that nothing is going to make me turn my back on God.  Nothing is going to tear this family apart.  Things have been said and accusations made that are completely unfounded, and I am thoroughly convinced that these are fiery arrows from Satan designed to undermine the work that God has started in this family.  I have been through too much in my life to let this get the best of me. 

Being resolved is one thing; we all make resolutions on New Year’s Eve, only to have ditched them February (if we make it that long).  It’s what we do when the going gets tough that makes us who we are and will tell us in whom we have put our faith.  On the days that I have tried to “will” my way through things and do it on my own, things are bleak and awful and I can’t see straight because I just get so angry and fed up and tired and emotional and…  You name it; I run the gamut of emotions.  But on the days, when I turn the mess over to God, and that means all my feelings surrounding the mess too, and I let Him tell me how to go about my day, there truly is a peace that passes understanding.

Things have been said by people (one person in particular) that in my flesh, I know I would never be able to look at that person the same way again, and yet, there is a relationship there.  A growing, thriving relationship.  This person betrayed me.  This person betrayed a very close family member of mine and yet, she and I are close.  I do not look at her and think, “This is all because of you.”  There has been restoration there.  The situation is not even resolved yet, and there is restoration there.  God works even in the midst of the crisis to give you a peace that you cannot even imagine.  The only catch is: you have to let Him.  You cannot keep carrying the burden around yourself and praying for rest, wondering why He’s not answering.  The answer is:  You don’t have rest because you haven’t let Him handle the burden for you.  And turning that burden over to Him may have to take place SEVERAL times a day.  Maybe even several times an hour.  But you have to keep turning it over.  He will keep taking it back and taking it back until you stop trying to snatch it out of His hands and handle it on your own.  He will.  He is faithful even when we are faithless. 

So my prayer, for you today, as well as for myself:

Dear Lord, thank you that you are faithful even when I am not.  Thank you that you are God and I am not.  Thank you that your thoughts are not my thoughts and that your ways are not my ways.  I trust that you know what you are doing and that if you have let something come into my life it is only because you love me and want to see me grow more in my walk with you.  I trust that you love me enough not to leave me alone and let me be.  When times are hard, please direct me to scriptures that will lift me up and remind me of your faithfulness.  When things look dark, help me to remember that thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.  There is power in the name of Jesus, there is power in the Word, and there is power in the blood.  Help me to remember to call upon the name of Jesus, to pray the Word over my life and to claim the life-giving, soul-saving power of the blood that Jesus shed so that I might spend eternity with you in Heaven, so that I can endure.  One day at a time, one hour at a time, one minute, one second, one step.  May I come to rely so much on you that I would not dare think to step out of bed without calling on the name of Jesus for strength to make it through the day.  Draw me so close to you that I can hear your heartbeat over my own.  May my steps align so well with yours that only one set of footprints is visible.  Bend my will to yours so that all I want is what you want for me and so that I want nothing that is not of you.  Help me to remember to hold everything you have given me with an open hand so that my hand does not have to ache from clenching everything so tightly, and my heart does not have to break so much when you ask for it back.  Help me to remember that this world is not my home, that I am only hurting because you have placed a longing in my heart for a place that is not here, but for a perfect home and for an eternity with you, when there will be no more pain, no more heartache, and no more betrayal.  Give me strength to speak of that place, and of your Son, to those you put in my life so that they might be able to share in your promises, as well.  Give me a holy boldness to reach out to those who are hurting because they do not know you, even though they do not know that is why they are hurting.  Forgive me for those times when I have tried to insulate and isolate myself from the world, when I have become self-protective and have neglected doing your work because I did not want to get hurt again.  Renew in me a heart of mercy so that I might reach out to those who are hurting because our ultimate act of praise ought to be using the strength you have given us to endure hard times to encourage others during their hard times.    Dear Lord, more than anything, I pray that your will be done in my life, and, if possible, through my life.

In Jesus’ Name I pray,

Amen

I would like to add just one final thing.  A link to a video/song that has meant a lot to me this summer:

"Blessings" by Laura Story (this is the YouTube link to the same video above)

Enjoy, and again, TFYI,

Rabbit's Bunny

Renewing American Compassion, and My Own. Finally.

So, the post for today, has to do with the book "Renewing American Compassion" and rededicating myself to my own compassion-related objectives.

Renewing American Compassion:
How compassion for the needy
can turn ordinary citizens into heroes
by: Marvin Olasky

How many times have you thought about the welfare system and felt like there has to be a better way of providing for the legitimately poor among us, then this is a book you need to read.  There are some people who take advantage of the system, but there are plenty who do not and the current welfare system would rather throw money at people and keep them poor than it would prefer to help them up out of their misery.  The welfare system, as a whole, is designed to keep the organizations who support it wealthy while it keeps the people receiving welfare poor.  Does that seem a little lop-sided to anyone but me?

For your perusal and consideration, here's an excerpt from the book:

     "Today, we have lots of theories about fighting poverty, but it is not necessary to be moving in the theoretical plane.  Americans know how to fight poverty.  We had successful antipoverty programs a century ago, successful because they embodied personal involvement and challenge, both material and spiritual.
     This vital story has generally been ignored by liberal historians, but the documented history goes like this:  during the 19th century a successful war on poverty was waged by tens of thousands of local, private charitable agencies and religious groups around the country.  The platoons of the greatest charity army in American history often were small.  They were made up of volunteers led by poorly paid but deeply dedicated professional managers.  And they were effective.  ...And the optimism prevalent then contrasts sharply with the demoralization among the poor and the cynicism among the better-off that is so common now.
     What was their secret?  It was not neglect, either benign or malign.  It is their understanding of the literal and biblical meaning of compassion, which comes from two Latin words: com, with, and pati, to suffer.  The word points to personal involvement with the needy, suffering with them, not just giving to them.  "Suffering with" means adopting hard-to-place babies, providing shelter to women undergoing crisis pregnancies, becoming a big brother to a fatherless child, working one-on-one with a young, single mother.  It's not easy--but it is effective.
     ...our predecessors made moral demands on recipients of aid.  They saw family, work, freedom, and faith as central to our being, not as lifestyle options.  The volunteers gave of their own lives not just so that others might survive, but that they might thrive."


If we were honest with ourselves, if I am honest with myself, this kind of compassion, while biblical is less than comfortable.  It often requires more out of us than we think we are willing to give.  But I wonder if that's not because we stress ourselves out about the idea before we ever start to put it into practice.  How many times have I "psyched" myself out over something before I ever got started?  Is that not exactly what Satan wants us to do?  To quit before we start so that we never accomplish anything in our lives.

How many times has this happened to you???  I can tell you it has happened to me more times than I care to admit.  One thing I have discovered though is that God has never called me to do anything that He has not already prepared me for, or that He is incapable of helping me through.  And for that matter, if I was capable of doing it all on my own, it stands to reason that I would do it on my own, and He would never get any of the glory.

Here's something to consider:

Proverbs 11:24-25
     One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.  A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.

     How can you refresh somebody today?  Who can you refresh today?  Has someone been on your mind that you keep meaning to call and you keep getting busy and forget?  When was the last time you wrote someone a letter?  Visited a sick friend?  Visited your mother?   What about that friend from high school you keep meaning to call and make a date for coffee?  Do you have a relative in a nursing home you could visit for a few hours?  You'd be surprised at how little it can take to make someone's day.  Give it a try.  Put yourself, your troubles, your issues, on the back burner for a while and focus strictly on someone else.  You'll be amazed at how much better you feel and how the severity of your problems, when compared to someone else's, seems to fade just a bit.

Something I heard one time:
     If you and everyone you know could write down your problems on a piece of paper and throw them all into a hat and you were asked to pass the hat around and pull out any problem you wanted, you'd reach in and pull out your own.  It may seem bad to you because you are the one going through it, but would you really trade your issues for anyone else's?  If you wouldn't, then you have options.  Either fix it, or don't.  If you aren't going to fix it, then stop complaining and take things the way they are.  If you can fix it, stop complaining and do it.  Either way, the complaining is pointless.

Anyway, I know I get to sounding like a preachy, nagging mom, but it's only because I had a good teacher (Thanks, Mom!).  But trust that all this is focused straight back at me.



TFYI,
Rabbit's Bunny

Unknowingly Sidetracked! Dang It!

It dawned on me a couple days ago the truth of the saying,

If Satan can't make you sin, he'll make you busy.

I've been so wrapped up in what's been going on here in our lives that I've neglected some rather important things and I hadn't even realized it.  I've had a crochet project I was working on before our whole mess started that I've not been doing.  I've had a letter to respond to for a month that hasn't been done yet, and many more besides that I usually write that I haven't.  I also started a kind of soup supper tradition with my friends that has become a hit.  None of these things have happened since "the last Monday in April."  What I have done since that dread date is no less noble, but all I have been doing is trying to find something else to get angry about so that I don't think about what's bothering me.  What I have failed to do is those things that make me who I am to those around me who love me.  In my efforts to quit thinking about what was making me so mad, I allowed myself to become so sidetracked that I let some things slip that I am good at and that bring me joy!  DUH!!!!  Dang it!

So, I tried to reschedule a soup supper, but everyone I invited was busy.  No big deal.  The effort to be obedient is what is rewarded and I will not be judged for other people's busy schedules not allowing them to show up to a supper.  That's fine!  The point is:  I'm back!  The letter that is overdue will be started (& probably finished) today and mailed tomorrow.  And as for the crochet, one shawl has been finished in the past week, and I've got the original foundation chain started for another one and it will be finished this week - because what else can I do while I am watching our spectacular summer television line-up.

That being said, what has drawn my attention this summer is no less noble just because it took my attention away from other things.  One thing that has drawn my attention has been getting stuff ready to home-school my daughter for her 10th grade year (and probably 11th & 12th grade years as well).  Lots of worksheets found, lots of awesome lesson plan ideas. Can't wait to get started, even though it means I'll be teaching and going to school at the same time.

When Helping Hurts:
How to Alleviate Poverty Without
Hurting the Poor and Yourself
by:  Steve Corbett & Brian Pikkert

And then, there are the books I've read.  The next book I have to talk about is:

Here's an excerpt:
"A helpful first step in thinking about working with the poor in any context
is to discern whether the situation calls for relief, rehabilitation, or development.  In fact, the failure to distinguish among these situations is one of the most common reasons that poverty-alleviate efforts often to harm."

"One of the biggest mistakes that North American churches make--by far--is in applying relief in situations in which rehabilitation or development is the appropriate intervention."

Relief, according to the book, is the throwing of money at the problem.  Rehabilitation involves the restoration of the people and their communities to their "pre-crisis conditions" and "working with people as they participate in their own recovery."  Finally, development is the "process of ongoing change that moves all people involved (helpers & helped) closer to being in right relationship with God, self, others & the rest of creation."

Finally, "(I)n summary, poor people in North America could benefit form all of the following:  (1) the capability to work at jobs with living wages, (2) the capacity to manage their money, (3) the opportunity to accumulate wealth, and (4) a greater supply of quality education, housing, and health care at affordable rates. Moreover, like all of us, poor people need highly relational ministries--delivered through the body of Jesus Christ--that help them to overcome the effects of the fall on their individual hearts, minds and behaviors."

This book was published in collaboration with the Chalmers Center for Economic Development.  If you'd like to learn more about them, you can check them out on the web at www.chalmers.org or you can find them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ChalmersCenter.

I would encourage you, the next time you are in the middle of a town and you are confronted by a homeless person, how about, instead of just throwing money at them and hoping they'll move along, why not have a conversation with them and find out why they are on the street.  You may feel a little uncomfortable, but how do you think they feel having to ask for hand-outs.  Everyone has a story.  You do run the risk of being duped, that's for sure.  But, you run a risk every time you take a chance on a person.  Every time.  Someone IS going to break your heart.  I guarantee it!!!  But you'll never regret the time you took the risk, only those times you let fear stand in the way!

TFYI,
Rabbit's Bunny

Kindess, a Tyranny?

Tyranny of Kindness:  Dismantling the Welfare
system to End Poverty in America
by Theresa Funiciello

An excerpt from the pictured book:

"Fatima Ali, a thirty-two-year-old middle-class Muslim housewife was attempting to send all five of her children back to Allah, through their apartment window.  Her daughter Taisha was pronounced dead at the hospital.  Rasheed, critically injured, survived.  Just as Ms. Ali was about to toss our her one-year-old, firefighters burst into her apartment. As they were overtaking her, she urged the children to go quickly, as if they would go on their own.  All were naked.  According to one news report, she said, "We came into this world with nothing, and that's how we're going to leave."  Three children and their mother, who intended to jump when she completed the task, were rescued.
     Ms. Ali was charged with murder, attempted murder, first- and second-degree assault, reckless endangerment, and endangering the welfare of a child.  Neighbors said the mother was loving and the children were always polite and clean, as if that somehow rendered the occurrence more mysterious.  And then Fatima Ali and her children vanished from our collective memory, almost as swiftly as they had entered.
     When I was young, I could not possibly have understood or forgiven the acts of Fatima Ali.  Some of that youth I spent as a Muslim--drapes for clothes, virtually nonstop prayers, my two feet of hair cordoned with a bolt of white cloth bound so tightly I could never really forget it was there.  I took this religion as seriously as the religions that preceded it in my life, starting with Catholicism (I went to church every day until I was eighteen).  My religion was as solid as a rock mountain, vulnerable only to major earthquakes and dripping water by the century.  In later years, feminism finally crept up on me.
     In Islam everything, from sex to eating, is ritualized.  That's how I know what Fatima Ali was doing with apparent calm while she help Rasheed out the window before letting go.  She was praying.  In form and function, as in other patriarchal religions, women in Islam are buried alive in an avalanche of contradictions.  They are equal; no superior; no, inferior to me, to snakes, to witches.  The female self is sublimated under a mass of religious debris.  Make no mistake:  an Islamic woman without a man, especially a woman with children, isn't remotely like a fish without a bicycle.
     This woman had five children, aged one to eight years, and was recently separated fro her husband.  She had trouble making her last month's rent.  She had been trapped in one alienating system and was about to become trapped in another.  She surely feared a descent into poverty, alienation, and probably homelessness.  After all, once removed from attachment to a man, her labor as a wife and mother was all but worthless.  It would not have been difficult for her to imagine a terrifying future.  The streets.  Welfare.  Welfare hotels.  Drugs, prostitution, guns, knives, gambling, drunkenness, and all manner of spiritual death.  But for a woman with the option of deliverance, it wasn't inevitable.  
     A homeless mother of five has virtually no change of being taken in by friends or family for more than a night or two.  In fact, were Ms. Ali to become homeless, she would have only a 16 percent chance of keeping her children with her for the duration of their homelessness.  The odds are not much better for mothers of fewer children, who would be more typical.  In all cases, relatively young mothers and their children who find themselves suddenly without the income of a father (or the unlikely trust fund) might bring, are in a situation fraught with peril."

     The story continues, and many others are added which are even sadder, as the book progresses.  What the book spells out though is just how flawed the welfare system in the United States is.  The book talks at length about food pantries too.  I have donated plenty of food to food pantries over the years.  I can't say that I won't continue to donate food since I have plenty, but think about this for a bit.  I have donated plenty of boxes of macaroni and cheese and Hamburger Helper dinner mixes, cans of corn, green beans, pork-n-beans, peas, fruit, and the like.  Non-perishables they are called.  However, there is no guarantee that the women who frequent the food pantries will have access to water with which to cook the noodles, meat to put into the Hamburger Helper, a stove on which to cook the food, or a microwave or electricity.  Or heat of any description.  Shall I keep going?

I found this book at one of the local libraries.  If you want an eye-opener and an education about the welfare system from the people who "use" it, this book is a must read.  There are people out there who abuse it "the system" to be sure.  But there are people who would like to use welfare as little as possible and then only to get on their feet.  For those people, sometimes getting back on your feet is easier said than done in a system that is designed to keep you down rather than help you up.

Knowledge is power, my friends, but it is also a double-edged sword.  The wisdom it gives you to hack out the evil in the world can also cut you to the quick when you realize you have not done as much as you could, or ought to be.  Remember, too, that once you know a thing, you are responsible to do something with what you know.  If you don't want to be held accountable for the things you learn in this book, don't read it.  If you are ready to be ticked off by a broken system and are ready to do something, to get involved in making the system for providing for our poor work better, proceed with reckless abandon.

I know I said yesterday that I was going to talk about 3 different books today, but I think I'll leave it with this one and I offer these passages of scripture as food for thought:

Proverbs 22:22-23
²² Do not exploit the poor because they are poor 
   and do not crush the needy in court, 
²³ for the LORD will take up their case 
   and will exact life for life.

Matthew 16:24-27
²⁴ Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. ²⁵ For whoever wants to save their life^[a]will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. ²⁶ What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? ²⁷ For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.


Thanks for your indulgence,
Rabbit's Bunny