CaliforniaFamilies

Politics stress me out

2005-04-19T09:01:00.000-07:00

I haven't written much on this post for a couple of months. I still feel compelled to learn and write occasionally about the political and family issues of California, but I will do so on a different site.

I have discovered for me, that the constant reacting to governmental issues makes me a grump. For the sake of my girls, a grump I must not be.

Look for more inspirational writing at LostandBlind.blogspot.com.

California Teacher's Association is alive and well

2005-02-28T15:51:00.000-08:00

Just went to pick up my daughter's kindergarten registration packet. Oy the tension. I do not trust the California Teacher's Association. It is too powerful and too big. The self proclamed largest union in the state is growing. One big question I had for the school was to which union do the teachers belong?

My discovery was enlightening. Each teacher is automatically part of the CTA. There is no choice. Though they can opt to have their fees placed elsewhere, most teachers are unaware of this option. The CTA has somehow managed to have all office and other school employees added to their union as well. So, it isn't really the California Teachers Union. It is the California Teachers and other school employees union. Add to that their desire to have a universal preschool added to the state plan which all related becoming part of the union and they grow exponentially.

Never thought I'd say it, but come on Gov. stick to it and bust their plan. The propoganda is on the loose. Even local principals are saying the gov has renigged on children. You got to know this change of seniority for teachers is a threat and a half. I hope it happens.

Presidents day in the southland

2005-02-21T23:14:00.000-08:00

Rain pounding down upon us, famiy from Michigan comes to visit "sunny" California. See the kids, see the grandchildren. What do we do? Hang around the house, go to the mall, watch movies. But children need more, family needs more. Where can we go indoors to spend time together? My husband brings up an idea. We've never visited the Reagan Presidential Library. OK.

It's beautiful in the hills. We remember times when we were young now seen through adult eyes. The children learn something new. There were other presidents besides the one we have now. My oldest peers through glass at children's pictures and letters sent to the president. "Why are those there mommy?" she asks. I tell her that children wrote to the president. I tell her presidents like to get letters and care about the children of the country. She, four years old, says that she would like to write to President Bush. OK, I think, one day.

President's Day arrives. Oh yeah, it's President's Day, how ironic. That wasn't planned.

"I want to make a card for President Bush" the munchkin says. We get out the paper and pens. In her uneasy hand she writes "President Bush". She draws a very basic picture of a stick figure cat, because she thinks he'll like a cat. Inside, she writes "President Bush", she draws lines and a gold glittery path. She draws a morraca with a "W" on it. Tomorrow we will send it, with a letter of explanation.

That was our President's Day. Not what I expected.

Rain rolls in

2005-02-11T15:23:00.000-08:00

Soggy swampy backyard. Leaking garage. Drains not draining.
That's just my personal experience.

In the neighborhood...
evacuated mobile homes, quickly moving rivers that appear and disappear at the drop of rain, impassable dirt roads that lead to homes, hillsides still moving from the last rain, houses relocating--not mobile homes, HOUSES.

No idea what to expect but seeking prayer for So Cal. It is needed in so many ways.

Good thing FEMA set up shop here.

FEMA finally fantastic

2005-02-09T16:53:00.000-08:00

Much frustration has been expressed across my state concerning the lack of a presidential declaration of disaster. Yesterday, sorry I didn't blog, my local newspaper ran info that FEMA (federal emergency management agency) is setting up shop in our area.

The recent rains devasted some of the people in our area. People with mobile homes who were unable to return and unable to do much more. As the water poured, their life savings drifted away. That was almost a month ago. Frustration has engulfed this region waiting for some word from the federal government.

The WORD has been HEARD. PRAISE GOD!

Another one bites the dust...

2005-02-04T17:13:00.000-08:00

What is with our state and scandals? Now State Attorney General Kevin Shelley has submitted his resignation amidst yet another scandal for our state. I read about it in an AP Article in my local Daily News. In this very fair article, the negatives and positives of Mr. Shelley's service to the state were laid out.

Is it any wonder we have so many problems at the local level when we don't seem to know how to elect people who will not open the door to accusations. I don't know if he's guilty of the abuse of voter money mentioned in the article but it is quite clear that with anger management classes and abusive language seen and recorded, he did leave the door open for attacks. One may have nothing to do with the other, but when one's integrity is in question so are all their actions.

My mind us mush

2005-02-03T17:14:00.000-08:00

I have many thoughts right now. Things which concern me. Will the California State Legislature pass physician assisted suicide? What do I think about it?

Still in the works...I struggle because I saw death recently. I watch my grandfather pass away. He has mentally been gone for a while. With dimensia his mind and ability to talk or communicate in any way was gone. He would smile and people would interpret it's meaning. When he had a stroke which caused his breathing to stop for one or two minutes, and then abruptly restart. I don't know all the details and perhaps that is good. But through much difficulty, my mom and uncle decided to have him admitted to hospice. Again, I don't know all the details but I do know what it was like to watch the lack of water and food eat away at his frail body. Is it better to end a life when we know it is ending? I can't agree with it, but the selfish part of me wonders if I would feel the same if the suffering person was me.

Should I be a bag lady? In San Francisco, they have apparently decided to charge extra for the grocery bags. It is their hope to encourage people to bring their own bags to the grocery. The result would be fewer bags creating hideous litter. Not and entirely horrible idea, but slightly embarassing to say the least. What if I don't bring enough bags? Will people purchase reusable bags at a higher cost to help solve the problem? I don't want to be cruel but I think that in order to live in Frisco one has to have an inordinately large back account. An extra $.17 per bag probably bother them a bit.

Baby cries can't leave her, sister enters wearing a lovely taffeta cinderellaesque outfit and wants all my attention too. How to balance...

Loved the state of the union. Detailed but not too detailed, let the politicians get bogged down with that which I can't change or affect. Mr. Bush, I have great respect for you just one thing. Please don't negate any efforts to help our state simply because we have problematic people. They are everywhere. There was a lot of damage in the storms, people need help.

Baby cries again. Writing time is through.

Hoping for a Kind Kindergarden

2005-02-02T23:30:00.000-08:00

I wonder if other parents struggle as my husband and I struggle concerning the education of our daughters. It seems there is not a really good choice. My daughter is wired to love being with people. Though I would happily home school her, with her personality, it would simply be cruel. We cannot afford a private school, though I am not entirely convinced they greatly benefit the child as a whole (not just educationally). That leaves our local public school.

I also know the power a teacher wields. Much of the day they are alone with our children and in general we barely know them. I will have to rely on the judgement of those who hired the teacher. By the way, I don't know them either. I can't edit a teacher as I would the T.V. This is frustrating.

Yet, the process begins. Today I have discovered the sign up date for our local school. I believe these years to come will be spent on my knees (literally) much of the time. I feel as though I have so little control over the influences in her life. Praise God, His influence extends beyond all fences and borders in any and every location. I do know Him and I do trust Him.

Mommy Bloggers...are we just me first whiners

2005-02-01T10:33:00.000-08:00

This article in the New York Times was listed at Smart Christian and it bothered me a bit. I am a "mommy blogger". The idea that those of us who are moms are strictly trying to get attention for ourselves and take it away from our kids is just plain mean. Perhaps the moms they spoke with or read appear to have recentment or selfishness as their motivator, but there are others I have read who seem to simply want to express their views and give others advice or information. I can think of Michelle Maulkin and Mommy Pundit as good examples of this.

As for me, I am trying to develop my writing skills. I care deeply about the issues of my area and want to watch them myself. I wasn't sure but maybe others might be interested as well. I have become a stay at home mom and I don't want my husband to feel like he is carrying the load all by himself without any attempts on my part to help. I have longed to be a writer for years and not had the time or energy to really put forth an effort. This becomes a tool. I can research the news and political items which are relevant to my family and maybe they will be relevant to others. If not, I am still developing a writing skill which will help with my other goal. I write when my girls are sleeping or having quiet playtime and in this way, it doesn't take away from them. Perhaps the writer of this article should have investigated deeper.

I have even started an occasional other site called Lost and Blind which gives the pastor in me a chance to have short pastoral moments.

Are women supposed to have no interests and no opinions? I don't think historically that has ever really been the case.

Watch out someone else is coining "the Governator" phrase

2005-02-01T10:12:00.000-08:00

I was reading various blogs this morning and at Stones Cry Out I see "Once invincible 'Governator' dips". Until this read I had seen no one else call our Governor Arnold, "the Governator". It turns out it is a quote from an AP article of the same title. It is interesting to me that the author of this article points to things like taking on the California Teacher's Association as a reason for the decline in numbers. The team at the beautiful new Stones Cry Out site do a great job of analysing the poll involved. I do think it is possible that his numbers could go down a bit though because of his willingness to have teachers get pay increases based on overall success not just tenure. It is the largest union in the state and if you've read some of my previous articles, you'll know they are trying to grow larger. This will be a battle of Governor Arnie stands by what he said. Quite frankly, if he can do that he'll finally have a fan in me too.

Does the Iraqi election mean anything in SoCal?

2005-01-29T16:39:00.000-08:00

YES! In Orange county, Iraqi's who are current living here had an opportunity to vote. Our ability to govern ourselves and believe in the system is absolutely connected to those young upstart countries who are trying to follow our example. Here in what some call the People's Republic of California, it is essential to see democracy in action.

I suspect many will doubt this votes validity no matter what happens but only time will show it's real value.

They have my prayers and hopes for their future. God bless you Iraq.

Mastering Mom Mania

2005-01-28T19:03:00.000-08:00

I have noticed a trend in educated professional women who are choosing to stay at home with their children. We all agree it is important to help our children developmentally. We agree that we have the biggest drive to see that happen, though there are more than a few highly committed dads as well. But I must admit that the mania of being with a 1 year old an 4 year old all day has its moments.
I can get tired of hearing the same drum beat over and over again. I can get frustrated with the baby who cries when I have finally developed something interesting to say. Let's face facts, reading and writing blogs is sometimes the only adult contact I have in a day. So, let me get this out now....

AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!

Ok, better now. I adore them I long to be the best I can be. I am also in a cross cultural experience. I used to communicate the gospel, do counselling for teens and families. I was even crossing over to do counselling for children. I have a passion for sharing the gospel, so my kids...OK, my 4 year old, knows what I believe (to the best of her ability) and is learning for herself. The time will come as she grows for her to decide to claim or not claim these beliefs for herself. But for now, they are my ministry.

Are there any moms in the same boat? How is the sanity? I would love ideas for keeping my brain while fostering strong emotional, spiritual and physical children.

Am I dreaming?

Universal Preschool what does it mean

2005-01-27T18:33:00.000-08:00

Once again Universal Preschool is brought to our state assembly floor....what does the bill AB172
mean in practical application and what does it say... let's take a look

INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Chan (Principal coauthor: Senator Escutia) (Coauthors: Assembly Members Berg, Bermudez, Coto, Evans, Hancock,Jones, Leno, Lieber, Liu, Montanez, Nava, Parra, Pavley, Ruskin,Salinas, and Yee) (Coauthors: Senators Figueroa, Florez, Kuehl, Lowenthal, andOrtiz)

JANUARY 20, 2005 An act relating to preschool.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 172, as introduced, Chan.
Universal preschool. Existing law, the Child Care and Developmental Services Act,establishes various full- and part-time programs for a comprehensive,coordinated, and cost-effective system of developmental services forchildren to age 14 and their parents. Other existing law, theKindergarten Readiness Pilot Program, permits, until January 1, 2011,school districts to participate in the program to providekindergarten preparedness opportunities to increase a child'sreadiness for school. Existing law requires the Superintendent ofPublic Instruction to administer state preschool programs includingpart-time day and preschool appropriate programs for prekindergartenchildren 3 to 5 years of age. This bill would make certain findings and state the intent of theLegislature with regard to universal preschool. Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no.State-mandated local program: no.

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. The Legislature finds and declares all of thefollowing:(a) A compelling body of respected research demonstrates that quality preschool programs benefit children and their families,the public school system, public safety, the economy, and society as a whole.

I am fascinated that this states the benefits of preschool. Yet much research also shows the detrament of preschool. Children in the formative first four years of life have statistically done better when they spend more time with their parents not away from them. Also, if the assembly members who supported this are so certain, why do they need the repeated "public service" commercials touting the "benefits" of preschool. If it is true why does it need to be stated over and over as though brain washing the audience.

(b) California has an enormous opportunity to reach children at a time when they are eager and ready to learn. 90 percent of brain development takes place before age five, making early childhood the best time to invest in preschool programs that boost learning,creativity, and social skills. Preschool programs lay a strong foundation that helps children succeed in school and in life.

Again, not optimum to take children from families at this learning time. Then the things they learn is "school is more important than family." "Family doesn't want me." "School does want me." "School has higher value than family", etc. I have no problem recognizing that not all families can be together in all those first five years, but for those who can, it is lying and deceptive to tell them that preschool will be of benefit. Children need the solid core of love which keeps them strong through the school years, without it they flail in the wind. Preschool cannot and should not be the "foundation" of a child's life. The foundation is in the family who will be with them throughout their lives not the teacher who changes annually.

(c) Quality preschool experiences boost academic achievement in school, decrease grade retention, decrease special education placements, and increase graduation rates. Quality preschool further reduces the likelihood of later arrest and incarceration, and increases college attendance and earnings in adulthood. Economists report that every dollar invested in quality preschool returns as much as seven dollars ($7) to the public.

I'm sorry did they indicate that preschool will keep children out of jail in college and they can get a good job. Funny, I've done much research and seen none of this in families with strong parental involvement. Research shows that children who have a strong relationship with their father are 70% less likely to go to jail. I don't see the state proposing classes to improve fathering skills. No they want to take young impressionable children away from this strong influence. Illogical from the outset. The economists are likely to be responding to limited information given to them by those who support this bill. Besides, let's be real. If we are one of the worst educated states in the nation now, how can we assume that those who put together this program are going to fare any better. Why don't we improve what we're already doing before we try something new.

(d) Hundreds of thousands of children in this state do not have access to quality preschool. Preschool age children enroll at a rate of just 47 percent below the national average and far below international comparisons.

I'd want to know a lot more about their research before I assume it's true.

(e) The fastest growing segment of the preschool age population is the most underenrolled, in that Latino children account for nearly half of all preschool age children, yet have the lowest enrollment rate of any ethnic group, just 37 percent.

Are they honestly saying that because someone is Latino, they must not be able to go to preschool. Has it occurred to anyone that the strong Latino families don't place their children in preschool by choice? An interesting assumption without evidence of reason.

(f) Of the estimated 1.1 million children who are three to five years old and not yet enrolled in kindergarten, about 39 percent would likely be designated as English language learners. Therefore,pathways to excellence must be created for all children while communicating respect and support for differences in cultural origins.

"Likely" , it says 39% would "likely" be designated English language learners....hmmm. They are proposing a major plan costing the state $$$$? on the "likely" English learners. Funny, I thought kindergarden involved language developement. It's not like 5 year olds are fast learners or anything.

(g) Quality preschool experiences decrease special education placements, in part because they have the potential to provide early identification and intervention for young children with exceptional needs, which can reduce the need for ongoing special education services. Providing access to quality preschool for children with exceptional needs can help support their development and prepare them for a successful transition to kindergarten and beyond.

I would like to know how a child who is developmentally disabled will improve dramatically through preschool. My daughter was in a preschool which had them play, rest, experience story time and they had the letter of the week (mentioned on Monday, but not later). How will preschool, change that which already is?

(h) Research confirms the many benefits that children, parents,and preschool programs gain when parents are involved in their child's preschool learning both inside the classroom and at home.

Parental involvement in any aspect of a child's life always shows benefits. Again, why would preschool be better than staying with mom or dad?

(i) Universal programs - those available to all families - are supported by research. Research shows that children from all backgrounds benefit from quality preschool. The school and life success of low-income and at-risk children may be significantly increased through quality preschool. But problems with schoolreadiness are not confined to low-income children and neither are the benefits of preschool. A 2004 University of California study of California kindergartners found that children from all income backgrounds who attended preschool showed significant prereading and premath gains over children who did not attend preschool.

Anyone who assumes income defines involvement is probably not very involved and wants some form of excuse. According to mothers I know who have their children in preschool, the children who had parents teach them ANYTHING at home are already well beyond those others in the school. Academically, the benefits of preschool cannot outdo the benefits of parents who teach and spend time with their children. Why does the assembly see the need to poor more money down a pit that cannot have the outcome they state?

(j) Low- and middle-income California families have low preschool enrollment rates. Private preschool may be prohibitively expensive,with quality programs in some communities costing twice as much per year as tuition to the California State University system.

Yes, the costs of preschool can definitely add up, which is why we had better be certain of it's value before we spend extra state money with a system which is already highly flawed.

(k) The Council of Chief State School Officers has found that efforts to reform and strengthen public education cannot succeed without a concerted effort to support and improve programs that provide care and education for our youngest children.

This does not sound like a complete statement. When it says the "youngest children", I would want to know who qualifies in that category. It is quite possible the Council of Chief State School Officers is referring to Kindergarden students or 1st graders.

(l) All California families should have access to quality preschool programs for their children.

Define quality.

(m) These ideas are supported by many of the findings and recommendations of the National Education Goals Panel, the 2000California Master Plan for Education, and the 1998 Universal Preschool Task Force. SEC. 2. Therefore, it is the intent of the Legislature to establish and provide a voluntary preschool-for-all system that conforms to the following principles:
(a) Programs may be offered in a variety of settings including public schools, centers, family childcare homes, faith-based institutions, and head start programs. These programs will meet research-based standards for social, emotional,cognitive, linguistic, and physical development, and are linked to public school system standards.

Trying to reinvent the wheel. This is already being done, but now they want to control it. Bad idea.

(b) A goal will be set for preschool teachers to be educated and compensated at levels comparable to teachers in the public schoolsystem and early education professionals will have access to ongoing professional development.

I see the strong arm of the teacher's unions looking to enlarge it's already large contingency.

(c) Recognizing that parents are their children's first teachers,and that preschool programs benefit from engaged parents, programs will create opportunities for parent involvement in preschool settings, as well as for interaction between parents and preschool teachers and administrators. Quality preschools can become learning resources not only for children but for their parents as well.

Already being done. But not as well as parents who are with their children personally.

(d) Families will have access to programs with settings,locations, hours, and participatory opportunities that meet their needs and preferences, and that support their aspirations for their children. For working families, part-time preschool will be integrated with full-time daycare as seamlessly as possible.

Preschool teachers AKA babysitters all day. But, with benefits in the union....strong arm is seen again.

(e) Children of all cultural, ethnic, and linguistic backgrounds,income levels, and neighborhoods will be welcomed in inclusive programs designed to meet their needs.

Wow! How much are they spending on this project? While jr. highers are failing classes....and drop out rates are huge.

(f) Elements that promote the inclusion of children with exceptional needs will be integrated into the planning and design of programs, facilities, staff training programs, and the provision of resources for parents.

They sure make it seem like the miracle cure for all human problems. Why can't they get good at what they are already doing? I find it difficult to believe they are capable of all written here.

(g) A system of public accountability will be established at state and local levels to ensure maximum benefits for children, equal access to services, proper use of tax dollars, and transparency to the public.

Someone is eyeing the new beaurocratic jobs.

(h) Programs will meet established standards of the public school system, providing adequate pay and benefits for qualified teachers,establishing accessible higher education opportunities for the preparation of the workforce, developing suitable preschool facilities, and engaging in ongoing quality assessments. Financing of preschool should not detract from funding for infants, toddlers, and schoolage children, nor child care subsidies that enable low-income families to work.

Strong arm....
Meeting established standards of the public school system? This is new how do those standards apply here.

(i) A preschool-for-all system will connect coherently with the public education system as well as to programs serving infants and toddlers and those providing full-time, full-time year-round childcare and other services for children of all ages. In addition, the preschool-for-all system will connect families to other services,including health and nutrition resources, that support children's readiness to learn.

Of course it will.

(j) All children deserve the opportunity to get ready to do their best in school, and to succeed later in life. Quality preschool helps build a learning foundation that should be available to all families who want it for their children. The Legislature recognizesthe benefits of quality preschool, and that the public education system, the economy, and quality of life will be strengthened byproviding quality preschool for all children.

Frankly, their standard of quality for other areas of education really concerns me.

It just gives me images of the USSR. Those who trained the children became the accountability for the children. The children were trained to care more about the state than their own families to the level that children would actually turn in their own parents for having differing views from the state.

NO THANKS!

Come water come

2005-01-24T18:16:00.000-08:00

I'm watching the morning news and they mention we are in the path of rain once again. I look out my window to the back yard. It's still a bit of a swamp. Don't need it. Not part of my plan. Perhaps a bit much.

Yet I trust. I trust God's timing, I trust who He is and how he has organized things to be. He is the Living Water. He fills the soul that thirsts. He quenches our every need. I trust.

I need water, but do I always want it? That is the real question. To all of us. We need Him, but do we always want what He wants.

So, OK, whatever happens. Come water come.

Pro-life rally's in Frisco?

2005-01-22T18:53:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow will mark the anniversary of Roe v. Wade. Taking things to their most liberal source pro-life groups are gathering for a rally. They have my prayers. Do the rally's help? I don't know. But I do believe the fight will not go away, it will come back again and again as long as the difference of opinion exists. If their are people who love the Lord within our country there will be a difference of opinion. If their are people who oppose what the Bible says, there will be a difference of opinion.

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." Ephesians 6:12

We have to be careful and not attack the people who are caught in the deception of the evil one. It is the sin which is hated not the sinner. Let's face it, if I were hated for even one of my sins, I would be one incredibly hated person and probably sad and angry.

It is easy to be deceived and to deceive oneself when we're scared and longing for the facts to change.

You Go Bushie, I mean Mr. President, sir

2005-01-20T13:47:00.000-08:00

Inauguration day starts well. From my warm and comfy living room, for the first time, I am able to sit and watch as the inauguration happens. While I support our president there are still times I wonder if he is making good decisions but I have no doubt about the choices for singers and speakers at the inauguration.

Oh my goodness! I was shocked as the camera panned from John Kerry and former president Clinton. It showed political "enemies" of the President and the singer sang, "Heal our land..."

It was beautiful. My mind was immediate to recall the words of God ...

"If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and turn from their wicked ways then I will hear from heaven and I will heal their land."

We think of others who need to pray for forgiveness but no one is good, not even one. All of us fall short of the glory of God and all of us, Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, Unitarians and any other arians need forgiveness. We NEED to ask. We NEED to be willing to do things differently. We NEED to be real. God wants to heal us and forgive us.

The tears flowed from my eyes in the hope that maybe some do believe these true words and God will, as He chooses, help us.

What has happened to Hollywood Video?

2005-01-19T21:35:00.000-08:00

I receive e-mail updates from Focus on the Family and a section called Citizen Link. The most recent update indicates that Hollywood Video has been bought out by a chain called Movie Gallery. This chain apparently readily stocks hard and soft core porn. They plan on adding this feature to 800 Hollywood Video stores which have not previously carried it.

That is unreal to me. I am a regular patron of Hollywood Video and its competitor Blockbuster. Both have extremely limited such types of video sales. I had forgotten there were even chains who still kept them in stock. I usually think of small stores or ones specializing in that genre.

As for me, Hollywood has lost a customer and probably gained a protestor. I certainly don't want to bring my children in to get a video if that is part of their sales and I don't want to contribute my money to future investments. I wonder what Blockbuster's response will be.

Self-promotion season starts

2005-01-17T18:11:00.000-08:00

Living here in the land of fruits and nuts as many have dubbed the So Cal area. We have begun the season of self-promotion, in other words, Hollywood awards and soon music awards have begun. Just having this blog is making it very evident to me how transparently narcassistic the entertainment industry really is. I see images of stars who want awards everywhere. As publicists keep their stars in the full view of the American public and keep their job list growing, all I can think is UCK.

I mean, it is truly difficult for me to promote my blog to my friends repeatedly because it is such a me-centered process. Yet, in order to be successful in the entertainment industry one absolutely must be entirely self-centered. You are your own business empire. The me-ness of it all is the only way ANYONE succeeds. There are stars I like because they seem humble and not self-focused when they appear on talk shows. But then I must step back and realize, that is publicity, that is an image. I don't know that star, no matter how many magazines I read, I don't know them.

Reality is probably quite different. It has to be. Because big entertainers are continually told how great and wonderful they are by people who are paid to do so. How can one not be self-centered when everywhere they go pictures of themselves are on magazines or billboards.

It makes me wonder if it is possible for one to love Christ and love being an entertainer. It almost seems like serving two masters.

Who will teach my child

2005-01-14T23:34:00.000-08:00

My daughter will probably go to kindergarten next September and I am anxious and nervous. Teachers exert great influence and have a very important role in the life of my child. I read this recent news and it understandably distressed me.

---------------------------------------------Bad Career Advice Given in Bay Area Middle SchoolCareer Day at a San Francisco-area middle schools this year included some highly disturbing advice from a management consultant.During a 55-minute presentation entitled, "The Secret of aHappy Life," the consultant, William Fried, told female middle school students they could earn a good living beingstrippers and nude dancers -- up to $250,000 annually."It's sick, but true," the Associated Press reported Friedas saying.School officials in Palo Alto, Calif., are reconsidering whether they will invite Fried back in the future to sharewith students

What were they thinking? Why is it not a forgone conclusion that this person must NOT return?
Who chose the consultant?

When I say mud I mean mud!

2005-01-12T18:14:00.000-08:00

So, I wanted to show some pictures. Haven't yet figured out how to import the pictures I want. As a result you'll have to imagine... torn up streets, mud flowing down streets, a submerged airport, the spillway flows into a town. These are images I wanted to show. All within 15 minutes of my house.

Yet, today, the trickle is returning. The river runs more normally and life is going back to it's regular eb and flow.

Does God cause such calamities? Like mudslides and tsunami's. Does God plan how to hurt people? No! God created an earth which works. It grows and changes and keeps functioning regardless of where we choose or don't choose to build our lives. The hill had a lifespan, the people below didn't know the lifespan and were in the path. God does interupt his creation and change things on occasion. The stopping of water in the Red Sea is a great example. God can and does save. On occasion God has been known to destroy but to assume His destructive abilities were in use is to assume we know the mind of God. I don't, do you.

So Cal is living in the muk

2005-01-11T17:30:00.000-08:00

So, let's get this over with right now. Many people believe So Cal has been living in muk for years but this is different.

It's been raining and pouring who's the old man whose snoring.
I hear he bumped his head and went to bed and couldn't get up in the morning.

Yahooooo, the rain is stopping! At least for now. The sun shines brightly between the softly floating non-rainfilled clouds.

Let's keep people in prayer. Santa Clarita mobile home owners who lost their homes. The landslide victims in Ventura county. Others who are fearing strong flowing rivers located near their homes. Though the rain stops, the problems don't necessarily.

Near my home is a river which hardly ever seems to have much more than a trickle. It almost makes one wonder why we bother having a bridge. But now I know. The trickly is now fast flowing, dangerous and about a block wide. Where did that come from?

I praise God for the simple reminder of rainbows seen on TV as the weather is reported. Lord, you promised no more flood, thanks for the reminder.

It Rained and Poured

2005-01-07T15:38:00.000-08:00

It's a miserable day outside. So Cal is a grand deluge of water, or seemingly so. Children ache to go outside and play. Parents long for the same. Some homes worry of impending mud slides. Or maybe, like us, there is simply something wrong with the way your house was built and occasionally water floods the garage, and the many things stored in the garage.
It's grey and "gloomy" reminds one of 40 days and 40 nights.

Then perspective comes. In one hour flood came to 12 countries. No rain, no precursor to deluge...just calamity. Why?

Why would God, creator of the Universe, allow such hideous things as flood, famine, disease, tragedy? Why? Why? Why?

As the parent of a highly inquisative 4 year old I have finally learned an important lesson. "Why" is the unanswerable question. Because one why simply leads to another why and another and another until either the why's continue or acceptance is made. We accept the explaination without the continued why's not because there are no more questions but because the trust exists between the asker and the answerer.

For some reason we like God to fit into our Santa Clause perfect idea of the world. We want Him to be who we imagine Him to be. We make God in our own image not the other way around. He is the creator of the Universe, not me. He knows how it will work best, not me. And not anyone else either. Despite degrees and experiences, extraordinary giving or extraordinary kindness, when it comes down to it, we are all in the same boat. We are not God.

God set this world spinning. He began the wind, the rain, and even the earthquakes for a reason. Sometimes I think I know the reason. I think I have achieved all insight and I get it. But reality is that with my puny brain no matter how hard I try, I will only get a piece of the puzzle that is God and His creation. Why? Hmmm....that develops into many questions doesn't it?

I have come to a trust with this mighty creator that I accept the reality. I will never know it all. He does.

So, on this dark, gloomy day as people wonder if mudslides will come I am compelled to realize that this will be the drinking water for years to come. This will grow the trees we love. This will bring new growth in the next season. This is an important time.

As I look at the tsunami "tragedy", I am saddened by the loss of so many and so much and to feel any other way would be callous and cruel. But I also see a season. I don't know what the next season will bring but I know God does and that is enough for me. I pray it becomes enough for the survivors too. This IS an important time.

Stating the state of the state

2005-01-05T18:21:00.000-08:00

Let's get this over with right away. Arnold is NOT my favorite person for Governor of the state of California. A solid conservative myself, I think he overstates his conservativeness. He embraces things with which I completely disagree. Embryonic Stem Cell money is probably the biggest for now. Now that is covered....

I liked his speach. He certainly has a strong personality and carries himself well. I am SO GLAD he wants to focus attention on education and educators. He mentioned wanting to have a teacher's salary be dependent upon success and essentially how well they teach not how long they have been teaching. What a concept, raises based on merit. What will come next? Grades based on merit? Ooooh, I think I like it. In fairness, I have been to the teachers union website and they profess to be the largest union in the state. 300,000 members. I think he is up against a POWERFUL union. Check it out here is a portion of his speech:

So, where do we start? We start in the classroom. We start with those who hold our children's learning in their hands. We start with the teachers.
Let me say this to every California teacher who is opening the minds of our children and nurturing their lives: I want to reward you for your hard work. I want to reward you for the sacrifices you make. I want to reward you for the learning that you instill.
But I cannot do so under the current system. Help me change it.
We must financially reward good teachers and expel those who are not. The more we reward excellent teachers, the more our teachers will be excellent. The more we tolerate ineffective teachers, the more our teachers will be ineffective.
So, in the special session, I propose that teacher pay be tied to merit, not tenure. And I propose that teacher employment be tied to performance, not to just showing up.
And I want to say to every Californian who has a child: "Your child deserves a good teacher. An educational system that rewards and protects a bad teacher at the expense of a child is wrong. And I intend to change that system."

He mentioned the recent agreement with the Indian gaming groups and how that money with go toward improvement in transportation. I have recently driven past some of the larger casinos in our state as I drove to Arizona. Oh my goodness, if they haven't given to the state before, it is long past time. Those places are HUGE.

Repeatedly Mr. Schwarzzeneggar stated our state's deficit. Come on Mr. Gov. sir, you help increase that when you encouraged the largest funding of research which is highly offensive to many of the states citizens. Realisticly, your approval pushed it over the top. Shame on you for ignoring your part in this problem.

There was, of course, more. But the thing that intrigued me was the Democrat response. I have watched responses many times and this one was interesting. Despite the fact that the Democrats refused to applaud the Governor throughout much of his speech, they had little to say which countered his opinion. The only conclusion I can reach is: either, they are afraid to make the citizens who love him angry; or, they agree but can't make it too obvious.

Hmmmm. It makes one think.

My country can give more than your country

2005-01-03T20:03:00.000-08:00

I just have to praise God for the weird way He does things. The world has been frustrated with the U.S. so when we are one of the first countries to offer $35 million dollars to help the situation, Australia happily offered $10 mill and all were proud. But how could those nasty Americans offer so little? So other countries feel the need to one up those spoiled rich Americans. They give $95 mill or $75 mill. We look stingy. We can't look stingy we're the generous U.S. So, we change plans.

We'll give $350 million. You must have misunderstood us. Having seen such a number Japan jabs back, but we'll give $500 million. Now U.S. senators are stating that when all is said and done, we'll probably give about $1 billion.

God is amazing. He uses petty minds who simply want to appear better than one another to do His work.

And all this taking place in a solidly Islamic part of the world. Christians can't outgive the muslims, can they? HMMMM.

Faith vs. School

2005-01-02T23:58:00.000-08:00

In my ever expanding search for pertinent issues for California Families, I came across an article in the LA Times. There was reference made to this article by Hugh Hewitt but I have to confess. I feel like Hugh over simplified the situation. Initially I agreed with Hugh because as a fellow Christian he is usually quite insightful, but I'm not certain he thought about the details involved in this situation. On the surface, it seems like a simple issue. We are all sinners and so we should all be open to growing and knowledge in God's word. But is that the only purpose of that Catholic School. If evangelism of the children and growth in doctrine is it's main purpose, I hartily agree with Hugh. But there is a challenge.

The school has all parents agree to live by Catholic doctrine. Now we all know that not everyone who signs such agreements is good at keeping their word. With that in mind, we also need to consider where the boundaries start and end as far as keeping our children safe. Recognizing the sinfulness of all is certainly important but if one has a regular issue of lying and another has a regular issue of murdering, which would be the more appropriate caregiver for children. The Lord does not separate one sin from another because even the tiniest lie is still not equal to the glory of God. If you miss the bullseye in darts, even slightly, you still missed.

But, as a society, we have to create and utilize some divisions of sin because otherwise we simply leave ourselves open for chaos. Why not allow the addicted family with the drug dealing husband. I recognize there is no guarantee that those who have signed the agreement are not going to bring more damage, but wasn't there a reason for having that agreement in the first place.

The priest who ignored this agreement as a matter of conscience needs to also consider removing it and opening the doors to baptists and episcoples and deists and wiccans. Because the ultimate result is that there become no boundaries.

Honestly, I'm not certain if I would want to have my child at a school with the rules as they currently stand, but I am also not certain I like the idea of school as a mission field when you have paid to be separate. Train up a child in the way he should go and he will not depart far from it.

Top 5 memorable moments of 2004

2004-12-31T17:17:00.000-08:00

As I look back on the year 2004 I wanted to think of what were the most memorable moments, to me. Everyone has their take, but this is mine.

5. Grocery worker's strike -
I remember watching as all these poor people kept striking, knowing that those of us who simply need groceries and need good prices couldn't avoid the stores forever. I longed for them to agree and go back to work. But it went on. I couldn't believe it when they went on through from 2003 to 2004.

4. The Passion of the Christ -
In the days leading up to the opening of the largest picture in modern times about Jesus Christ, I remember wondering if it would fly or flop. The anxiety was huge. Then as I watched to world embrace a desire to see it. I prayed that this was also a reflection on the desire of peoples to know Jesus as their Lord, yet I wonder if that was truly communicated.

3. 2004 Presidential Race -
The stress, the energy, the fear, the possibilities. From September through November, my daughters and husband and I lived the vote. We talked to people in as many creative ways as we could possibly think up or imagine. We walked for Bush, yelled for Bush, my feet even swelled for Bush. Our state, didn't go his way, but yeah, the country did.

2. Leaving fulltime ministry to stay at home -
I spent years preparing for youth and children's ministry. It is all I have thought about or dreamed. Then, I had daughter number two and I knew the two of them had to be more important. They had to be the most important ministries in my life. But it was hard. My husband and I debated and prayed about it for months before the decision was made. I still love doing ministry with kids of various ages, but this is my current calling and I will minister to these fantastic future women God has put into my care.

1. The birth of Bethany-
This is my personal top 5 and when she arrived in January it truly was a new year. New experiences, new needs, new ideas and a new face at the dinner table. A mighty cute one at that. She is easily the most remarkable part of 2004 to me. No doubt.

What were your most memorable moments?

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Islands that disappear

2004-12-30T23:40:00.000-08:00

Wow! If you aren't following the news about the Asian countries that experienced this recent tsunami, you must have a hard heart. I have friends who are currently in Indonesia and while I know they are fine, I can't help thinking about those who aren't.

I know, what does that have to do with California Families. Well, honestly, I think we rich Californians should be sure we are off our butts and willing to help. I don't care how poor anyone feels on the moment. The comparison is unreal, we ALL are rich. We can't go over there unless there is a great skill you possess to aid this crisis, but we can send $$$. I know how cheesy that sounds, but to whom much is given, much is required.

The current info is outstanding. As many as 5 million people throughout the 12 countries involved may be homeless. That is two times the size of Los Angeles (all of Los Angeles). All, instantly, homeless. WOW!!! How does that happen? We call it poverty.

I have been highly curious about Indonesia specifically because of the fact that of the 115,000 people believed to be dead currently, 80,000 of them were residents of Indonesia (check Drudge). According to various sources the Indonesian government was unable to communicate with many areas which were affected so they did a fly over to assess the damages. A couple of smaller islands weren't there anymore. In fairness, I don't know how many people could have been living on those islands. But to have an island no longer be there is huge. In one area, they stated that all buildings were destroyed except one military building which was built on a hill.

We don't know that kind of poverty. We don't understand that kind of pain. Just writing about it makes me tear up. We need to care we need to do more than just watch the news. Please donate to groups actively involved in helping. World Vision . Please pray for these folks who have suffered and are still suffering.

The "Big One" wasn't in Cali

2004-12-28T17:03:00.000-08:00

I was born in the northern California bay area town of Hayward. Since the time of my birth, I have been told to expect "The Big One". In other words, the big earthquake which would disconnect a portion of California from itself would one day hit. Well, I think Indonesia and Thailand feel like they've experienced "The Big One".
We are devestated by fires and quakes, by mudslides or riots. Each of these disasterous experiences may, at worst take a few thousand people. They are tragic. But then I watch the news or read blogs or Drudge and I feel something more.
These are countries which by and large are already extraordinarily poor. Indonesia is an island nation with the occasional "rich" island but many more who wouldn't compare financially. This last quake is unreal.
I read moments ago of mention in the Drudge report that the death toll has reached 60,000 with 2/3 of that being children. My heart cries. I can't express the sadness this knowledge brings. Since I heard of the event I could think of nothing but concern for a family I know. They are currently in Indonesia visiting family for the holidays. They had waited for the political uproar to subside a bit before going. Now this. I have prayed for this family of 4 (Mom, Dad and two children) constantly.
Today I received an e-mail tell me of their safety but also making me aware of another issue of concern. Apparently, within Indonesia the talk is that there may be up to 1.5 million people left homeless as a result of the monsterous tsunami. That is the population of some states within our country.
We are so outrageously wealthy in comparison to numbers like this. Please consider doing something to help. World Vision is already on location and able to help perhaps you can contact them. But whatever you do, please don't sit back and tell yourself that you somehow lack the ability to help because you spent too much for the holidays.

Merry Christmas to all

2004-12-25T11:15:00.000-08:00

We woke this morning to a young 4 year old shouting at the top of her lungs, "It's Christmas, wake up, it's Christmas."

For the past month we talked to our daughter about the value of Christmas and it's true meaning. We did go present hunting and thought about what we could give to each important person in our lives. My daughter very much longed for a My Little Pony horse. She repeatedly mentioned it to her grandparents. Yet whenever she thought of Christmas, she would be so very happy to get to celebrate Jesus' birthday with our family.

We opened some of our gifts early because we were travelling to Arizona to visit family. She very excitedly opened gifts and helped everyone else open gifts including her baby sister. But she knew it was not yet Christmas.

Last night, we opened a few more gifts with my Mom, aka Grandma Shari. We attended a Christmas Eve service at my mom's church. But she knew it was not yet Christmas.

Some children happily imagine the presents being delivered by the red-robed jolly elf, Santa Claus. But not my daughter. She knows that Santa is not a person who is around today. She thinks of him as a nicely dressed, kind man who loved Jesus so much that he wanted to give to others as we should also. When asked what Christmas is, Rachel happily responds, "It's Jesus' birthday!" This is a good enough reason to be happy.

So why is she jumping for joy at the realization Christmas has arrived? We gathered family together, with a breakfast cake already. We placed the one candle in the middle to represent our one and only Lord and King. We light it. Her bright face explodes with sound as she loudly sings "Happy Birthday to you, Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday dear Jesus, Happy birthday to you, and many more." We all blow the candle out and thank our Lord for the best gift ever given. Dad reads the story of Jesus original birthday. Our reason for excitement is here. What a great day!

By the way, did I mention, on the couch a few feet away were full stockings with more presents yet to come. But our daughter did not venture to open them until Jesus was first acknowledged. The excitement is present, it is full, it is joyful and it is NOT about Santa.
Thank you LORD GOD ALMIGHTY for Your incredible gift!

(by the way, I came across this info on the 12 days of Christmas. Not sure if it is solidly true, but it's interesting to think about.)

"The 12 Days of Christmas"
~ Origins and Religious Meaning ~
Caveat: I've discovered that there is a controversy disputing the authenticityof this interpretation, just to inform you.
Catholics in England during the period 1558 to 1829 were prohibited by law to practice their faith either in public or private. It was illegal to be Catholic until Parliament finally emancipated Catholics in England in 1829.
"The Twelve Days of Christmas" was written in England as one of the "catechism songs" to help young Catholics learn the basics of their faith. In short, it was a coded-message, a memory aid. Since the song sounded like rhyming nonsense, young Catholics could sing the song without fear of imprisonment. The authorities would not know that it was a religious song.
"The 12 Days of Christmas" is in a sense an allegory. Each of the items in the song represents something significant to the teachings of the Catholic faith. The hidden meaning of each gift was designed to help Catholic children learn their faith. The better acquainted one is with the Bible, the more these interpretations have significance.
The song goes, "On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me…"
The "true love" mentioned in the song doesn’t refer to an earthly suitor, but it refers to God Himself. The "me" who receives the presents refers to every baptized person. i.e. the Church.
1st Day:
The partridge in a pear tree is Christ Jesus upon the Cross. In the song, Christ is symbolically presented as a mother partridge because she would feign injury to decoy a predator away from her nestlings. She was even willing to die for them. The tree is the symbol of the fall of the human race through the sin of Adam and Eve. It is also the symbol of its redemption by Jesus Christ on the tree of the Cross.
2nd Day:
The "two turtle doves" refers to the Old and New Testaments.
3rd Day:
The "three French hens" stand for faith, hope and love—the three gifts of the Spirit that abide (1 Corinthians 13).
4th Day:
The "four calling birds" refers to the four evangelists who wrote the Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke and John—which sing the song of salvation through Jesus Christ.
5th Day:
The "five golden rings" represents the first five books of the Bible, also called the Jewish Torah: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.
6th Day:
The "six geese a-laying" is the six days of creation.
7th Day:
The "seven swans a-swimming" refers to the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety and fear of the Lord.
8th Day:
The "eight maids a milking " reminded children of the eight beatitudes listed in the Sermon on the Mount.
9th Day:
The "nine ladies dancing" were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.
10th Day:
The "ten lords a-leaping" represents the Ten Commandments
11th Day:
The "eleven pipers piping" refers to the eleven faithful apostles.
12th Day:
The ‘twelve drummers drumming" were the twelve points of belief expressed in the Apostles’ Creed: belief in God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, that Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary, made man, crucified, died and arose on the third day, that he sits at the right hand of the father and will come again, the resurrection of the dead and life everlasting.
So the next time you hear "the Twelve Days of Christmas" consider how this otherwise non-religious sounding song had its origins in keeping alive the teaching of the Catholic faith.
adapted from email messages,from "How To Decode the Twelve Days of Christmas,"by Hugh D. McKellar,U.S. Catholic, 12/1979,and from "‘12 Days of Christmas’ is no nonsense, but a serious riddle"by David CrowderEl Paso Times, 12/19/1993.Also, Origin of "The Twelve Days of Christmas"An Underground Catechismby Fr. Hal Stockert 12/17/95 http://www.cin.org/twelvday.html

My heart goes out to families.

2004-12-22T14:22:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I couldn't just stop. I had to write this one. As I read on the DrudgeReport about the attack in Mosul my heart was just sad. I believe we are fighting this war for a good reason. I believe we should stay there. I believe we need to finish what we start and finish well. All that said, it does not negate the sadness I feel as I think about the families of these soldiers. People who, depending on where their family member is stationed, consider Iraq to be hell.

I am saddened by the knowledge that this Christmas will mark the beginning of years of memory as this time of year is associated with the death or dismemberment of someone they love. I am saddened by the knowledge that this will continue at least for a season. We are inextricably tied to the country of Iraq. To leave would be a sin against ourselves and the people who have come to depend on us to make change occure.

Please join with me in prayer for the families left behind and those who are still there. May God grant them wisdom and courage in the midst of stress and tragedy. May the see the goodness of God in that place.

Merry Christmas

2004-12-20T11:08:00.000-08:00

This California blogger is going to take a short break from blogging for Christmas, I will be back writing on Wednesday, December 29th. Priorities are priorities and I will be spending time with my family.

Ideas for family time....
go look for beautiful Christmas lights dressed in P.J.'s with warm drinks and snacks in the car. You could even talk about Jesus, the light of the world.

Play a board game together which can involve as many members of your family as possible.

Sing Christmas carols, you could even use CD's as back up to your own beautiful voices.

Watch timeless classic Christmas tales on video together with popcorn for all.

Make sure to focus attention on the real reason this holiday exists...Jesus, the perfect present for all, anything less isn't really CHRIST- MAS.

Merry Christmas!!

Arnie speaks up

2004-12-19T16:20:00.000-08:00

On a recent trip to German our illustrious governor or perhaps I should say, "The Governator" announced that American Republicans should probably go more leftist if they want more votes. (USA Today)How interesting!
He knows, as does the rest of our country, that President Bush did not win by a slim margin. He was not just barely over the top, he was way over the top as American politics states it. In fact, while President Bush's campaign put barely any money into the state of California, he did quite well even here. Most of the so-called "blue" states were very narrow wins for John Kerry. It is predominately the large cities like Los Angeles, Detroit, and Philadelphia which voted against President Bush. So, instead of stating the obvious, that Republicans did a great job and if we want more votes we need to get our message into the cities, Arnie states, "I would like the Republican Party to cross this line, move a little further left and place more weight on the center."

Let's be real here. This is the same governor who called himself a fiscal conservative while encouraging an already close to bankrupt state to spend extraordinary amounts of money on research which has yet to prove itself after 20 years of active use. I am of course referring to the money's our state voted to give to embryonic stem cell research. This money adds to the California debt it doesn't take away. How on earth is that fiscally conservative? He is out for himself and whatever he can attain for him. He calls himself a Republican but everything he really stands for is all Democrat. Maybe he's deluded himself into believing his own retoric because he is in one of the most liberal families in the U.S. with Ted Kennedy as his uncle-in-law perhaps he truly does believe himself to be conservative. That, however, does not change the reality. He is simply a wolf in sheep's clothing. Just because he knows how to bahhhh doesn't mean he won't eat meat.

Republican who heed his advice are simply asking to be eaten by the wolves. Come on folks, we won. Why bite the hand that fed you the election?

Tis the season

2004-12-15T16:18:00.000-08:00

I am amazed at how crazy even I become at this time of year. I adore giving to others. It is pure joy to me. We do not have an unlimited cash supply however. I started with a few small gifts, it would be enough. I planned early. I would be ready to give and relax. NOPE!

I forgot some of the things I purchased early and then went and got more. I have learned to seek sales and now they are burzurk (is that a word?).

Sales every moment, everywhere....what am I to do? This person could use that and Oh, what a great deal, I should get it for them. I forgot that one and this, oh no, I just gave a gift to one person in a group, how could I leave out the others. Off to buy more....more....more...want to give, need to give.

What a mess!

You know the funniest thing about it all, I could really care less if I get anything. I love enjoying the gift God, Himself, gave. Anything else is just frosting.

I often look at how others go crazy and give them advice on not putting stuff before God, yet here I go...please pray for me.

Christmas according to Meacham

2004-12-14T23:12:00.000-08:00

In the Newsweek article authored by Meachem there is much to read about his view of Christ. Quite enlightening really when you consider he is a professor of Religious Studies. I suppose that means he studies yet doesn't believe. This article is one big plotted out attack on the faith he admits his readers have.

Early in the article he makes the statment that in Jesus' time His believers had to fend off the idea that Jesus was the illegitimate offspring of Mary and a Roman soldier. How fascinating?

I am amazed that Jesus would have a following of people in such a small community yet they "believed" Him to be an illegitimate child, someone who would be an outcast in society during that time. How amazing! He, an outcast, is invited into the homes of wealthy important persons of the time to dine with them.

The more interesting element of this discourse is that Meachem never gives a reference for why this would even be a question. He doesn't quote a scholar from Jesus' time who records this ongoing question, so how does he surmise to know it existed?

In this highly winded article, Meachem repeatedly sites groups who actively oppose Christians as sources of his research. The Jesus Project comes to mind. He refers to it as a group seeking the historical knowledge of Jesus. The group itself states their goal to change the minds of evangelicals. If one seeks to know history, one should seek revelation not group consensus.

When I was going through the ordination process, I had the gaul to respond to a question given to me in an unusual manner. I wanted to be "original" in my approach to sharing the gospel. I thought my creativity would help lead others to Christ better than the ways of the past. Wisely, I was advised to consider that after 2000 years, if I come up with something "original" I should perhaps consider that I might be wrong. How was I going to uncover something new which had not been accurately addressed in the course of 2000 years.

As I read this article, that is what I see Meachem doing. He doesn't want to help open the doors of history, he wants to rewrite it. Sorry, not buying it.

Where have all the good movies gone?

2004-12-13T14:15:00.000-08:00

As a parent life is a whole lot different than when I was single. OK, everyone says that but let me explain further. I adore going to the movies. I love the adventure, the dramatic environment of movie theaters. I enjoy seeing the newest candy or popcorn creation designed to entice viewers into spending extra money. Sitting in a theater with plush seating and the occasional adjustable arm with cup holder included. Movies take one on a journey to places usually unseen before. One experiences excitement as characters expose new parts of the human experience.

Now, a mom, I must limit my movie going escapades. My husband, also a movie fanatic, would love nothing more than making a weekly movie visit. But, with the cost of babysitters and the increase in cost of the movie itself, we have to choose carefully when we will go out. We have decided that we are looking for "Big Screen Worthy" movies. In other words, movies which are so grand in scale that to miss them on the big screen would be disappointing. There is one exception to this rule. If we discover movies which are aimed at our 4 year old daughter and good for her to see, we will have the family movie experience.

What do I mean by that? "Good for her to see?"

My daughter is one big sponge for information. Any kind of information. It will in some way shape who she is, what she thinks, and what she believes. Information can shape how she treats others or views herself. So, we are very careful about what will be see by those all encompassing eyes. We have decided that she will not attend a movie which is considered to be PG or above, because the parental committee who decides these ratings is much less conservative than we are and if they consider something PG worthy, it isn't for her. We have also discovered that simply receiving a G rating isn't necessarily good enough either. I have, over the years, seen many movies which contained scary scenes including tiger attackes or death of a parent or family member, also they have sexual innuendo as well as other elements I am not ready for my 4 year old to view.

So what do we do? We wait. If we find a big screen worthy movie, we have to hire a baby sitter, if we can find one, then pay that person, and of course the cost of the movie and assorted accoutraments. We have very much wanted to take our daughter to a movie and in her four years there have been 2. The veggie tales "Jonah", she sat with rapt attention adoring every moment. Princess Diaries 2, not quite as rapt, though it was not a harmful movie.

It's amazing to me that movie companies don't try harder to produce for people like me. All the totally kid friendly G movies have raked in serious money. It is only the ones where they try harder to impress the parent than the kid that haven't cut the muster. Example in point, "Polar Express" while being a G movie, scares any child who has not been exposed to that type of experience. They try too hard to impress parents with what they can technically do, they don't take into account the fear factor of small children. I won't take my daughter. The Incredibles, while being a fun movie, is not for small children. With all the bullets flying and the explosions, my daughter cannot and will not see this PG rated cartoon. Too bad, it's a great story. One which I have told her without adding the unnecessary violence.

where have all the good movies gone?

Watch those kids go

2004-12-11T11:50:00.000-08:00

It's time for a new generation and there is hope indeed. I receive information from Focus on the Family all the time and I am very excited about results they are showing. I have often believed that leadership affects people. That is the reason we are so careful about who our leaders are. The leadership of a company can make or break the whole company even if they have great people under them. It is a top-down type of effect. No matter how talented the people are who are under a given leader, they cannot rise above the level of the leader's abilities. I have seen this in many small situations. I see it in churches, in civic organizations, and even within the government. But one thing I have come to believe is that whereever one is considered a leader they affect all the people around them either possitively or negatively. Governors can affect the personality of an entire state. If that state accepts them as a leader, there will be a reflection of them within that culture. I believe that also happens nationally. When people accept a leader, that person has the ability to affect how those people think.

One case in point is President Bill Clinton. I watched teenage boys I was teaching change as they assumed and accepted elements of who the largest leader of our country presented himself to be. While still being boys in every way, I noticed a different way of viewing women when it became clear that the President of the United States had an affair within the oval office, on the job, representing the people of the U.S. Women within working environments became much more objectified and the purpose and abilities of the job place changed as well.
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I watched media representatives choose sides based and their view of a leader and squash stories of interest simply because they didn't appeal to their way of thinking.

Now I am seeing men in our country be willing to stand up and take a stand on issues of import to them. I am seeing the male spine get strengthen more than the past had indicated.

There are direct results connected with the leadership our country has had over the past four years. Unfortunately, it often takes time to see what changes have happened but these are a few which interest me. According to research of late, teenagers participating in sexual activities has gone down from approximately 49% in 1995 to 31% in 2002. Boys in particular have also had a lowered rate of sexual activity. (the result of this lowering will surely be seen in other studies as well, i.e. lowered teen pregnancy, lowered risk of rapes, etc.)

We are also seeing college students who resist the teaching of those who oppose the leadership they have accepted. I love the fact that there are now conservative student newspapers on the campus of Berkeley. This is a campus where, to my knowledge, there are probably little or no conservative teaching faculty. Way to go kids!

Check out this article, it's too cool for school.

Conservative Student Newspapers on the Rise
by Stuart Shepard, correspondent

SUMMARY: Alternatives to liberal media are springing upmore and more on campus.

A record number of conservative campus newspapers startedup this year, sharing a mission to bring some balance towhat students hear in the classroom, in the officialstudent papers and on TV. Andrea Irvin works on a conservative magazine at one ofthe most liberal campuses in the country.

"Writing a conservative publication at Berkley candefinitely be trying and difficult at times," Irvin said,"but it definitely makes the experience more rewarding."She said the goal of the California Patriot newspaper isto fill a need on campus."Most of the time," she said, "kids on campus get nothingbut left-wing opinion."

Jim Eltringham of the Leadership Institute said hisgroup's Campus Leadership program seeks change to thatdynamic."What the Campus Leadership program tells students is,'Don't complain about the media, just go out and be themedia,' " he said.

So far this year, the Leadership Institute has helped 22conservative campus papers get started through funding andtraining."Most of the students are sitting in the classroom andreally only getting half of an education," Eltringhamsaid. "It's up to the conservative students who recognizethat bias to go out and make sure that both sides areheard."And not just on campus.

Recent college graduate JessicaStollings said when she watches the news, it's with theknowledge that it may not be long before her face is onthe screen because she chooses to get involved."We tend as Christians to kind of sometimes sit back andboycott or complain about what's on the news, or whatwe're seeing and be discouraged," she said. "Well, why arewe not out there in the middle of it making a difference?"

FOR MORE INFORMATION: The Leadership Institute Web siteoffers more information about itself and its role infostering conservative news on campus.

Pot Plot or Plague

2004-12-08T17:17:00.000-08:00

This week the US Supreme court heard arguments on the issue of medical marijuana. Of course, two people involved in the case are from California. It is absolutely amazing to me how many various issues start or end in California.

The question of legality for those who use it to grow their own supply is what is being addressed. Meanwhile, in the House of Representatives a bill is being prepared to investigate the actual medical value of this drug.

I have often thought those who wish to keep it legal are usually users or former users of the drug. The whole idea seems to be, "it didn't hurt me". This is an amazing statement when we know many substances do not have an immediate reaction on the body but instead become like a progressive poison which eats away at us. By the time it has actually done all it can do, one has separated the two issues completely.

I am so tired of the users saying it's great and the non-users saying its horrible. Let's make it official. Let's do a bipartisan investigation. Perhaps multiple research groups working separately with a mutual due date on all information. Then, it can be grouped and averaged and the result should garner some truth.

It has been at least 3 1/2 decades that this drug has been popular, we should find out once and for all ALL the possibilities. What is the complete story? What does it do when it hits the body? What contaminants are coming into a body at the same time? Does it really have a medical benefit or is it simply another body numbing drug? If it is the later, perhaps medical recommendations of ecstasy and herion are not far off.

And a little child will lead them--or at least his parents will

2004-12-08T01:01:00.000-08:00

This past week a small drama occured in the town of Fontana California. The pee wee football championships were coming but there was a problem. The championship game was scheduled on a Sunday. Parents had signed their children up having been told all games were on Saturday only. Five children ages 9-11 years and their faithful parents couldn't, in good conscienceness, play in a football game instead of going to church.

Obviously this was a parental decision, but it was the children who did interviews on TV and to various other types of media. They stood up and said it was what they believed. The team didn't want to continue without five of their players, so they decided to forfeit THE CHAMPIONSHIP.

The community gave them overwhelming support and funds were obtained to be able to pay for a change. The game happenned this evening. Those kids were just happy to get to play. And though they stood up in an admirable way, they lost.

What is the lesson? God does want us to stand up and be counted for him, but that does not mean everything will work the way we assume it should.

I think it is great that these kids and their strong minded parents made the hard decision and even if they had not been able to play it would have been the right decision. It is also fantastic that people saw their stand and wanted to help support them rather than accusing those parents of being fanatical freaks who need some kind of life. Maybe we are taking spiritual things more seriously.

And all this happened in the same state where a Medical Marijuana case is facing the Supreme Court. Where umbilical stem cell research has recently received its largest funding ever.

We here in California may have many issues the country speaks about negatively, but we are also growing fantastic parents and kids who know what they think and are willing to stand up for it.

Way to go Fontana Generals!! You are still champions in my book!

Yo, there's a rockin' angel tryin to make some vocals!

2004-12-06T11:10:00.000-08:00

This Sunday our pastor began a series leading up to Christmas which looks at classic hymns and their meanings. It was a breath of fresh air in life which has been stressful to look back at the words and meaning of the hymn, "Hark! The Herald Angel Sings!" Here are the words....

Hark! The herald angel sings
Glory to the newborn king,
Peace on earth and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconsiled.
Joyful all ye nations rise.
Join the triumph of the skies,
With angelic hosts proclaim,
Christ is born in Bethlehem,
Hark! The herald angel sings,
Glory to the new born king.

Christ by highest heaven adored,
Christ the everlasting Lord,
Light and life to all He brings,
Risen with healing in His wings.
Mild He lays His glory by,
Born that man no more may die,
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth,
Hark! The herald angel sings,
Glory to the new born king.

The proclamation itself is amazing, but the reality of the gift is so much more. I adore this time of year! Not because we give presents, not because people try to act kinder to one another, not even because of the hymns which are sung. I love it, because each year I renew the memory of God in the flesh being born as a little baby. What absolute trust! Fully God, but also fully human, and fully needing diapers.

I look at my little baby girl and all her various needs, food, diapers, clothes, protection,etc. Jesus, the one who calmed a storm at his words, chose to need people. When I think of humility, that my focus. Absolute power becoming absolutely dependent on people.

I have many strong opinions about the world in which we live and ways to make it better, but they are nothing in comparison with His gift to us.

Never a moment of calm

2004-12-04T14:33:00.000-08:00

We vote, "Marriage is between one man and one woman". Marriages happen in San Francisco between same sex couples. The State Supreme court (not a conservative court) states that this goes against the previous election, marriages not valid. Now Mark Leno plans to introduce legislation to redefine marriage as a contract between "two persons".
It is a never ending cycle. I guess the goal is to tire on another out so that the opposing view simply doesn't have the energy to respond in kind. I, frankly, am a little tired. But I suppose that is the plan.
"Never Surrender!" As the leader character in Galaxy Quest is known for stating. I never thought I would be deeply in favor of a Marriage Amendment. These backdoor tactics to thwart whatever the populace believes are getting profoundly annoying. Why do they push so that we have no recourse but the do the most dramatic thing?
I never planned on supporting it, but I will.

The Tale of a post-Thanksgiving Shopping Fanatic

2004-12-02T13:01:00.000-08:00

I'm sure you've heard this before, but I never thought I would do it myself....

I am slightly claustrophobic when it comes to crowds. I'm not certain of the actual technical word but I call it "crowd-a-phobia". When I am in a crowd, I become tense and frustrated quite easily. It is not a position I like for myself. So, I often avoid large gatherings of people. I have been trying to work through this issue. In a practical sense, I do go to amusement parks and other events like that, but I have to psych myself up to feel more comfortable. So, imagine the surprise of my family when last year, for the first time, I decided to participate in the shopping frenzy of the day following Thanksgiving. It was the savings that made me do it.
Our funds were low and the laptop advertised by Best Buy appealed to my cheapskate tendancies. The day following Thanksgiving, my husband, our then 3 year old daughter, and I (pregnant 8 months) showed up at our local store at approximately 5am. We thought we were so ahead of the game, after all the store opened at 6am.
When we arrived, already standing in line were approximately 150 people. Flyers had been handed out to those first in line for the most valuable sales, including my dream laptop. We didn't stand a chance. When all was said and done, we did purchase our first digital camera and a digital video camera. But, the illusive laptop was not attained.
I spent this next year pricing and investigating laptop computers. Which were good, better, and best. I dreamt of the day I too would enter the mobile computing world. But, nothing was possible. I kept thinking what if I had arrived earlier, what if....
This year, Thanksgiving Day, we parused the advertisements in our local paper and there it was. My husband and I both eyed the Toshiba laptop on sale for $499.99. The dream was ignited. I had to try! We decided to drive by our local Best Buy following the Thanksgiving festivities at a friend's house. The line had already begun. The eighteen people already present at 9:30pm had settled in for the night. I MUST DO IT!
At home, we put the children to bed and my husband and I agreed I would try to get that laptop. It was a cold night and while he offered to do it for me, I knew it was my task. Dressed in a beenie, snow coat, gloves, ski mask, sleeping bag, and sweatsuit, I brought my folding chair, coffee and headset to sit for the next 8 hours in line.
I thought it would be horrible,but it was actually fun. People were quite nice. We watched each other's spots and chatted through the night. Some hid out and played gameboys, some sociallized with a fire to keep themselves and those nearby warm. Some brought portable DVD players and some had only thin blankets. But all shared in the brave spirit necessary to attempt our plan. Including myself, everyone in line up to where I was (number 38) was hunting for the illusive, inexpensive quality laptop.
We received our flyers ensuring the purchase, we raced inside to grab other less valuable deals and we waited in lines which extended throughout the entire store. But we succeeded. And now as I write this blog I do so on my new Toshiba laptop for which I saved $400 and had a fun adventure. I never thought I would say it, but I highly recommend the experience to those brave enough to invest not only with money, but also with time.

As my husband, the trekkie says "KAPLACH!" (Klingon for "VICTORY!)

Holiday Headstart

2004-11-29T11:54:00.000-08:00

Thankful??To whom for what??

2004-11-24T13:45:00.000-08:00

As Thanksgiving approaches, many plan festive family times and often take a moment to express thanks. But my question is this...who do we thank? Do we thank each other? Our parents? Our friends? God? The mysterious natural space around us? Who? More important than that is the next question.
Why?

Why are we thankful?

Hmmm. The food? Air? Hmmm.

I think, a thankful attitude in life will take anyone much further than just one good meal. Thankfulness while being the focus of this ONE day should be an attitude we seek every day. Now to the questions....

To whom are we thankful????
Family, YES! These are the people who put up with our little idiosyncrasies every day. They deserve to be thanked for little and big moments in life. If we never say it, will they really know? Not really...to truly be understood things should actually be said.
So let me say this now. I am so incredibly thankful for the wonderful husband I have and my two children. There are certainly crazy moments but they are worth it because of the fantastic joy these relationships bring.

Friends, YES! The ones who call when we are sick and bring food supplies when we have injury or illness. They add joy and expand who we are through sharing their lives with us.
I am so grateful for the people I have been building friendship with of late. They remind me of how profound simple kindness really is.

God, OH YEAH! Whether you believe in Him or not, it is extraordinarily difficult to look at the world around us and realize all the possibilities without even having a passing thought of the reality of a loving God. If we don't say thank you for each miraculous day, how terribly rude we are.
In that light, I thank God daily for the friends and family He has given to me, none of whom have I earned or do I deserve. He guides our family and helps us in so many ways. I couldn't imagine not saying thank You.

Regardless of your belief system, as Thanksgiving approaches, take some time to look around at the world we live in. There are tragedies, there are sad situations, but there are also amazing beauties and joys to be found for anyone who looks. A thankful life is certainly a more cheerful life and worth the effort.

(this whole time my daughter has been sitting in my lap as I write, so I am now asking her what she is thankful for....

"Our days...having fun...how mommy can have fun."
RACHEL

5 year olds workin' 9 to 5

2004-11-22T22:21:00.000-08:00

Have I been asleep or something? Recently, I decided I wanted to investigate legislation coming up in the California Assembly. I was shocked to see a bill mentioned entitled AB712 , it apparently calls for mandatory all day kindergarten and universal preschool . http://californiafamily.org/Site/leg_watchlist.asp

ALL DAY KINDERGARTEN??? This hits too close to home.

Next year our daughter will possibly be attending kindergarten, she is our first. I have already been stressed by this decision. Some may wonder why it is a decision, but I am deeply concerned at the way our school system has been turning as of late. I used to trust teachers implicitely until I began wanting to be one. No one is in the class room with those children except the teacher most of the time and I don't deeply know the history of these people, I don't know ALL they are teaching. ALL DAY!?!
Unless I am in absolute need and have no other choice (which I realize is the situation of some) why on earth would I hand over my most precious daughter to essentially strangers ALL DAY. This would be mandatory?
If such a thing were to actually occur, I would feel the absolute need to homeschool my daughter. I did not give birth to her for the purpose of having others raise her.
Then,today, I had a brief conversation with a mom 0f 5 year old twins. They are now attending kindergarten. When I mentioned the idea, it did not seem to bother her. All I picture is state run education of my child all day every day (except of course Saturday and Sunday) from 2 years old through adulthood.
Currently, I respect our leaders and appreciate their ideas. There is no guarantee I will always respect them. At the national level, I think they are great, but at the state level I am much less than satisfied. I keep having this image in my head of the USSR in its prime. Training children to report on their parent's activities was a regular occurence. Is that something we can look forward to in our lives?

Commercial Catastrophe

2004-11-21T20:28:00.000-08:00

Okay, so when I decided to start writing a blog, I thought "piece of cake". I imagined no problem writing each day. Problem! Two children+sickness+fatigue= no blog for the past few days. Needless to say, I don't like to give up. So, I will keep trying.

Last week I became very aware of a commercial, which I had not really seen. Not having time in our house to watch Monday night football, the "Desperate Housewives" add was not on my radar until the apology broke a few days later. It was quite fascinating watching the various sides volley their opinions back and forth. In the process, I saw the "offending" commercial several times. At first I thought, "Hmmm, football fans they love those annoying beer ads, you can't really see anything anyway, what's the hubbub?"
(Admittedly not a very pastoral response.)
Then, someone on the anti-commercial side made the point that it was on at 6pm in California. WAIT A MINUTE! If I had just been flipping channels at the wrong time I would have had to explain to my gregarious 4 year old why that woman was touching her private area to that man. (That's how we talk in our house with our daughter.)
It seems like the networks and other cable stations just keep pushing at the edge of what is acceptable. The do it over and over, until we've seen it so much it actually looks normal to us. Then, they move on to the next unacceptable area and push that.
Honestly, I am sick of it! Lately, I have been watching Trading Spaces and Food TV with my daughter. These are "G" rated shows. No bad language, no violence, no issues to worry about just entertainment/educational TV. Until, that is, the commercials come on. They will advertise with gun shootouts and scary scenes from CSI designed to catch attention. But they are not designed for a "G" rated show. Why can't we somehow manage to have commercials which actually reflect the type of show we are viewing. In other words, a "G" rated show has "G" rated commercials. If we can manage to do this in a movie theater surely such decisions can be made for our homes.

The Mental Mom

2004-11-17T16:02:00.000-08:00

No makeup, walking around in pajamas a 1pm, yelling "no, don't do that" 24 times a day, taxi-ing children from one event to another, the ultimate maid, and we call her MOM. Why is that the only image most people have of the stay-at-home mom? As a recent indocrinee to this prestigious group, I am amazed at the various women I have been meeting who have CHOSEN to remain home with their children.
One mom I know, who has an 11 month highly active baby boy, has chosen to remain home instead of actively working with her husband on private jets. He, the pilot, and she, the flight attendant, they recognize their child's need for constant parenting. They are working hard to adapt their lives to this new need. I know entrepreneurs who run a plumbing business while caring for their 4 children. There are moms who are former accountants, and business people. I, the temporarily retired pastor, am in a crowd of highly intelligent and active women, who have CHOSEN to slow down for the sake of their children.
We know children are a precious gift from God. We did not choose to bring them into the world to have someone else bring them up. Yet we know our various abilities in our other chosen fields may be compromised due to this multi-year focus.
Movies try to make us look like something interchangeable like buying a new focet for the sink. The whole "wife swapping" thing is HIGHLY offensive to those of us who truly care about the upbringing of our children. No matter what amount of money, it is not worth the potential scars on my child for even one week of a substitute.
Only someone in Hollywood who either doesn't have children, doesn't have a wife, or doesn't understand the value of either would develop such a hideous show.
Mom may not be a rocket scientist at this moment, but she most certainly is developing the rocket scientists of the future. No one will teach their child more than the conscientious mom who CHOOSES to stay at home for the sake of her children.

My daughters are RACHEL (she typed her own name) and Bethany.

Touching Home

2004-11-16T13:29:00.000-08:00

There are always items to put in the news when you live in a state as large and active as ours. I've seen mention of the who want to make it legal for an immigrant to run for president. Sorry Arnie, not a good plan. We live in an age when those who hate us around the world are willing to invest longterm toward our destruction. Nothing personal Mr. Governor, you're not the only immigrant on the block.
Today, I also read of a group who wants to make sure the cross stays on the Los Angeles County seal. There is also another group trying to ensure our voter approved definition of marriage stands strong.
All of these are viable and important stories, but I cannot do anything, short of giving money (which we don't have that much of anyway), to affect how these stories progress. Eventually, something will or will not come to a vote and then I can make a difference. But until that time comes, the news that affects this California Family, is more closer to home.

COLD SEASON IS HERE! How do I know? Hmmm, whole fam coughing and sniffling. I went to the store to check the various medications one can consume. The shelves where getting bare. Definitely a high traffic area. It reminded me of the store toy shelves the day after Christmas.

Well, as was our plan, we have stayed home to recover and try not to infect others. Quite a difficult thing, I must say. I long to leave the house.
We opted to not attend church on Sunday, after all, there are many children in our two daughter's groups who would ultimately get sick from our girls. I love to worship the Lord in the community of Church. But, we had to stand tough. This week we have a small group that meets in various houses. I have pretty much decided we will not be attending because the girls and I are still coughing, though not quite as runny in the nose. It is frustrating, because I enjoy the community time, but this is what we should do. I wonder if other families are practicing restraint or not.

Cartwheels equal Chaos

2004-11-12T13:50:00.000-08:00

A few months ago, I entered my daugher, Rachel, into a gymnatics class. It was done in part, because she likes gymnastics and part because she is highly uncoordinated for her age. She adores it. She does forward rolls and jumps on a trampoline and gets to jump into a pit of foam blocks. It's great.
In my head, I have pictured her one day attending school and playing with other boys and girls. She would maybe show someone the cartwheel she had been working on perfecting. Perhaps she would swing on a playground bar and show her friends how she could jump off and land on her feet. I don't know if she'll ever be a fantastic athlete, but she can have fun with her friends.
Today, I read the Drudge Report and saw a uniquely California article, so of course, I had to read it. A young girl was practicing her cartwheel and was suspended because it was too dangerous. Next thing you know tag will be outlawed because you might trip, can't have lawsuits because my child tripped at school. Check out the article 11 year old suspended.
I would love to hear what you think about it.

Happy Veteran's Day to those who served in the past and those who serve now

2004-11-11T10:14:00.000-08:00

As the home of Camp Pendleton and various naval bases, California has certainly seen it's share of military. Every one of us in one way or another has been blessed by a member of the military. We celebrate the lives they have enabled us to have and the country they keep safe. The Marine Corps enjoys it's 50th Birthday and even those of us who have no military background can joyfully say "Semper Fi".

Thank you for all you have done and all you are doing.

Please read the president's statements on Veteran's Day, he speaks for us too. White House

Forgiveness and Kindness need to reign

2004-11-10T17:55:00.000-08:00

Praise God, today I saw the mom with whom I had the LOUD conversation, as my daughter Rachel called it. She enjoyed the conversation as did I and neither realized we were loud as our children practiced their gymnatic jumps and rolls.

Now I look to event of the blogosphere and talk radio. The name Arlen Spector comes up a great deal. He who is slated to fill the chairship of the Senate Judicial Committee. He has apologized, he has explained, he will probably chair that committee. Yet fellow evangelical Christians are still calling for his head. I know we must be wise, but shouldn't we also be kind and willing to forgive. His reputation speaks of fairness. For more on this debate, see Hugh Hewitt for the anti-Spector and anti-anti Spector arguments.

Today, I also read of an unexpected election result today. In the Drudge Report, Matt Drudge has an ongoing investigation of some high schoolers in Minnesota who fought so intensely about election results that ultimately the Kerry supporters beat the Bush supporters with fists and baseball bats. We must be careful how we teach our children. Politics may seem like a spectator sport, but unlike watching an intense football game, it affects our daily lives. As we support the leaders we vote for, we must remember to be cautious of the messages we send our children.

My daughter Rachel was a big help to me during the campaign as we went door to door placing pro-Bush flyers on the knobs. She developed a great love for our president simply because I was mentioning him often. She does not have the experience or discernment to appreciate what she would uniquely like or dislike about each candidate. Because of this I was careful to let her know that Kerry supporters were not evil people. Nor were they bad, we simply disagree on who would lead our country in the best possible way. I hope your children know the kindness which needs to be extended to those who disagreed with us during this past election. I hope you know it. There will be arguments over leadership choices or senatorial debates, but the battle for who will lead in the next four years is over. Let's help our children to learn how to be good winners and good losers. The winner doesn't shove it in the losers face and the loser doesn't beat the winner with a bat.

By the way, don't forget, tomorrow is veteran's day. Our soldiers deserve and require our support. Perhaps you will consider aiding someone with the purchase of a phone card to contact their family. An organization is heading up this need. Maybe you will support Soldier's Angels.

Christians do make a difference

2004-11-09T09:56:00.000-08:00

I am all excited about the possibilities of the future. I know and have believed for years of the power of God in any and every situation. But to see a mainstream media report about it puts a different light on the situation. Of course, they gave credit to the people involved, by the real credit goes to the Almighty God. I have seen many ideas of Christian leaders fall flat regardless of how organized they are...but this is interesting.

The Washington Post had an article yesterday about the major impact evangelical Christians had on this election year. In fact, they gave all credit for George W. Bush's win to the organizational efforts of evangelicals. THAT'S SO COOL! It isn't cool because they gave credit, but because it is true.

There are times in our lives when we have to take a stand and risk being treated poorly for what we believe. Image how it would have been for all those committed Christians if GW had not won. I thought about it when I committed to help. But we/they still did it.

What does that have to do with California? Weren't we a BLUE state?
Yup!

But think of the possibilities. If Christians throughout California decide to stand up for what we believe instead of sitting back and letting a newsreporter tell us how things are or how they will be. Apparently, when it came down to it, Christians waited in line to vote in Ohio as late as 1am because it was that important. You think people have opinions here, they were having election visits daily in a state whose population is smaller than LA County alone. We can have an impact here. Now. We just have to be willing to get off the couch, stop playing video games and do something, not simply talk about it.

Didn't James say "Faith without works is dead..."? Come on California Christians, let's get to work!

Who are Republicans?

2004-11-08T22:51:00.000-08:00

Last week I had an interesting experience and thought I would share it. I took my daughter, Rachel, to her weekly gymnastics class last Wednesday. I had, as you know, spent much time the day before trying to help President Bush win re-election. In the excitement of discovering a concession speach was coming, I decided to wear a Bush/Cheney '04 t-shirt to this class. I was simply excited about the future. In all honesty, I also thought perhaps I might have conversations as a result.

Wow! What an understatement! Ultimately, I ended up in a deep and slightly loud conversation with one of the other mothers concerning the Marriage Amendment. In truth, I loved the conversation. I often enjoy lively banter between people and it is very rare I am able to experience that either as a pastor or as a mom with two children in tow. Needless to say, my four year old daughter informed me following the class that I was so loud it was difficult for her to hear her teacher. Oy vay! Not my plan at all.
Never do I want to detract from what she is enjoying and doing for my own purposes.

I struggle with this as a highly opinionated and educated person. I long to speak my mind, but I don't long to squash my children or others in the process. In fairness, I think the other mother did a fanstastic job of explaining her views. Perhaps you can pray for me anyway as this Wednesday will be the next time I see her and I hope I in no way offended her.

The church I have been attending is starting a series on sharing the good news with our friends and our community. As the pastor spoke this Sunday, he mentioned that sharing the gospel is not about winning it is sharing or witnessing. He pointed out and confessed to knowing Christians who share their faith for the purpose of "being right" and somehow this rightness with convince others to change their minds. Oops!

All I could think about was how I had approached this conversation. A verbal battle...maybe I could change her mind, on the moment, with the right wording she would alter all previous views and change her thinking.
Right, that'll happen. I barely know her. If it were me, would I change my mind on a dime. No stinkin' way! Any opinion I have has taken time to form, to change it would also take time.

This election has made Republicans stand out as the religious ones. Those Evangelical Christians. On one radio show, Hugh Hewitt, children have called in to state the meanness they think Republicans express. Newspapers like the New York and LA Times are stating that evangelicals are the planners and starters of hatred toward gays. How does one talk about Jesus to someone who already assumes you HATE them? We are going to have to think hard about witnessing well in these next years. An assumption exists and we must not let ourselves fit that assumption. After all, "God is Love", if we serve Him, our goal should be to learn more about how to be LOVING.

Californians are different?

2004-11-07T23:05:00.000-08:00

Growing up in northern California and then Arizona, I always thought of myself as Different. At first I thought it was me. I identified with it and learned to embrace it. But then I returned to the scene of the crime, my original home state...California. I realized that true Californians all have a certain strangeness about them. It is something we actually enjoy about ourselves. But are we truly different?
After the election, I had a chance to look at the map of California's various districts to see how our state actually voted. It almost looked to me like a side view of the country as a whole. Full of red sections, our state only had a few isolated areas of blue (i.e. Democrat) those sections were invariably Los Angeles and San Francisco. The difference, of course, was that John Kerry carried the state of California. But not every part. Miniscule numbers throughout the state totally to create the final blow.
I have often thought of California as a trend setting state within our country. It is strange that since I moved here I have come to realize that many parts of this unique state look like parts of the rest of the country. This is a reflection of the wide variety of people who live within it's boundaries.
We are different but only slightly. Slightly enough to make some profound differences. We are the state who solidly said, "Marriage is between one man and one woman" a few votes back. But we also said our money should be spent on developing embryonic clones and destroying them for science sake. We can be extraordinarily liberal, creating 1000's of gay marriages. Yet we can be profoundly conservative, removing an overly ambitious governor for one who is supposed to be more fiscally conservative.
We have a job Californians, the state is actually split. Those who speak the loudest and the most often are usually the ones who are heard. Who will step up to be heard? Will we simply let the opposing group be our voice and accept and unnecessary defeat. This does not mean we attack our neighbors for having differing views. It means we let our voices be heard.

Hope and possibilities, with a long way to go.

2004-11-04T21:07:00.000-08:00

I have mixed feelings with this election. I am extremely happy President Bush was re-elected. It is exciting to see possibilities nationally. I will pray for him and the many decisions he makes daily.
I am concerned, however, for my home state. Unable or uninterested in putting forth a strong candidate to help us have a balance in the Senate, we continue with two outspoken extremely liberal U.S. Senators. In addition, we still have only a minority of Republicans in the state assembly as well as the state senate. Then, the icing on the cake...
Our state decided to give money toward embryonic stem cell research. This practice bordering on pure evil has now become a place where my tax dollars will be spent. How are we as a state going to grow if all we need is an actor and a great deal of money to sway our vote? This initiative out spent its opponents $100 to $1. We can care about someone in need without checking our brains and our moral compass at the door.
Californians we need to seriously think about how we want our money spent. If we don't investigate, we have no one to blame but ourselves when once again we look into our family pockets and discover our taxes have eaten it all.

Proposition 71 salvation or suffication

2004-11-01T01:17:00.000-08:00

I have spent some time looking into proposition 71 and this is a case of false advertising if ever I have seen it. People like Michael J. Fox and the late Christopher Reeve have spent much time holding onto the hope this prospect might bring their way. Embryonic stem cell research! The newest hope medicine. They proclaim we must allow it. Yet it has been allowed for the past twenty years. Test have been done on mice and lab rats and not one thing has it helped cure in these rats and mice.

Now let me make this clear stem cells come from various places and stem cells have been attributed to much success in the fields of leukemia and various cancers. However, no success and even a semblance of success has come from embryonic stem cells.

Yet this proposition would have us believe it is the next great cure for everything, from parkinsons to severed spinal cords. This must not pass. The money would not go toward all stem cell research it is only and specifically marked for embryonic stem cell. Researchers want a free ride on the state's bill even though there is no indication it will help. Further, those who have already shown promise and use, umbilical cord stem cells and adult stem cells will receive no funding from proposition 71.

It's your decision, just think about it.

Propositions for California

2004-10-28T10:54:00.000-07:00

Looking at the next proposition concerning gambling let's ponder proposition 68. When examined we find it is supported by gambling interests in our state which are not tribal. Race tracks and card rooms totalling some 16 non-tribal entities would like to be allowed to operate 30,000 slot machines. In exchange, they would agree to pay 1/3 the revenue to a fund they create called the Gaming Revenue Trust Fund.

It doesn't sound like an idea we can trust. Increased gaming benefits no one except those who operate the facilities.

What's a caring family to do?

2004-10-27T09:18:00.000-07:00

This election is about more than just who will be our president or senator or even assembly member. There are several propositions which are important. We who care about our families and in reflection, the world, need to spend serious time thinking about and if possible, researching the choices. It is easy to simply watch the commercials and come to a conclusions, but let's deal with some reality. Commercials are advertisements, they are selling a product, whatever proposition they want to us to choose. Advertisements always present whatever product in it's best possible light, but that doesn't mean it is the right product for us. So we need the discerning eye of a consumer.

Let's look at Proposition 70. It states that in exchange for paying "their fair share" or 8.87% tax (which is what corporations pay) tribes would receive the right to a new 99 year compact with almost limitless gambling in scope and size. They would be able to include roulette and craps games, which are currently illegal in California. If these tribes lose their gambling monopoly they would no longer make even these payments. If you want to see a more complete rundown visit California Family a new website sponsored by Focus on the family.

If you are still pondering the presidential dilemma, check these websites for info pertaining to families. Family, Republicans, and The Union Leader

Why is this vote important to California Families?

2004-10-26T11:50:00.000-07:00

In this weeklong saga devoted to understanding the value of this vote, today I focus on the differences between the Democratic Party and the Republican party. To some, it might sound like a deeply long and complicated topic to address in this short format, but please allow me to cut to the chase. You see, I was once a democrat. I proudly went to the ballot box and cast my first presidential vote for President Bill Clinton. How excited I was to see someone for whom I voted become the President. In fascinated curiosity, I watched the election process. I listened (for the first time) to the news inform me concerning the development of the cabinet. I saw as appointee after appointee was rejected by the Congress due to illegal activities. I wondered if this was normal. Then I saw item after item accusing our president's wife of illegal activities. Then, our president himself was accused. He calmly addressed the country with what many consider his charming demeanor and he pushed aside these seemingly silly accusations. There were accusations by many women who said he was inappropriate toward them within the office. OF PRESIDENT. Trying to stay on the side of "my guy" I waited, assuming, of course, the National Organization of Women would check into the accusations. They didn't. No one looked into it on the Democrat side. They just smiled because he was also "their guy".

I saw very brave people, who wanted to seek the truth, push and push the issue. Each Republican who was brave enough to step up and go against this President was soundly attacked and taken out in the next election process, as we knew they would. Meanwhile, I saw republicans who when accused of wrong doing even had their peers (fellow republicans) state their actions inappropriate. I saw people who stepped down from leadership because they did not want skeletons in their closets to interfere with the work of leading our country. This was not what I saw from the Dems.

As a result, I became a republican. But I still wanted to vote only for the person not the party. I thought voting for the party was checking your brain at the door. But I also watched people with seemingly high ideals fall in line with whatever the party said and did. I saw government is not one man or woman against they system but one team vs. The other team. When a new quarterback comes in, he is still part of the team and must work with the team or get sacked by the opposition. Even a strong running back must have other teammates running block to be sure the catch is made. It is for this reason that many a superstar basketball player is on the LA Clippers, but that doesn't make it a great team.

I realized that one must look at what the team says if you want to know how best to vote. What does the team do in practice? How does the team conduct itself when times are difficult?

This year, I am not trying to be an ostrich with it's head in the sand. I am voting for the team I respect and want to see lead. I will watch this team. If by some chance this team is dishonorable, I will rethink my position. But for now, I have clearly seen the dishonorable actions of the Democratic Party who will stop at nothing to defend one supreme court ruling. Holding up judge appointees so that they do not even receive a vote is quite simply dishonorable to us the people and certainly to those appointees.

As I look at our California ballot, I look at the Republican who are running. Each a person, to the best of my knowledge, who has integrity and good judgment. They are part of the team I support.
Howard "Buck" McKeon, Bill Jones, Tom McClintock, George Runner....

I even decided to find out which judges my team supports. Not knowing their rulings or the way they carry themselves, I am trusting my team to tell me what they think. It isn't a perfect method, but our system is not a perfect system either.

(by the way, the whole time I have been writing this, my 4 year old daughter has been at my feet singing and playing and all she asked is she be allowed to type her name too.....so here it is.....RACHEL...isn't that neat!)

Why is Bush right for California?

2004-10-25T11:54:00.000-07:00

I was born in Hayward, California up in NoCal and at the age of 10 moved to Arizona. Then, approximately 10 years ago I returned to California. Now I live in SoCal (southern California). While I was attending school here, our schools were literally the best in the nation. Our teachers were lauded across the country and the model set forth by California was one to be followed. In fact, when I moved to Arizona, I was less than impressed with the level of teaching. I had previously been challenged more and learned much more. I spent my jr. high and high school academic years in Arizona. All the while, I was thinking California had a stronger system.

After graduating college, I became a substitute teacher in Arizona. I saw first hand many of the teaching practices and organizational arrangements. I also grew closer to my aunt who is an accomplished teacher of Spanish and music and who later became a private school superintendent. Yet, I thought California is probably better. I did think that until I moved back.

I have spent the past 10 years working in Jr. high, high school and finally children's ministry. I have seen the results of California education for this generation. I have been less than impressed. Until...

President Bush passed No Child Left Behind. I watched families and teachers who had previously let their children slide by with whatever they did on the presupposition that we didn't want to inhibit their creativity. Many could barely read. Many had told me and show me their grade reports which indicated repeated failures, yet they moved to the next grade.

California needs someone to hold its leaders, educators and bureaucrats accountable for the education our children receive. Currently California is one of the lowest achieving school systems in the country. I know we are capable of more.

A day to breathe

2004-10-24T15:19:00.000-07:00

"This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it."
Psalm 118:24

Yesterday I wrote with much intensity concerning the upcoming election and vote we all face. Obviously, I consider this an important issue as a person, a Californian, and as a Christian. But there is yet a more important issue in our lives.

Each day has many stresses in it all tugging and pulling at the imaginary time capsule that is our life. Only so many grains will fit and yet more and more try or desire to fit into our lives. Knowing that it is important to be in the world God placed us and yet not of this world, we must keep everything in perspective.

As I mentioned, I plan to write about why various parts of this vote are important to our families. However, today I think we need a collective breath of fresh air. Everyone is working so hard to show their way or person is the right one. The reality is whoever serves us in our government will not be perfect, will not fully satisfy all the longings we have to see things done correctly. We want it to happen, but it won't. Because no matter what they do, these candidates and law writers will not be God. They will not know for certain the absolute right path to take. They will slip, they will fall.

We must, in the midst of what I believe is and important election, keep perspective. Only God is God. Only He really knows the right course for our country, our state and our families. This is His day, as is each one created by Him.

Let us pause.....

and REJOICE in it....

imperfect though we may be, perfection is there for us to see in Christ Jesus, to learn from and enjoy.

Have a blessed day!

How is this election important to families?

2004-10-23T20:37:00.000-07:00

Over the next 9 days I will be commenting on the importance of this vote and what it means to families. I am continually amazed by strong believing Christians I meet who do not even bother to take a few minutes of time in their day to vote for people as important as our President, our senators, our judges, our assemblymen and women. The gift God has given us in this country is huge. Let me restate this it is HUGE. We have been given many gifts here.

There are people I have spoken with who seem to have the opinion our votes don't really matter. They believe our freedom is in name only. They believe we are so messed up that regardless of what they say or do, nothing new will happen. I have news for them. New things happen daily because of the leadership we appoint or by neglect those who are appointed for us. Laws are passed which decide our liberties and how far they will expand. Judges are appointed who either let those laws speak for themselves or add to their meanings by additional rulings. Money is allocated for a variety of purposes based on that which is deemed important by those in charge.

All of these things affect families in our state and others every moment of every day. To deny it doesn't change it's impact.

HOW????

Please allow me to explain....
1.
Previous presidents and their presiding congresses have had the responsibility of appointing judges to the supreme court. This same supreme court was accused of choosing our last president. This supreme court decides if pregnant women are carrying babies or fetuses, which can or cannot be disposed of at the wish of the mother. This court decides if God is considered relevant to the forming and continual existance of our country and whether or not our currency, courthouses, and public properties may display such a view.

These things are taught to our children who believe, due to the importance of the supreme court body, they are correct. Unless, we somehow manage to take daily time to check what they have been taught and possibly try to correct their views.

2.
The leaders of our state, city and country have the responsibility of allocating the taxes we pay to places they deem important. Under various leaders money can be spent to replace a county seal which has stood for many years because there is a miniscule cross on it.
3.
Our governors can weild their power to influence voters to spend money where they think it is important (ie. stem cell research and Governor Schwartzeneggar).
4.
Mayors can influence and entire country to allow gay marriages even if at the time they are still illegal in their area.(Example: San Francisco)
5.
Through voter propositions, a state can determine if gambling will be allowed throughout the state or simply relogated to distinct places.
6.
Voters can decide if our government needs to be accountable to us or to no one in particular.

You see, there is so much money put forth in many directions that one must realize. This is a real battle. A real struggle in our otherwise peaceful homeland. We are deciding what kind of country we want to be. We saw one type of leadership under Clinton and another under Bush. Now we must decide where we want our country to go.

Realize this three Supreme Court justices are ready to retire. In fact, they are past the normal retirement age. This next president will definitely appoint one if not all three positions. This congress and president will either help us to fight a vital war or leave it, with the desire to treat it as a nuisance, in the hands of others who are clearly not as motivated as we are to see good be done.

For these next 9 days, you will see a more detailed account of what our state and our families need to think about during this election season.

Flu season is coming!

2004-10-21T18:00:00.000-07:00

It seems with all the media hype, many people are much more stressed about the flu than usual. As we try to be good citizens and only let those who are considered "high risk" receive the shot, what do the rest of us do?

Funny thing, just a few short years back, there wasn't a flu shot and many of us weathered the season just fine. But now we have children and it's become a different experience for us. How can we keep them safe?

I was reading in November's "Parenting" magazine some ideas and one stood out so simply.

WASH YOUR HANDS!

It's too simple one might think, but many of us just don't do it. Wash after changing a baby's diaper. Wash before eating. Wash after eating. Of course you know to wash after going to the bathroom. WASH, WASH, WASH!

Teach your kids to spend enough time rubbing in that all important soap by singing the ABC's. Scientists tell us a good wash takes about 15 seconds, the time it takes to sing the ABC's. No need for antibacterial soap, flu is a virus it isn't caused by bacteria. Just regular soap will do.

So, instead of sitting back and feeling helpless while politicians play the blame game, take pre-emptive action and act wisely.

Other suggestions of note:

Sneeze into the crook of your elbow instead of your hands.
If your sick, or your kids are sick, REST and stay away from others if possible, no point in spreading it.
Drink plenty of water, your body needs it anyway.
Be sure not to rub your eyes or put your hand to your mouth if you have come in contact with another's sneeze or tissue.

Theresa vs. Laura

2004-10-20T14:15:00.000-07:00

Theresa Heinz Kerry made a vocal mistake today as she indicated First Lady Laura Bush didn't have a real job. If you don't realize, Mrs. Bush was a teacher and a librarian and then a stay at home mom. Now of course, she has a huge job a first lady, one she does amazingly well.

Why do we have to do this to ourselves over and over? I thought we had finally gotten to a place as a society where we could honor women who work outside the home as well as women who work in it. I thought we were able to recognize, at last, the fact that one is not better than the other. There are choices we make for ourselves and for our families which no one can really make for us.
I was in the work force full-time until my first daughter came. Then I became "technically" part-time. Though there were certainly some full-time weeks or months. I also know not everyone has the type of job or skills that make such a choice possible. I never looked down on those who stayed home, because I knew they were pouring themselves into their family in a way I couldn't imagine. I also never looked down on those who worked full-time because of whatever situation they were in.
Why then would someone, who is excessively wealthy, dare to attack the difficult choices women across our country make? When my husband and I decided I should try to stay home it was extraordinarily difficult. We had to decide to not experience some entertainment options to which we had become accustomed for the sake of our girls. Now each day the girls, the house, my husband and all those combined needs encompass every moment of my day. I really don't know how I was working previously. Yet everything is flourishing better as a result.
Perhaps Mrs. Kerry needs to get out of her rich environment and visit some real people who actually do "work" as homemakers. Then she will have a better regard for Mrs. Bush and all they experienced as well.

From Pastor to Stay at Home Mom?

2004-10-20T02:07:00.000-07:00

A woman has to do what a woman has to do.....right?

What on earth does that mean? Actively ministering for 15 years in various forms, I became an ordained pastor 4 years ago. I had already been serving as associate pastor at a church in southern California when I went through the somewhat long and interesting process to become an "ordained" pastor. I had just given birth to my first daughter and I stepped back a bit from fulltime ministry with youth to be sure she received the attention to which she was entitled.

Over the next couple of years the ministry God had led me into altered to become children's and jr. high ministry. Still I balanced time carefully between my wonderful husband, my daughter and the church. I kept perspective because of something simple a friend told me. When my daughter was born he said, "Congratulations on your new ministry". I have remembered that statement always when deciding time values.

Then, I gave birth to my second daughter. Time was now on shorter supply and the two girls had much greater needs than one alone. I reflected on scripture that taught me. When speaking of the qualifications of an overseer it states, "he must be one who manages his own household well...". I believe it applies to me as well. The two girls and my husband have to come first before the church, though no one comes before Christ himself.

My husband and I agreed. Through prayer, God revealed our choice, it was time for me to stay home with the girls. I will minister in whatever ways God opens to me, but I will always be careful to put the needs of our family first.

Children's behavior in school

2004-10-19T13:21:00.000-07:00

How often have you wondered about how well your child is doing in school? Then, you receive the dreaded letter informing you that he or she had to be disciplined.
In Newhall, California, McGrath Elementary had experienced an excessive problem with bad behavior. As a part of the Santa Clarita Valley, many schools are accused of being too easy. Certainly not as difficult to teach as say, inner city Los Angeles or San Fernando Valley. This one year old school recorded 84 suspensions for 2003-2004. Though many were repeat offenders, it was of great concern to the faculty.
McGrath is not a rich Valencia school. Of it's 700 students, 80% qualified for free and reduced-priced lunches. The faculty decided to treat this as a serious issue. While they do still discipline those who show disrespect to teachers, they also developed an incentive program to encourage good behavior.
The result - school, which began in August, has issued only 3 suspensions and students sent to the office for violations was dropped from 6 per day to 2 per week. See http://Dailytimes. article by Eugene Tong "Behavior problems tackled".

I think this is fantastic. It goes to show something I have always believed to be true. Kids want and need attention. They will settle for negative attention (i.e. discipline) if they cannot receive positive attention (i.e. incentive rewards). For this reason, we has parents need to constantly seek honest ways to praise our children. If they think that all we want to do is punish them, they will seek that type of attention from us. But if they know we want to praise them, they will seek ways to receive praise. It must be honest praise, because artificial praise means nothing to us and nothing to them.
I heard an analogy once that I really liked. Think of building a child, or for that matter any person, as a check book. Each harsh or disciplinary word is like writing a check. In order, order to be able to write checks and have them work we must continually deposit money into the account. With children, the deposit is composed of encouragement words, praise words, or success celebrations. If we want our children to know that they are truly loved, we must deposit more encouragement than we take out. Our children are worth it. The result is a child with real self esteem not just an inflated ego.

--Paula Whidden

Why re-elect President Bush

2004-10-18T22:06:00.000-07:00

To begin my blogging experience I must give credit where credit is due. I heard about and read various blogs because of Hugh Hewitt's radio show. Therefore, my first weblog posting is a response to his question.

Why should we re-elect President Bush?

I think I have a unique take on this issue. As a youth pastor and then children's pastor, I have a confession I must make. Unknowingly, I was one of those who helped to elect President Clinton. I was young and it was my first vote for president. I believed him and his many statements. Then I sat back and watched. I saw how our country changed in response to his leadership. I experienced the change in respect boys gave to girls following the Monica Lewinsky experience. I watched a disregard for leadership emerge as we chanted the mantra of "it's about the economy stupid".
Children are a reflection of our teachings. They parrot what was taught to them from various points: parents, T.V., radio, internet, etc. The children changed under President Clinton's leadership, and not for the better.
As a result, I became a republican. Again I voted. I believed that President Bush was far better for our country than Gore ever could be. I believed that "No Child Left Behind" was a fantastic idea, especially because I saw teenagers advance in grades after repeatedly failing courses. As a native Californian, I remember and experienced when California was truly the best place to receive an education. We needed help.
Now, I have seen Los Angeles Unified School District fight as hard as they could against NCLB. Yet they can't hide from children who cannot pass. They are finally beginning to recognize that perhaps they need to work on how they educate. It's hard but absolutely necessary.
The clincher for me was watching the final debate. Repeatedly having accused President Bush of not funding NCLB, Kerry finally made the statement to his face. In response, President Bush calmly stated they had increased funding in education 49% (I had no idea it was so much - had to look it up $24.7 billion in 2001 to $36.9 billion in 2005) Kerry's response told much about who he is. He said, "a percentage is not and increase".
If it isn't, I certainly don't know what is.
I like a President who cares about our children and does something about it, even when others are not really paying attention. That is why I am voting for President Bush.
Thanks Hugh for the inspiration.
Check out his blog at http://hughhewitt.com