How do you define ‘freedom’? In our secular, pluralistic society, freedom is a grossly misunderstood and misused concept. Freedom is now considered to be “the ‘right’ to do whatever you want to do”.

Is freedom the absence of restrictions? Anyone who believes this is ignoring all of life around them. A fish is ‘free’ to swim anywhere it wants. But it takes in oxygen only from the water. As soon as it leaves the restriction of a water habitat, it will die. The fish is restricted by its very nature. So it is with all things. Freedom therefore is necessarily limited by our very nature. Our concept of ‘freedom’ must account for the nature of things, and the restrictions imposed by those characteristics.

Within those restrictions, the fish is free to go here or there. However, if it swims into the path of a predator, it will likely die. So, it restricts its behavior to avoid certain dangers. This is a self-imposed restriction designed to prolong its life. Is it free to swim into the path of a predator? Yes, but is that freedom good for the fish? Not at all. The fish will follow self-imposed restrictions to its behavior to preserve its life.

This brings up the second misconception of freedom, that all freedom is good. Terrorists think they are ‘free’ to wreak havoc on anyone they decide to terrorize. Is that freedom ‘good’? The civilized world would answer an emphatic ‘no’. This truth applies to many human behaviors. Enron executives thought they were ‘free’ to set their own salaries and benefits, to the detriment of all their employees. Civilization depends upon certain restrictions to human behaviors to keep us from destroying ourselves. Indeed, all our laws are actually restrictions on human behavior. They are necessary to prevent total chaos, and ultimately our annihilation.

So if freedom is not the absence of restrictions, and if not all freedom is good for us, who then determines what restrictions are placed upon us, and who determines which freedoms are good or bad? Let’s take ‘freedom of religion’ for example. Society generally agrees that freedom of religion is a good thing. But how far does that freedom extend? When one person believes that a certain behavior is right, and another believes that same behavior is wrong, which belief wins at the point of confrontation? Who decides that, and upon what set of standards is that decision made?

Is there a universal set of standards by which all freedoms and restrictions should be established? The answer to that question should be blatantly obvious, even to those who reject the answer. The Ten Commandments are a universal set of restrictions placed upon human behavior that govern our freedom. The utopian society that the world longs for would become a reality if everyone adhered perfectly to those ten simple rules. So why has this set of standards been forcibly removed from our nation? If they are so beneficial to us, why have we tossed them out of our schools and government? What impact has this action had on our ‘freedom’? Are we more free without them, or are we in bondage to our propensity for greed and power?

Sadly, by removing those restrictions on our behavior, we are less free than we were when we lived by those rules.

Of course, I know the answer to the questions I have posed above. Our sinful nature would rather create our own set of rules to live by, rather than live by the rules given to us by our creator. And the rules we then establish are based upon our rejection of God’s authority over us. We try to manage our own behavior at the same time our nature is pushing us to pursue greed, power, and pride. We get so far away from God’s rules that we can no longer determine what is right or wrong, and we redefine what ‘freedom’ actually is.

Freedom, properly used, requires a set of restrictions that enable us to care for and improve everyone and everything around us. We can be free to enjoy nature without damaging or destroying nature. We can be free to love and help people around us without bringing them harm in any way. We can be free to choose a vocation that benefits mankind and provides support to our family, without denying others that same freedom.

Thought I would journal our trip to Olivia and Jerry’s wedding in Elizabethtown, PA.  We are blessed that Jen, David and the boys can make the trip. Also I am so happy that my brother and sister-in-law are coming also! It is a long distance to travel but God has made it possible. This is a very special time for our family.

The reservations were made early (rehearsal dinner, flights, hotel & cars, kennels, Holly care, etc.) and I have had much time to worry over how it will all come together. Frank has taken care of the big events and I am so happy he found a nice place for the rehearsal dinner that is more reasonably priced and has delicious food! Roxy’s Chatterbox Cafe, doesn’t that sound cozy? There is so much to think about: what dress to wear for the wedding, what other clothes and shoes to pack, PACK??

We are 8 days from flying to Harrisburg and I’m not in panic mode. Everytime I feel overly worried, I say a prayer to God for Him to give me peace and keep me organized and acknowledge that He is in control. After all, I have prayed so hard for Jerry and Olivia and I love them both so much!

db

I have had it with the liberals having “all the voice” in the news and media. It is high time for all true Christians to stand up and let their voice be heard as well. Today’s historic ruling will forever change the culture in America. This day is our tipping point. Mark my word, that on this day, both the decline of America as a global power, and the persecution of Christians in the Last Days began in earnest. Unfortunately, people and churches who claim to be Christian have hastened this day by compromising the authority of the Scriptures, twisting God’s words to fit their own agendas, and outright ignoring the truth taught in the Bible. My heart is sitting in sackcloth and ashes right now. I have kept silent on my Facebook page too long. I started posting because I want my son and daughter to seriously think about what they believe and why they believe it. Because they are going to have to instill my grandchildren with a strong enough faith to persevere the days and years ahead. God’s word is true. God does not mince words. Understand where marriage came from, and why it is between a man and a woman. Understand why homosexuality is an abomination to God. Understand the depth of faith we must have to take a stand for Christ. “If you deny me before men, I will deny you before my Father in heaven.” Jesus was not joking around when He said that. It’s time to take a stand for what we believe.

This is the first time since 1993 there has not been a Saturn car in our garage (except a short stint while the silver one was at Baylor before we got the gold one). We have had a white ’93 Saturn, the ’96 silver SL1, a 2000 gold one, then the rudderless green Ion, then the brown 2007 Aura, and finally the 2009 green Aura. Two of them heroically gave their lives to keep us alive, and had GM not divested the Saturn division in late 2009, we would probably still be driving a Saturn. But alas, all good things must come to an end, and so our Saturn era ended with the Aura.

We have been planning to replace the Aura with a hybrid of some sort this fall, until I found a deal that I just couldn’t pass up. The top rated hybrid, according to Edmunds, was the midsize hybrid by Honda. BUT you were going to pay top dollar for the honor of owning the Honda. Ford’s Fusion Hybrid was rated almost as high as the Honda, but came with a much cheaper price tag. So using that comparison as a basis, the Ford hybrid was relatively cheap. When I found a new 2015 Fusion hybrid for over $6,000 LESS than the MSRP, I could not pass up the deal. We went to Hutto, Texas (Covert Ford) and test drove the car. I was leery about the power, the shifting between electric and gas power on the fly, and the overall comfort of the car. The Fusion is the exact same size as the Aura, so there isn’t even an adjustment for us to make in driving it. We traded immediately after the test drive.

Update, 3 June 2015.  Fantastic car! We love it so far. Around 44 mpg highway, and 50+ mpg city. Plenty of power when you need it, quiet going down the road, and it sports a backup camera and bluetooth phone connection as a standard feature! We love the hands free phone.

Exodus. Gods and Kings Review

Debbie and I went to see Exodus, the latest Hollywood movie claiming to take its inspiration from the Bible. As a Christian, I was under no delusion that the movie would be entirely accurate from a Biblical perspective. To say the movie was “historical fiction” is somewhat true, but I would characterize it as about 5% history, and 95% fiction.

My greatest disappointment with the movie is that it completely diminishes the glory and holiness of God. There are moments where the audience gets the supernatural nature of some of the events, but without any direct mention of God having done it. From my studies and knowledge of the Exodus in the Bible, I will list a few of the “errors” in the movie.

First is the timing. The movie claims this is about 1300 BC, during the time of Ramses the Great. I don’t think this is just an oversight, I believe it was intentional. There is no archeological evidence of the Hebrews or the Exodus at that point in the archeological record. The true exodus occurred about 200 years prior to that, where there is an overwhelming amount of evidence to confirm the Biblical account. The idea that Ramses was the pharaoh at the time of Moses was widely circulated around the early 1900’s, and completely discredited in the archaeological record.

The movie Moses vehemently denied being a Hebrew, or having any knowledge of it, even after being told the story of his birth and rescue. According to the account in the New Testament given by Stephen, Moses knew all along he was Hebrew, and took it to heart in his early development.

The major flaw that kept hitting me in the face was how the movie treated God. He was cast as a small, arrogant boy who came across to me as smart-alecky and rather heartless. The Bible Moses never saw God as a man, though he did get a glimpse of his back at one point in the Biblical account. The relationship and dialogue between the Bible Moses and God is completely missing throughout the movie. In the movie, God never directed Moses to do anything, but made Moses keep guessing what he was supposed to do. The movie Moses never had dialogue with pharaoh demanding to let the Hebrews go. This is the worst error I see in the movie. As a result, the audience gets the impression that God is vengeful on a seemingly unknowing victim. The true reason for the plagues is never given in the movie. It misses the entire point of the Exodus, that God will not be mocked, and that He will lead and protect His people.

The plagues were explained with naturalistic causes, though they did come across as supernatural in their scope and resulting devastation. Other deviations from the Bible were the movie Moses breaking his leg in a mudslide before he saw the burning bush – the Bible Moses set out the next day for Egypt; the destruction of half of pharaoh’s army before they ever reached the Red Sea; the depiction that movie Moses’ sister raised him, when in the Bible, his mother raised him; the fact that the Hebrews crossed on dry ground, while in the movie, they were in ankle to knee deep water most of the way; that movie Moses left his staff in Midian, and  took his sword to be “a general” of the Hebrews; Moses never used his staff for miracles (there was no turning it into a snake, causing the Nile to turn to blood, parting the sea, etc.). I’m sure I could nit pick some more points, but you get the idea.

I would not recommend this to anyone, and especially not for children. They will get a completely skewed view of who God is, what His nature is, and it will instill doubts about the accuracy of the Bible.

According to the calendar, we are in the Fall season. According to the weather at our house, it’s still summer! It is still dry and hot (supposed to get above 90 degrees today). I’m waiting for that first blast of cold air out of the north, heralding the beginning of winter.

I hate being cold.

Being cold hurts and makes me tense.

Being cold is depressing.

Being cold makes you a prisoner inside buildings.

Being cold makes your electric bill higher.

It’s harder to be warm when it’s freezing outside. I love being warm and  during winter season it’s important to compensate:

To get warm I like to drink more coffee and tea. Hot chocolate is nice, so is a good brandy.

To get warm I can use the oven to bake cookies, cakes, pies, casseroles, and it’s okay to heat up the kitchen!

To get warm means I can wear all my Baylor University sweatshirts.

To get warm I can crochet the afghan project that I didn’t finish last winter.

To get warm the terriers and cat can snuggle on my lap, usually all three at the same time!

To get warm I can seek the comfort of Frank’s embrace (yes, indeed).

For Frank, it means he can fire up his chainsaw and do the heavy work outside. We have a lot of trees and brush to cut up and burn, since Chad is putting in a brand-new stock fence all around the ranch. Last year Frank bought new windows for the house which makes it warmer.  It feels good to go to the barn and snuggle Holly, especially when she has her blanket on!  Wintertime means we will be taking a cruise to the beautiful warm waters of the Caribbean! So, I see that Winter is not so bad after all. It’s a different approach to everyday life, which is as good or as bad as I want to make it. Look always to the bright side and be thankful to God for all of your blessings.

Deb

I’m trying out a new image uploader.

School is out for the summer and Grandma and Grandpa time has begun. I’ve been looking forward to this time of the year, having the boys at the house, one at a time. Frank and I can give them our undivided attention and spoil them as much as we can!  This Fall, all the boys will be going to school and it will be hard to have them over to the house for any length of time.

We started the summer by going to “Inner Space Caverns” over in Georgetown, right next to I-35.  We had not been there in about 20 years. It’s still a neat cave. The boys LOVED it–a REAL cave!!! Every turn brought new things to see, made special by our expert guide who was great with the little ones. Afterwards, we went to the house and Dave cooked steaks, OH MY! So good! THANK YOU Dave & Jen!

The next really BIG event on the calendar is a weekend at GREAT WOLF LODGE in Grapevine, TX!  We’ll be honoring J and his 9th birthday. It will be a special time PLUS, Uncle Jer will be with us!

Frank’s broken leg/ankle is healing nicely and he’s getting strength back. Swelling during the evening hours is a problem but nothing elevation and an ice bag can’t take care of.  I still nag him about being careful because I’m terrified of him re-injuring his leg and setting him back more. I still do the mowing with the lawn mower and Frank takes care of the tractor mowing.

Since we got some rain in June, everything is still nice and green. I am way behind in planting flowers or plants because of Frank’s accident. I am happy to be able to keep the grass around the house mowed.

Until next time,

dk

Another new year and another list of fresh resolutions for the new year, 2014. A new year is like a fresh clean slate or calendar, a whole year ahead of you, a chance to improve yourself. And like many others, I make resolutions, knowing that I probably won’t stick to them. I’ve tried making them simple and I’ve tried making them large; both are subject to failure. And that’s the bottom line: we’ll probably give up. BUT there’s also a chance that perhaps I’ll stick with it and succeed. So I’m making a few for this year:

1.  Lose weight. Weight Watchers and fitness centers make lots of $$ on this one. I spend a lot on this one too. Yes, I joined the local fitness center and going back to a diet.

2. Get organized. Specifically, I want to clean out everything and “declutter”

3. I resolve to read the Bible every day. I have a plan to read through the Bible in 2 years. Frank found a schedule and we will do this together.

Yes, another long dry spell, too darn busy and distracted to “blog” and I just plain-old forget. For some reason, I looked at the blog and saw that it has been 9 months since the last post, so I better make this a quality catch-up tome.

2013 was good for Frank and me, full of the usual bumps, highs and lows. Here’s a few highlights in no particular order.

1. Smokey the cat has thrived! Frank nurtured and loved him and “Smokes” has grown up to be a beautiful and affectionate cat-boy. Last month at the vet’s he weighed in at 10 pounds! A big thank you goes to Susan and David Maurice for their instruction, encouragement and friendship; couldn’t have done it without good friends!

2. The “girls cruise” in April, aboard Carnival Magic was interesting, to say the least. Started off fine but the tension grew and peaked when Peggy shook her fist in my face, yelling and screaming at me like a crazy demented person, all for something she did to herself. Paula just sat there silent. All I can say is that it true that you never know someone until you live with them, their true nature comes out. We have not spoken since the cruise ended and that’s the way I like it. Life is to short to waste my time on a person like this. Good riddance! (call me if you want the sordid details).

3. Dad had back surgery (spinal fusion) in June, a very serious operation. The surgery went well and Dad was up and walking soon after. The rehab place wasn’t like I expected it to be. Very little time was spent in rehab. More thoughts on this later.

4. We love our church, Faith Lutheran in Lampasas. Pastor Tim is the best (hate using a 4-letter word), again, more on this later.

5. Frank had all new windows installed in the house. It has made a big difference! The electric bill has been much lower and the old house feels snug.

6. After the furloughs by the Federal government, Frank has been beyond stressed at work. Everyone is forced to do more with less. So it was good that we had a Royal Caribbean cruise scheduled the first of December. Went with the Maurices and enjoyed relaxing, eating, drinking, laughing and getting warm in the Caribbean sunshine.

Now we have a whole new year to look forward to. Here’s what we have planned that I can remember:

* Season tickets to Baylor Lady Bears basketball

* Navigator of the Seas cruise, 9 Feb 14 (our Diamond Plus)

* OES installation in June (Worthy Matron/Patron)

* Grand Chapter in July or August

* Long weekend in Galveston in July (for my Number One).

I am making a resolution to continue this blog and my goal is to post weekly and hopefully I’ll learn to attach photos.

dmk