Move That Bus!

On Inauguration Day, we broke away from homeschool at a quarter to noon in order to view the swearing-in of our new president. As President Obama took his oath and the crowd cheered, Noah, sensing a sort of excitement though he wasn't sure what was going on, eagerly stood and shouted "Move that bus!"

All jokes and "Extreme Makeover - Home Edition" comments aside, I have a few thoughts rolling around in my head that I wanted to get down. I went into more depth about Barack Obama in a previous post, about what I could find concerning his background and character. I am not writing today to say anything positive or negative about the man himself. He's our president now, and the Bible commands us to respect him as the leader God has allowed to be in control. He has my respect, and he has my allegiance - provided that what he asks of me does not oppose what my Savior requires of me. Titus 3:1 says Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men.

What I have to say concerns the masses. Maybe you. I am troubled by the way I see people reacting to this human being who has been appointed as a leader. It would be one thing if it were just the ones who worked hard to get him elected. It would even be somewhat understandable if it were just Americans. But why are all the nations of the world heralding praises of a man who has yet to prove he even knows how to lead? What about this person does the world seem to see that makes them think he is the answer to all the problems of the world?

On the broadcast we watched, the newscaster told the story of how the elder President George Bush used to say that the presidency was hard on the knees for all the praying he did. The newscaster went on to say something along the lines of "we certainly don't see any of that here today." She was saying it as a complement. When did it become a positive and good thing to be so sure of one's self that there is no desire to pray, to be humble, to admit weakness and need for help?

Somewhere along the line, whether it be in a month or a year, we are going to see him fail. It is inevitable, because he is a man, just like every other man who walks any given street in any given country of the world. None of us can be right all the time, none of us can solve the issues of poverty and racism and strife and crime and hate. None of us can prevent natural disasters from occurring, and none of us can assure anyone else that they will see tomorrow. For a people to put their hope in a man ensures that disappointment and disillusionment will necessarily follow. It is too big of a burden to place on anyone's back, save the Lord Jesus. He IS the answer to all the ills of the world. He WILL end poverty, racism, strife, crime and hate. He WILL be King of kings and Lord of Lords, and reign over this earth with justice and fairness and love. That is the day that we all long for, whether we realize it or not. To settle for less, to settle for something or someone that cannot satisfy that longing is to set ourselves up for heartache.

If you find yourself placing your hope in man, I urge you to reconsider your values today. Christ can be trusted. His death and His return to life give us all the proof we need that He will be solving all the world's problems when the timing is perfect. And when that day comes, as I am convinced it will SOON, you DO NOT WANT TO BE on the opposite side.

Stop trusting in man, who has but a breath in his nostrils. Of what account is he? Isaiah 2:22

I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. "He will rule them with an iron scepter." He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:
KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. Revelation 19:11-16

Musings on Oil

Who knew oil could be so interesting?

My husband and I have been reading David Jeremiah's new book What In The World Is Going On? and I have learned some interesting new facts that have initiated a new train of thought that I wanted to write about to sort out the ideas.

First of all, I find it quite interesting to realize that the smelly and often expensive gas we pump into our cars every few days or weeks has quite a history. It seems a few thousand years ago there was "some sort" of cataclysmic event that destroyed all life. Even secular scientists and archaeologists are now admitting that there is evidence for a spectacular flood, though they refuse to acknowledge all the details of the Bible. But it seems that most of this life that was suddenly extinguished by water was concentrated in the region the Bible describes as the Garden of Eden.

You can't have all life on earth destroyed and not leave some kind of reminder of the event. All that lush vegetation Genesis tells us of, all those lives lost in and around the fertile crescent, over time, became the rich and necessary oil that pretty much holds up our society today.

We as Americans have put ourselves in a tenuous place. We have become so ingrained with greed and the constant desire for more that we have placed ourselves at the mercy of the people who now occupy the lands where this oil is located, deep underground. And while the majority of Muslim people are peaceable, there is a dangerous and ever-growing sect of Islam that has one goal. Destroy Israel and all her sympathizers. Rule the world. At ANY cost.

Right now, America guzzles up an embarrassing amount of oil compared to other nations. While Russia and Europe and even the nations that possess such rich commodities use under 10% of the resources available, our figure is near 30%!

It seems that this addiction to oil may be the downfall of a country that so many fought so hard to free. Could it be that the past 232 years of US History could be obliterated in a heartbeat because we became so dependent on nations that despise our freedom?

I'm afraid for the future of this country that has been a safe haven for the Jewish people and for Christians alike. I pray that we can all take seriously the threats that loom about us and make it a priority to stop grasping all that we can get and start thinking about conserving, about restricting ourselves, about learning to live in a more moderate and sensible manner.

After all, isn't our attitude about possessions and wanting more what brought on this economic crisis in the first place? When we decided that we didn't need to actually earn the money we spent, that we deserved to have it all? It wasn't just individuals either. I'm concerned about the amount of money our government spends when the stores are not only empty, but well in the negative.

It's time to adopt some new attitudes. It's time to come together as a nation and make some changes. I only hope that we will realize this before it is too late.

I also look forward more each day to the coming of the Lord Jesus. To see His face and know that the threat is over, that the evil that resides in the world will never be able to seek to destroy us again.

Come, Jesus. I'm so ready to be with You.

Something BIG

Attempt something so big for God that it is sure to fail without Him.

I find it ironic that both on both my maternal and paternal side, I have a great-grandfather who left this life a hero. My dad's grandpa, William Parsons, whom I have mentioned before, died saving his children from a runaway stagecoach. Mom's grandpa, Ollie Doughty, was a counselor to a U.S. president who arguably made the most important decision any world leader has ever had to make.

I know, bold statement, but do I have the proof to back it up? I can only tell you the random facts that have been passed on to me from different sources. I guess you'll have to decide.

He was born near the Ozark mountains. (The picture is of one of HIS daughters with one of mine. There is a picture of me sitting on his lap but I don't have it on my computer.) He married a girl named Beulah who at the tender age of fourteen had her mind set on being a minister and having quite a bit of children. (That's a story for another time!) My quiet, stay-out-of-the-limelight Grandpa Doughty raised his quiver-full of children and grandchildren to respect him and be good, but he also had a very special visitor to his gas station in Missouri one quiet day.

His name was Harry Truman.

Grandpa and Mr. Truman must have had a good talk that day. Because later, when President Truman was in the midst of staggering decisions that would shape the course of history and fulfill biblical prophecy, he kept on writing Grandpa. He kept on asking his advice. And my grandpa answered.

Here I must say that I personally have never laid eyes on these letters. I know they are still in the family, but they have ended up in the hands of one of my mom's relatives whom we do not have regular contact with. (If you are one of those relatives and you have happened upon this website, please know that other descendants of Ollie Doughty would LOVE to be able to read through that correspondence.)

Okay, so my Great-Grandpa was friends with President Truman. He probably had a lot of friends. He was in politics. Why do I think that fact is so amazing?

God chose a people out of all the peoples of the earth. He called this chosen nation Israel. He promised Israel that he would bless them, that He would give them a land that would be their own, if they followed and obeyed His commands. Even when they were unfaithful to God, He kept His promise. A tiny little nation, repeatedly attacked and despised from so many other nations over a period of thousands of years should not still exist. But God has kept His remnant until the end.

So what does all this have to do with Harry Truman? Wednesday, May 12, 1948, President Truman met with advisers in the oval office. He had one timid defender, Clark Clifford, present. He was besieged with threats and angry resolve from General George C. Marshall. Israel SHOULD NOT be given their nation and land back. They were a few hundred thousand Jews in the face of millions of Arab people. It was simply a matter of numbers.

But Harry Truman knew better. He knew that what he was in the position to vote in favor of what was God's will. And against the better judgment of his peers, and maybe even on the advice of a dear friend back in Missouri, Harry Truman cast his vote in the UN meeting, becoming the DECIDING vote to allow the nation of Israel to be once again, after so many hundreds and thousands of years. To perhaps set in motion the events that would lead to the very end of this age.

So you see why I am proud of my Great-Grandpa Doughty, and even more so of his friend, President Truman. God gave him a wonderful opportunity to do something big, something amazing in light of the Bible. He could have yielded to pressure and voted against God's people. He would have faded into history and I believe the USA would not have enjoyed the extreme blessing of the past 60 years. But he took a stand, a leap, and jumped into prophecy and history and became God's tool for good.

I suppose it makes sense that my ancestor's blood flows through me. I have always wanted to be a part of something big. Here in this moment, having little ones and all the hormones associated with that stage of life makes me take pause for their safety. But I have always itched to stand up and be counted in a big way. (There is a song I have on my MP3 player that speaks to the rhythm of my heart. I will post the words at the end of this entry.)

As well my heart bleeds for Israel. Right now they are in the midst of a struggle for their nation and their desire to live in peace without fear for their safety. I wish I could stand beside them, look Hamas, the protesters and the media in the eye and say What if it was you? Do you think they should shrivel up and die just because you say so? And you who are Americans, why do you think you have been so blessed? It is only because you have stood beside her. To die standing beside Israel is better than to live and stand against her.

I have God's Word on that.


I wanna see something I've not seen
Something so big
I wanna be a part of something great
Greater than me

It's time to dream big dreams
To see Your vision
Become reality
‘Cause it’s for You, by You, those who
Love You wanna do

Something so big
It’s destined to fail without You, Lord
It’s gonna fail without You, Lord
Something so great
It takes a miracle to do
We, Your children
Wanna do something big for You

We, yes, we are gonna sing a brand new song
Something so strong
We will be the sound that wakes the dawn
Something so loud

It’s time for breaking through
‘Cause there are no limits
For he who holds the truth
When it’s for You, and by You, and those who
Love You wanna do

Something bigger, something greater
For the glory of Your splendor
Something bigger, something greater
Tell the story of Your wondrous love
Your wondrous love
Those who love You wanna do

As long as we live, let us do something so big for You

In the blood

I've been frustrated lately with my writing abilities. It's hard to grow as an author when the spare moments and especially childrenless moments are rare. Take this moment for instance. There are children leaning against my lap, children trying to talk to their cousins via IM on the same computer I am using, and a baby in her crib screeching as she attempts to get my attention.

I don't wish them away, of course. They are my life, my heart. They are my greatest masterpiece, though I am hardly the artist. But I do wish I could find some time to write on a deeper level.

I have been re-reading one of my favorite books - Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. It's more than a story, more than a romance, it's as if she took the book of Hosea and set it in a more relatable time period and put a microscope over it. It's inspiring, it's beautiful, it's shocking, it's heart-wrenching. It's intimidating. Why should I try to tell a story when I can't do it that way? When I can't piece together the words like she does, making them flow together like poetry?

I know why, of course. Because you don't become an author such as Francine Rivers without practicing. A LOT. Without learning how to cut yourself open and bleed all over the keyboard until it's right. I know that I hold back in my writing. I tend toward making myself look good rather than being honest, and I do it without noticing it or meaning to do it. A habit I need to learn how to break. A scary habit to break!

So I guess I'll keep plugging on. What else can I do? It's in my blood. I just need to learn how to get that blood into my words.