Sometimes while I am working, I run across some great Internet nuggets. I want to quickly share one of those with you this morning! Yesterday I wrote about Christmas shopping and homemade gift ideas. Today while mining blogs for Aviva Directory, I found this jewel from Northern Minnesota. The author shares information about birding and included this homemade peanut butter feeder. I am linking to the blog so that the author gets proper credit. Check it out and make a few.. the birds will love you!

Peanut Butter Feeder at Crane Lake Nature Blog



Let me know if you make one! I am thinking this may be a nice gift for my son to make for some people.

I have always been a trusting person.  I like to think the best of people until and unless they give me a reason to not trust them.  Consequently, I have been burned a few times.  Ok..  A LOT of times.  However, I have been burned as a result of my own sometimes, gullible ignorance in being a very open person more than I have been burned by others.  After all, at 44 years of age, I should have long ago realized that people will take information which I provide as an open book and twist it around through their own filter to justify their own perceptions, experiences and heart.  I have also burned other people and disappointed them because of my human nature.  My human nature which gravitates toward comfort, instant gratification and ease.  The Bible says in Jeremiah 17:

 ⁵Thus says the LORD,
         "Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind
         And makes flesh his strength,
         And whose heart turns away from the LORD.
    ⁶"For he will be like a bush in the desert
         And will not see when prosperity comes,
         But will live in stony wastes in the wilderness,
         A land of salt without inhabitant.
    ⁷"Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD
         And whose trust is the LORD.
    ⁸"For he will be like a tree planted by the water,
         That extends its roots by a stream
         And will not fear when the heat comes;
         But its leaves will be green,
         And it will not be anxious in a year of drought
         Nor cease to yield fruit.
    ⁹"The heart is more deceitful than all else
         And is desperately sick;
         Who can understand it?
    ¹⁰"I, the LORD, search the heart,
         I test the mind,
         Even to give to each man according to his ways,
         According to the results of his deeds.
    ¹¹"As a partridge that hatches eggs which it has not laid,
         So is he who makes a fortune, but unjustly;
         In the midst of his days it will forsake him,
         And in the end he will be a fool."
    ¹²A glorious throne on high from the beginning
         Is the place of our sanctuary.

The sad truth is that we live in an "information age" and traits such as "integrity" and "confidentiality" are quickly disappearing.  I have told many people something along the lines of "keep this between the 2 of us and it should go no further."  Only to find out later it went further.. much further.  Wagging the tongue is part of human nature for all of us.  (The tongue can no man tame... courtesy of the book of James.) I am guilty of it and you are guilty of it and if you say you aren't, then you have a lying tongue on top of it!

So now, I am adjusting my paradigm.  I was a little sad about it at first.  The fact is that we should realize man is basically not trustworthy so that we conduct our own speech in a way which is honorable, graceful, respectful and worthy of the trust of others.  You see, if we approach others as if they cannot maintain a confidence, we will not be so willing to give them our information or the information of others. 

In the Old Testament, very few people were allowed into the holy of holies.  When it comes to our lives, we might allow more people into our sanctuary; however very few should enter our sacred space of confidentiality.

  

I am experiencing some firsts this year.  First of all, my oldest child turned the big 1-8 last Dec. 20th.  He left home in May.  Yep!  He got on a plane and flew 1000 miles away from me.  Here he is at the airport ....



At the time, I thought it was not so bad because, after all, he was going to live with my parents and work for my dad.  I felt a mixture of emotions that day that he got on the plane (flying for the first time alone.)  I felt apprehension, excitement, fear, happiness, sadness, sentimental, like time had flown by, like time had crept by, like it was the truly the beginning of mid life, confusion and most of all a desire to pray for God's protection over him.  

I have not posted here in quite some time.  However, this is where I always post when I am in the mood to write something which is entirely personal.  I see this blog as MY place where I can speak my heart and it is always ok.

This particular post is about a paradigm shift that took place in my mind and heart back in 1989.  From the time I was born in 1965 until 1989, I had been part of a denomination that believed in conditional salvation.  I loved the people of this particular denomination dearly (still do!) and considered them my family.  The thought of not being part of them was almost like cutting off my right arm. 

In 1989, I moved to Germany and there was no church of my particular denomination where we lived in Germany. I began attending a church with similar beliefs to my own, but they did not believe salvation was conditional.  I struggled for some time and then the pastor asked if he could come over and study with my now ex husband and I about this issue.  We were pretty firm in our beliefs, so we heartily agreed.  I think we figured we would show him the "truth" instead of the other way around. I was pretty prideful of the fact that "I" had been to Bible College and this pastor had not.  We had over 80 Scriptures which supported our point of view which is traditionally known as an Arminian viewpoint on the issue.  He came for many weeks and encouraged us to share all of our Scripture first.  After we had exhausted our references, he shared his.  After two months of reading my Bible for 8 to 10 hours a day and studying the issue in earnest, I learned that indeed my salvation was not "conditional" but eternal.  What I am about to share below is from my journal which I kept at that time.

My salvation is eternally secure because:

A. I am God's daughter (Romans 8:15, Ephesians 1:5)
B. I am of the circumcision not made with hands. (Colossians 2: 11-15)
C. Christ has forgiven all of my sins (Colossians 2: 13-14)
D. God keeps me (II Timothy 1:2) and He gives me strength to keep myself (John 17:11)
E. No man (including myself) can take me out of His hand. (John 10:28 to 29)
F. Sin has no dominion over me. (Romans 6:14)
G. I am sealed by the Holy Spirit (II Corinthians 1:22, Ephesians 1:13 and 4:30)
H. The Holy Spirit indwelled me from the moment of salvation. (Romans 5:5, John 14:26)
I. I am sanctified by the Holy Spirit. (I Peter 1:12, II Thessalonians 2:13)
J. I have been promised an inheritance. (Ephesians 1:11-14)
K. I have been promised eternal life. (Romans 6:22-23, John 3:16, I John 5:13)
L. Christ is in the Father, I am in Him and He is in me. (John 14:20, Galatians 2:20)
M. Heaven does not hold equal rewards for all believers. (Romans 14:13, Hebrews 6:13-17)
N. It is not possible for me to lose my salvation. (Hebrews 6:4-6, 18-20, Hebrews 12:28 and Romans 9:1-3)
O. Christ's righteousness is imputed to me. (Romans 6:24-25, Romans 5:19, II Corinthians 5:21)
P. Christ (the seed) is in me. (I John 3:9)
Q. He will never leave me nor forsake me. (Hebrews 13:5)
R. I am Christ's bride. (Romans 7:4)
S. God knows I am His (II Timothy 2:19)
T. I am saved by God, not of myself. (John 1:13)
U. I am a new creature. (II Corinthians 5:17, Ephesians 4:24, Colossians 3:9-10)
V. I am a servant of righteousness. (Romans 6:18-19)
W. I am no longer condemned. (Romans 8:19)
X. Nothing can keep me from Christ's love. (Romans 8:38-39)
Y. I have been reconciled to God. (Romans 5:10-11 and Romans 5:21)
Z. I am already part of God's household. (Ephesians 2:10)
AA. Old things are passed away. (II Corinthians 5:17)

Some people say "but if you believe you are "once saved, always saved" you believe a person can just do what they want and be saved right?"  The answer to this is absolutely NOT.  I have found at least 10 consequences for the believer who is astray and none of them are pleasant.  I will present that in my next post.

I received this in my email today!  I am passing it on.

The Sale of Children's Books to be Banned

Oh, how I wish this were a joke! But it is a grim and looming,
almost Orwellian, reality.

Effective February 10th, in the United States, the sale of
all children's books (books intended for children ages 12 and
under) is to be PROHIBITED. Every single book printed prior
to the ruling is affected, whether new or used. New books in
production are required to include a "lead-free" certification
and will be the only books that are legal to offer for sale.

What does this mean to the homeschooling family?

Well, for one, curriculum fairs across the country will be
cancelled as book vendors scramble to figure out how to comply
with the new ruling. Complete book inventories will have to be
destroyed -- the ruling even prohibits giving away the books!
Local thrift stores will be hard hit -- most will likely have to
close their doors -- yes, even Goodwill and Salvation Army.

Clothing, toys and books -- even CDs and DVDs are included in the
ruling. Thrift stores will no longer be able to accept or process
anything (including clothing) that would be intended for a child.

No more library sales. Libraries will not be permitted to give
away or sell book donations. It is unsure yet, however, how
the libraries' shelves themselves will be impacted (the ruling
doesn't explicitly mention "loaning" books, just selling or
giving them away). The key word, however, is "distribution" --
libraries may well be required to destroy books from their shelves.

(The ruling that originally passed was about toys, but the EPA has
since made a statement that clothing, books and media are included
in "children's toys".)

Just how serious is this new law?

Amazon.com has already notified all vendors of their need to comply.
No book can be sold at the Amazon site that was printed prior to
compliance. And the "compliance" must be coordinated at the manu-
facturing stage. At the time of this article there is no clause
to be able to grandfather-in older books or even rare out-of-print
books. It can cost between $500 and $1500 to test a book for lead.

I happen to own a children's bookstore specializing in living books
from the 1950s and '60s. My punishment for selling a book after
February 10th? Up to $100,000 and 5 years in jail. And yes, it is
a felony charge. For selling a SINGLE book.

(Although I don't think the S.W.A.T. team scenario would become a
reality overnight, at the same time I would be leery of blatantly
violating Federal law.)

So what can you do to help save your local used bookstore that
sells children's books? Or that homeschool curriculum business?
Or your EBay business selling children's items?

ACT NOW before the quickly approaching deadlines:

1) Email or call the CPSIA - the office of the CPSC ombudsman at
888-531-9070. http://www.cpsc.gov/cgibin/newleg.aspx

Comments on Component Parts Testing accepted through January 30,
2009. Or email: Sec102ComponentPartsTesting@cpsc.gov

2) Contact your local representatives. For their contact informa-
tion, just enter your zip code.
http://capwiz.com/americanapparel/dbq/officials/

3) Make your voice heard by voting on this issue! The top 3 in
each category will be presented to President-elect Obama.
http://change.org/ideas/view/save_handmade_toys_from_the_cpsia

4) Sign the petition.
http://ipetitions.com/petition/economicimpactsofCPSIA/index.html

5) Spread the word! Forward this article. Send an email. Write
about this on your blog. Tell others about this issue and
encourage them to do the same.

---

For the complete story, read the following links:

http://www.cpsc.gov/about/cpsia/cpsia.html

Consumer Product Safety Commission Summaries on Legislation Index
page for Children's Products Containing Lead; Lead Paint Rule and
other rulings

http://www.cpsc.gov/about/cpsia/legislation.html#summaries

Office of the General Counsel FAQ on retroactive inventory require-
ments -- The use of forward effective dates appears to force current
inventories to adhere to the ruling on February 10th, 2009

http://www.cpsc.gov/about/cpsia/summaries/101brief.html

Specific FAQ on their interpretation of books and other media to be
included in the testing of lead based products

http://www.cpsc.gov/about/cpsia/faq/101faq.html

Effective Date: Lead content limit of 600 ppm becomes effective 180
days after enactment. An advisory opinion regarding the application
of the new lead limit to inventory existing at the effective date
can be found on our web site at
http://www.cpsc.gov/library/foia/advisory/317.pdf

Getting the Lead out: There is no lead in children's books
http://news.bookweb.org/news/5695.html

There is no lead in Children's books: From a Pediatrician

http://health.yahoo.com/experts/childhealth/3955/is-there-lead-in-baby-books/

Update:

Here is one thing I found on the CPSC site which came out today:

Sellers of used children’s products, such as thrift stores and consignment stores, are not required to certify that those products meet the new lead limits, phthalates standard or new toy standards.

Come January, I will very likely have 2 children in public school, 1 child in Christian private school and 4 who are homeschooling.  I am in a bit of a quandry as to how I want to proceed for the 2009-2010 school year.  Our experiences with all 3 options have at times been positive and at times negative.  Please answer the following questions with insights concerning pros and cons of each option.  Try to be open minded and not just "push" YOUR way or opinion. 

What do you see as the pros and cons of:

Public School?

Private School?

Homeschool?

I hope to get some really valuable input on this topic.

Thanks!

Learn about online stores and Brick and Mortar stores who have layaway plans at JoanVasquez.com

Have you guys started making plans for the upcoming Holidays?  We have decided for sure that we want to add a special tradition to our family this year.  We have always had a fake tree, but this year we are going to get a real tree.  I am really looking forward to the Christmassy smell and more authentic "feel" of a real tree.

I have been trying to make some decisions on which gifts to purchase for my six kids.  I can't specify the types of gifts here since they might read this, but I have been browsing a comparative shopping portal called Shop.com.  They have a special section totally devoted to the holidays.  It contains holiday tips, products, coupons and free shipping deals.  They also offer buying guides, contests and a huge variety of products which will inspire gift giving ideas for everyone on your list.  I have 3 ten year old girls and I noticed they offer links to merchants which offer name brand items for half off. Please share any great deals you find at shop.com.

Why am I sad?  Because I truly feel that Obama, Pelosi and Reid will usher in extreme left philosophies which will limit personal freedoms. 

The only person's who will have "freedom" will be those who want to kill their own progeny. If liberals and organizations such as "Planned Parenthood," have their way, their will be virtually no protection for the unborn.  The "Freedom of Choice Act" will reverse decisions such as the horrendous practice of partial birth abortion where babies are killed just inches from their birth.  I am sorry, it makes me so sad to think that a man who believes it is ok to leave a baby who survives an abortion, alone in a linen closet to die will be in charge of our country.  A man who believes it is ok to stab a baby in the head and suction the baby's brains out as it emerges feet first from the safety of the mother's womb will be in charge of our country... your country.... my country.   

They will propose funding for children to attend "school" as young as 2 years of age so they can begin to be brainwashed by institutions which will teach them that what their parents believe is called "hate." 

They may decide as a judge in California did earlier this year, that parents must hold teaching credentials and use the same curriculum as public schools to homeschool their own children.  The decision in California was reversed, but now what will keep Pelosi, a San Francisco liberal, from pushing for legislation like this on a federal level. 

Not only will personal liberties be limited, but state laws and legislation will be decimated by Federal laws and the liberal Supreme Court judges which are sure to take a majority under Obama's regime.

All of this and so much more.  This could truly be God judging this nation.  I know that will incite many of you... so be it!  I will not stand back like some sort of wall flower and not say what I think.  This is MY blog, MY place to vent my thoughts ... until I am no longer allowed I guess!  Obama and his cronies have already used police state tactics to try to shut people up anytime they say anything negative about him or his associations (even when it was true!)

It is going to be a long 4 years.  Hopefully, conservatives will be able to take back what the locusts consume when we get to the end of this 4 years.

Sad... very very very sad.

Similar views from one of my Xanga sisters.