Alan Keyes - "Power in the Park" Speech

This video sheds some light on what kind of person Alan Keyes is. I don't know how this person got all five parts to play in one screen, one right after the other. So, I decided to just give you the link to follow. That should make it easier to watch.


The Truth About Alan Keyes: Alan Keyes-"Power in the Park" speech in Denver, August 25, 2008

Mark Cahill - Pride Goes Before Destruction!

I am embedding a video of Mark Cahill at the Atlanta Gay Pride Festival.

Warning...this video may be very triggering. It may step on your toes. It may convict you. There is a lost world out there that will never come through the doors of the church to hear a message of truth in love about their situation with God.

And why should they? Why would they go to a place where so many point their fingers at them and spit out hateful messages? Why would they go to a place that is frequented by people who shout at them and call them vile things? I sure as heck wouldn't go...nor would I listen!

We are called to be salt and light. We are called to go and reach out to the very people who need God the most. We are called to love them...and to share God's love and mercy with them. Are we doing that? Are we following the Great Commission? Or are we waiting for the lost to come to us? That is very unlikely to happen. We must go to them...any way that we can.

The first 13 and half minutes of the video give you an idea of what kinds of things you will see at the parade. The rest of the almost three hour video shows how Mark reaches out to the people there. He has a friend of his video tape several conversations.

I love how he lovingly tries to find a common ground with these people. They have real discussions and some of these people open their hearts up to him, enabling him to plant the seeds of the Gospel. They know that he truly cares about them.

It is heartrending to hear of the deep struggles that some of these people go through. One young man had an understanding of scripture and the gospel that was better than a lot of Christians, yet he was also deceived in some areas. I could see Mark praying about what to say to this young man to try and help him.

At the end of the discussions, Mark gives a little bit of a wrap up and shares how it ended. He shares where he has been able to give a book or a DVD that might help the person better understand their need for Yeshua/Jesus. He also shares some of the other people's comments about the discussion. Many of them were very grateful that he took the time to talk WITH them instead of AT them. They were grateful that he expressed an interest in them and a willingness to dialog and find out more about them. He did not write them off because of their appearance or lifestyle. Instead, he reached out with a love that they could see was real.

Here is the video:



Pride Goes Before Destruction


I have so much to learn about loving others. People like Mark Cahill and Paul Washer and others help me a lot.

Election Quandaries!

As this election draws ever closer,the subject of who to vote for keeps coming up. Dave and I have been praying about this and asking God to show us what is best...who to vote for.

To be honest, I am not totally convinced that the election process isn't actually rigged...that the whole idea of choice is not just an illusion in this current day. However, ever the optimist, I will take my responsibility to vote seriously anyway. Besides, rigged or not, there is one thing that overrides even that...Yahweh God is sovereign.

God is ultimately over all. There is nothing that happens that is not either caused by Him or allowed by Him. I have yet to see a third alternative, but I am open to one if someone has one.

It says in Scripture that God is the One who puts rulers in their place. So then, why vote? Well, I vote because scripture also shows time and again where God partners with humans to bring His plans about. So, perhaps He is asking me to stand in faith and partner with Him to bring a good ruler in. Or, perhaps He will put a bad one in regardless in order to get people's attention. There are plenty of examples of His doing that in the bible.

So, it comes back down to...who do I vote for? Dave and I have been thinking through that and struggling with that for quite awhile. How does one decide? We can use man's logic and reasoning. We can use God's word to guide us. Personally, I see God's word as the ultimate authority, especially when man's logic can go in different directions.

For instance, regarding man's logic, I keep hearing the argument that a vote for anyone other than McCain (even if it is Alan Keyes) is really a vote for Obama. Is that true? Well, sticking to human logic...not necessarily so. I read an article by someone who layed out the numbers of what is needed to get a candidate elected when you have three running. I was surprised to see how little it actually took...numbers wise. He or she does not need a majority to win...only more than each of the other two. This person pointed out other things, too...using human logic.

Lincoln was voted in on a third party. So, it is possible...according to human logic. Keyes, although still not as widely known as the other two, is more known now than ever before. The media shuts him out, yet, in spite of that, there is a growing awareness of his presence. (This is not addressing the God factor, yet.)

I have had people give me reasons why they are voting for McCain. I have to admit that they have given us food for thought...and for prayer. However, after I read things like what Rick Santorum had to say about McCain in the following articles, it still seems to just boil down to the lesser of two evils.

Santorum: McCain Presidency Very Dangerous

Santorum Alleges Sen. McCain Unreliable on Pro-Life Issues

McCain is not nearly as prolife as some would like to believe. In addition to that, he is pro-Democrat...even to the extent that he has recently said he will put Democrats in Cabinet positions. People are still voting out of fear that Obama will get in...not out of any real support for McCain.

So, we basically have a man who fought against getting some much needed prolife and profamily legislation onto the floor of the Senate and we have a man who is willing to federally fund embryonic stem cell research. For those who are counting on him to put in judges to help overturn Roe v Wade...read the articles.

As Dave and I keep praying about this and researching as best we can and observing, I will continue to put some of our observations out here. We don't judge anyone as to how they should vote. That is between them and God. We just encourage people to pray with open hearts and minds. Just maybe, God wants to do something so miraculous...so clearly of Him...and we will miss it because we are locked into human logic and thinking and into fear of Obama.

From our little RV on the hillside, regardless of what your political stance is, I pray that you are diligently doing the research and making sure that your candidate really does stand for what you believe. I also pray that you are earnestly asking God to show you the truth with a heart that is open to the miraculous and to faithful obedience, even if it flies in the face of human reason and logic. More on that subject later.

Catching Up & a Creek Crossing!

I have been slowly catching up on things after being without power and phone for almost a week. I also had a transcription job which took up some time. It is always nice to have a little bit more income coming in.

For the next month, I am focusing on building a scriptural foundation for Elias and strengthening the one I have. Lately, I have been seeing scripture in a whole new light and it is causing me to rethink some things...to go deeper. Elias and I are really enjoying the times we have to talk through the scriptures in between doing life.

As usual, I am behind on emptying my camera, processing my pictures and getting them sorted and uploaded to the blog. It seems as if I will always be behind. Gosh, I guess I had just better stop taking pictures! NOT!

I do have some of our creek crossing, but they are still in the camera. The pipes are buried and Dave has been working on smoothing it out enough to make it driveable. We don't want any flats! He has already managed to get the motorcycle up here, but he said it was a bit tricky due to the roughness.

We are actually hoping FOR a little bit of rain...not too much, though. The area really needs it and now we need it for our crossing to help settle the dirt. We are supposed to drive over it, too, to help pack it down before putting concrete on it.

Wow! It is almost done. What a difference the right equipment can make...and people offering assistance, too! One person brought an earth mover over and buried some pipes. Then, someone from our church brought over his earth mover, along with some donated pipes. He got those two pipes buried! Another guy from our church is "engineering" the whole thing.

We are SO grateful for the help...and very touched by people's expressions of caring, whether they are able to help or not. Dave kept digging it by hand and it was practically impossible for him to make any headway.

Well, it is rather late here in our little RV on the hillside. I hope that you all have a peaceful and restful night, as I hope that we do, too.

Clearing the Road!

We had a difficult time getting home Sunday evening. We had spent the afternoon at the church...at a couples Olympics event. None of us there really realized how serious things were. We did lose power at the church, but that was not exactly unusual given the high winds.

Today, at church, one guy came up to me and wondered what we were thinking being out in that wind trying to shoot arrows into a target!

We followed our neighbor down one road and saw two huge trees down across the road. On the other side of the trees we could see people getting out of vehicles with chain saws. Dave and Elias went to help them. They all got to work and cleared the road so we could go home.

Here are three videos showing the guys at work:

A Submerged Boat & High Winds!

This boat is submerged. There were some people on the dock watching it in the water. When Dave asked if they needed rope to tie it back to the dock, he was told that the back end of the boat had been broken out. It was a total loss.









Watch it in these videos. In this one it is being blown along dock:




In this second video, I tried to narrate a bit, but the sound of the wind is pretty loud. Basically, I point out how rough the river is. This river is normally pretty smooth, but here it is very choppy. You can see the white caps and miniwaves.

As I was filming the boat being blown along by the wind, it suddenly dawned on me that the boat was being blown UP river...against the current!

Photos & Video of Trees Down

These are trees by the river.








In the video, you can see that one is broken:

More Hurricane Ike Videos!

Here are some more videos!

This is the Flag at the Post Office:




This is a tree in the backyard of a house near the church we used to go to:

Power & Phone/Internet Back Online!

We have power and phone/internet! Yay!!! Power came back Friday evening and phone/internet Saturday afternoon!

This is a quick video of the tree across from the Post Office. All of our videos have a lot of wind noise in them. Be prepared for loud volume unless you turn it down!




This is looking alongside the Post Office:

We'll Check in When We Can!

Just thought I would add here that I may not be able to be online until next week. I go into town once a week and try to stop by the library. So, it may be a week, give or take a day or so, before I can come back here. Unless, of course, we get our phone and power back (and internet)!

Hurricane Ike and Wow!

Hurricane Ike came through our area on Sunday afternoon. We knew we were supposed to get the edges of it...high winds, etc. Wow! It was pretty intense. There were many trees down and some neighbors and us had to cut through two huge trees to get back home from church. The phone lines are a mess.

I am at the library trying to quickly catch up on some things. I am writing rather hurriedly as I only get a half hour online right now. We do not know when we will get power back. It could be not until next Sunday...or even longer.

As for the phone (which also means internet), it could be longer. The irony of this is that they don't trim any trees back from the phone lines. Apparently, some time ago there was a huge storm and the state decided that the phone company was being negligent about trimming trees back. So, what did they do? They now charge the phone company a fee for the state to use to trim the trees. Sounds great, huh? The problem is...the state is not trimming them either! Hmmm...wonder if we could get a class action against the state for charging the money and then not using it like they said they would?

We are actually doing fine. As long as our 12 volt holds up in the RV, we have propane. Propane means hot water, stove burners and a small refrigerator. So, we are doing OK. We have oil lanterns, candles and flashlights. People have brought us ice, candles, flashlights and some food. Two families came out quite some distance just to check on us. We were very touched by that. Yahweh God is so good.

I have so many things I would like to write about, but just have no time. I have pictures, but no way to upload them. I even have a video of the wind pushing a mostly submerged boat UPriver!

Well, from our little RV on the hillside to you in your home. I hope you are safe and warm. I hope you have power and phone...or at least will have soon. I hope the storm did not effect you negatively. Blessings!

Lesser of Two Evils?

OK...This isn't mine. It is written by someone else. However, when I read it, I realized that he has some things to really think about and consider here. I know that I am thinking about them...a LOT!

On Voting for the Lesser of Two Evils

The irony in the Lesser of Two Evils deception is the assumption that a vote for the lesser evil has an impact in the election in which it is cast, when in fact a vote has more of an impact AFTER THE ELECTION if the vote is properly cast.

When politicians get elected, most of them do not act so as to represent the people who just invested their vote in the elected official. The election is over.

The office holder immediately starts acting so as to attract votes in the NEXT election.

The incumbent representative now uses vote statistics cast in the past election as a guide to where the votes are going to be and what issues and viewpoints are of concern to the voters in the next election.

While your vote will rarely impact the outcome of a current election, it will always impact the next election with influence regardless of who just won. The only way for individual voters to influence the candidates toward your convictions and concerns is to vote for people who actually represent your convictions and concerns.

Many people insist that everyone left of center should vote for Democrats rather than for third party candidates in order to keep Republicans from winning.

Many people insist that everyone right of center should vote for Republicans rather than for third party candidates in order to keep Democrats from winning,

For liberals; continuing to vote for Democrats as long as they are perceptibly less bad than the Republicans is precisely the thing that causes them to keep moving to the right.

For conservatives; continuing to vote for Republicans as long as they are perceptibly less bad than the Democrats is precisely the thing that causes them to keep moving to the left.

If you live in a decidedly red or blue state though; your vote doesnt change the outcome of the electoral college vote one bit. Decidedly red or blue states mean that unless one of the candidates does something so outlandish that it causes his base support to jump off his campaign; it's a decided red or blue state.

Look at the electoral college map. There are only 9 - 10 or so undecided states that could go either way. http://www.electoral-vote.com/

Another post-election effect of voting for third parties or Independents that do represent your view and convictions is that it encourages other people that it's okay and worthwhile to do so. Once they see other voters are increasingly voting Independent or third party they feel secure in voting what is on their heart too.

THINK ABOUT THIS THOUGH:
When three (3) candidates or more are running for the office of president in the general election in November, the winner DOES NOT NEED A MAJORITY of the vote.

The presidency is decided state-by-state on a “first past the post” basis.
That means if I understand this correctly; whoever gets the winning plurality carries the state’s electoral college votes. And that’s true in 48 out of the 50 states, I think in the two others it’s done by congressional district, but still on the basis of that same plurality – whoever gets the biggest plurality, gets the electoral college vote.

For instance, in a race where you have a three way race and a few other minor candidates; the minor candidates usually get around 6% - 10% of the vote combined. That means the 3 major candidates will be dividing up approximately 90% of the vote between them.

Now that means that the winning plurality will be somewhere between 30% to 40%.

If your heart's convictions and concerns are like those of 35% to 40% of the populace; the third party or Independent candidate would become president if everyone that believed like you do would stop voting from fear and vote for what they truelly believe in.

You don’t have to convert the people who do not agree with you. All you have to do is get the people who do agree with you to act according to the courage of their convictions and stop voting with those that they dont really agree with.

As long as most everyone continues voting for the two major party candidates, the candidates will continue to be two very similar looking candidates moving away from individual freedoms, rights and liberties as they serve corporate interests and big government.

Besides, voting for somebody that you actually agree with is the way the election is supposed to work, right?

An Orphanage in Ethiopia!

There are a lot of orphans in Ethiopia. I know this group that is trying to help build an orphanage there. Here is what I got from their site. You can find the page here:
Hope for the Hopeless

I hope that others will see this and support them in some way...sponsor a child...give a one time gift. Help this group to build this much needed orphanage!

We Support Hope for the Hopeless:
Hope For The Hopeless is a non-profit organization that is managed both in the United States and in Ethiopia, Africa. It has been in operation since the year 2000 and has already helped hundreds of children in Ethiopia to: find stable homes, receive medical care, have access to clean water and eat and be clothed, and learn about Jesus Christ. We are cuurently accepting donations of scrap metal items and anything you no longer need. For example, old refrigerators, stoves, metal, and autos running or not will all help these children.

Learn how you can sponsor a child

Click the button above to play video...

"Hope for the Hopeless" is committed to young street children who have lost their parents and families because of the war or starvation in Africa.

Some of the children have family; but they are unable to feed, clothe or provide them shelter. Through donations of scrap metal we meet the needs of children, through a variety of ways, such as: Children's Hope School, the orphanage feeding program and cleaning. Your old car (regardless of condition), HVAC, bicycle or other scrap metal can make a lasting difference in even the worst situation.

The Problem of Street Children
These boys and girls are the most vulnerable of children in the country. They are victims of everybody both from one another and the general public. They are targets of physical and sexual abuse. They are difficult to identify. They are slow to trust.

What Can I Do?
You can become a "Hope for the Hopeless" sponsor for only $20.00 a month or about 67 cents a day. You can provide for the basic needs of your child through a variety of ways...food, school, medical care, clothing, and shelter. One person can change the life of one hopeless child.

You Give and You Receive
As a sponsor you will come to know your children personally and the children will know you personally. They will write to you and you can write to them. When you decide to become a sponsor of one of these needy youngsters, you will receive a picture of your sponsored child.

Why the need?
"Hope for the Hopeless" address the most crucial problem in Africa...Stray children who have become victims of sexual abuse. Many of the girls are having children without the knowledge of caring for them properly. These girls and their children are growing up in an unhealthy environment and the problems will be even more disastrous if it continues.

What Your Sponsorship Means to Hopeless Children... Children starve one at a time, but you can feed and clothe, educate, and love one at a time. All it takes is one loving person like you.

1. Meals

2. Medical care and preventive health instruction along with a clean water well

3. High quality education

Lastly, no one else can do your part. One hopeless child is waiting for your help!

Contact us at 623-810-7264

I Wonder...

I wonder...

I know that it says that God sets rulers in place. Does that mean I should not vote? Or that I should not be careful if I do vote?

Hmmm. I think that voting is a part of being salt and light to the world. Salt is not only a flavoring...it is a preservative. I need to do what I can to bring light into a darkened world and to preserve whatever is good that is there. I think I should vote and that I should be praying and using wisdom in how I vote. I also think I should trust God for the outcome.

I wonder, though...

is God's primary concern who rules a country? Or is His concern about who rules simply an extension of a greater concern...whether the hearts of the people are turned toward Him?

There are examples in many places where God brought ungodly rulers in because He wanted to get the people's attention...people whose hearts were far from Him. He will use anything He can to wake us up. It just may be that our having an evil ruler will be just what is most needed for the people of this nation.

God could make sure we get a really good leader for our country...but will He if it means that His people remain complacent and far from Him? I don't think so. I see many people who call themselves "Christian", yet their behaviors and lives reflect anything but Christ. So, what "Christ" are they actually following?

I am not talking about the ones who know they are far from perfect and yet are trying to live right...the ones who are humbled and crying out to God for help to love Him above all else and to love their neighbor as themselves. I am not talking about the repentant.

I am talking about the ones who just don't even seem to recognize that what they are doing and how they are living is wrong. They pick and choose the scriptures they will live by and conveniently ignore the ones that can shine light upon their darkened lives. They feel entitled to wealth and all the good things of this life...while ignoring the plight of those who struggle to even subsist.

We are such a rich nation. Even our own poor have more resources than most people in some other countries. Yet, we seem to be blind to our wealth...and always want more. We seem to be unwilling to share with the poor. Either because we don't "see" them...or because we judge them for their poverty. Or we share with the poor elsewhere, yet ignore the ones who are actually within our own churches...the ones who are sitting right next to us.

There was a time when a lot of Christians thought being poor was a judgment from God. If you were poor, you must be living in sin. Yet...God does not teach that. I think that mentality is still alive and well today. The poor are often either judged...or ignored...or simply "not seen". How very sad.

I believe God wants our hearts above all else. If He has our hearts, then He can use us to help bring about His will on earth as it is in heaven. He can use us to reach out to those who really need reaching out to. There are so many lost, broken and hurting people in this world.

So, I wonder...

will God give us an ungodly ruler to shake the people up? Will He bring us an ungodly ruler to bring us to our knees in repentance? Will He allow us to suffer in order to humble us? I really don't think He cares one bit about our comfort and our status quo. I think He cares more about the condition of our souls.

Are our concerns reflective of God's concerns? If we are truly His people, shouldn't His concerns be our concerns?

Are we more concerned about who wins the election than we are about the guy down the street? Or the guy IN the street? Shouldn't we really care about all that God cares about?

My prayer is that I will love the Lord my God with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength and love my neighbor as myself. My prayer is that His will be accomplished on earth as it is in heaven...starting with me. I want to be used of Him and to glorify Him in my life. I want to share His love with others. I want to be refined. He is definitely changing my heart about some things...and my attitudes.

Governor Palin - VP?

OK...I got this email with a link to a video by Governor Palin. The basic message of the email is that this person was feeling much better about Palin as VP. Well, the only way you can feel better about her as VP is if you are willing to vote for McCain. Otherwise, there is nothing to feel better, or not, about.

Well, I shared that with Dave and we both agreed that I should write back. So, I hit reply to all and this is what I wrote:

Shalom, everyone,

I may step on some toes here, but I really believe this is important enough to take that chance. Please understand that I write in love and out of concern for our country. I also write out of concern for my brothers and sisters in Yeshua/Jesus.

I REALLY hate to burst anyone's bubble, but when was the last time you saw a vice president actually DO anything of significance? Unless the president dies and they take over, they are pretty much kept in the background. They have NO real authority or power. A vice presidential choice is really for show only. It helps to win over those who are opposed to the presidential candidate. Which means that we still end up with McCain who is only the lesser of two evils...not a positive choice.

I am not faulting Palin in the least. Palin is not the issue. The issue is that choosing her as VP is basically just a bone being thrown to the "conservatives" and "Christians" to get them to vote for McCain, who realizes that his continued snubbing of his nose at conservatives and Christians may cause him to lose the election. Please remember that having Palin as a VP will NOT change McCain's views on anything. He still stands for the same evil he has always stood for. She will be powerless to change him and is basically just a puppet, being used in an attempt to win our vote.

My family is voting for Alan Keyes, (even if we have to write him in) who is a godly man that we have met in person. We are not the only ones. We are hearing of more and more Christians who are also planning do doing that. He is a strong Christian and very firm on the constitution and on the fact that our country was founded upon biblical principles and must be surrendered to God's authority. He does not waffle on being prolife or on anything that we have seen. His record is very clear (as are the records of both McCain and Obama in the opposite direction). He has never wavered, but has held a steady course. He has the political experience needed to run this country.

We are choosing to not vote for the lesser of two evils out of fear. We choose to vote for the best man for the country and believe God will either do a miracle and get him in or He will allow evil to win because our country needs it to bring us to our knees.

You can check him out here:
Alan Keyes in the Park

He spoke at a prolife rally. His speech is not very long, but it sums up really well what he stands for. I really encourage everyone to prayerfully take the time to listen to him.

Our country is at a very real crossroads. For those who are afraid that voting for someone other than McCain may open the doors for Obama, isn't that saying that we do not believe that God is capable of getting a righteous man in office? We need to be obedient to God's word which tells us to always choose righteousness. I have not found a scripture yet that tells me to choose the lesser of two evils, although I am open to someone pointing one out to me. The lesser of two evils is still evil...not righteousness. We do have a righteous man running...and he IS qualified. He is not an unknown out of left field.

I leave you with a quote from one of our founding fathers:

Let us raise a standard to which the wise and honest can repair; the rest is in the hands of God.
George Washington

Blessings,
Abigail

Making a Good Choice!

I am really disheartened when I hear people talking about voting for the lesser of two evils. That is voting in fear, rather than faith. Is not our God big enough to do what He wishes...if we will humble ourselves and live in obedience to Him? I have no doubt in my mind that He is.

It is not like there is no one who is righteous running. Dave and I met Alan Keyes in person several years ago. This man has never wavered on his position and what he stands for, unlike McCain and Obama. He is staunchly pro-life, pro-constitution and has the qualifications. We truly believe...and we are far from being alone in this belief...that if God's people who SAY they want a good righteous ruler would actually VOTE for one, God just might relent and put one in.

Yahweh God is able to do anything, but the forces of evil in this world don't want us to believe that. They want us to vote in fear...for the lesser of two evils. We truly believe that, if we all vote for righteousness and evil gets in anyway...it is because it is what this nation needs. It will be His judgment on our nation...to get us to humble ourselves and turn our hearts AND lives over to Him.

I would rather have that judgment come from Him, knowing that I did my best to get righteousness in...than to have it come from my voting for the lesser of two evils (which is STILL EVIL) and getting what I voted for! I don't want to have to say that I voted for evil when there was a better choice!

Check Alan Keyes out. There is a blog where you can watch a video of a speech he made. It is at this link:
Alan Keyes in the Park

It is not all that long and well worth the listen. He pretty well sums up what he stands for. I encourage everyone to listen...all the way through. The future of our country may depend upon it.

If you want to watch it here on our blog, here is the speech. It has five parts and I have put them in order. Start at the top and go down from there.

Part 1.

Part 2.

Part 3.

Part 4.

Part 5.

Home Schooling in an RV

Home schooling in an RV is very challenging.

There are things I really miss that would really help a lot. Like a for real kitchen table, for example. We have a tiny little drop down leaf table that is never totally cleared. Dave keeps his laptop on it, which is a bit difficult to move. It is not just a matter of closing it and using the top surface because there are other things that go on top of that.

Even if it was totally empty, it is so tiny that you cannot really spread anything out. I so miss having that room to spread things out...like my bibles, or the work I am trying to correct. Elias usually uses a lappad to write on. I am sure that helps his penmanship...not! We have some plastic bins with some loose stuff in them that we have to keep moving around to be able to use the couch, table, etc. Somehow, I just cannot keep all the loose stuff in them, either.

There is not really any room to store much in the way of curriculum. No matter how hard I try, there is alway stuff all around in here, getting in the way. It feels rather crammed. I don't know about my son, but it is harder for me to think and concentrate when I feel surrounded by things. There just is no real "open" space for us. We have an 11' x 7 1/2' common living space...and that also contains the couch, table, cupboards, refrigerator, etc. It is not like is an open room.

Yep...there are days when I want to go "ACKKKKKKKKKKK!!!" Most of the time, though, Yahweh God helps me to keep looking at the up side. Things like...we have more than over 80-85% of the world's population. I try to focus on that...and not on the inverse...which is that we probably have less than 95% of the people in this country. Actually, someone who was over here recently told me that my estimate is probably too low. It is probably more like less than 99+% of the country.

So, whether home schooling, or just doing life in general, I really have to keep my focus on God and on what is most important in life. We are, overall, fairly healthy, although my PTSD, coupled with the living situation is taking its toll on my body. We have lots of room for our son to run around in...outside! We have a beautiful view out of our window. It does help to keep a positive attitude!

Dave Hit a Deer!

On our way home from Bible study Wednesday night, Dave hit a buck...on his motorcycle! He was following behind Elias and I. I usually take the van and meet him at the church since I am usually in town on that day anyway. That also saves him from having to come all the way home first after work.

When it came time to turn off the highway, I noticed that he was no longer behind me. I slowed down a bit while looking for his headlight, but did not see it. I thought about turning around, but I figured he was probably just enjoying a slower ride home. Still, I was a bit nervous, so I kept listening for him when we got home.

Well, he showed up shortly afterward and told me he had hit a deer. The deer ran right out in front of him. He knew better than to try and swerve since that is usually what causes accidents. So, he just hit the brakes and kept it going straight. His tire hit the deer in the back leg and broke it pretty badly.

The only damage it did to the motorcycle was to bend the fender slightly into the tire. He bent it back out and says that you cannot even tell it was bent.

There was a couple behind him who saw the whole thing. They stopped to see if he was OK. Both of them said they thought for sure he was going to go down and get hurt really badly. Dave is fine, though. He says he must have had some burly angels riding with him that helped to deflect the deer.

He called 911 to let them know about it and went back to meet with them and try and find the deer. It had managed to wander off, though, into some heavy brush. Poor thing. It would have been better if they could have found it and put it out of its misery.

What a Blessing!

On Saturday, someone we know very generously brought over a trackhoe that he rented. He needed it for himself, but brought it over to us first. With his help, we got a huge amount of work done on the creek crossing. (The pics are still in the camera.)

He left the trackhoe here overnight and all day Sunday for Dave to continue working on the crossing, the driveway and on some of the trenching we needed to do to protect the meadow and our driveway from being washed out again.

When he came to pick it up, he finished a trench that Dave had started. He is used to using it and so much faster. We are very grateful. I will get pics up when I can.

Praying Mantis - Little or Baby?

Elias found a very small praying mantis on our outside water faucet. It is not green like the other bigger ones we have seen (of which I have not been able to get any picture).

I took pictures of it on the faucet, on his hand and on his arm. These are some of the better ones. Some of them are very closeup.