We Are Not God

So lately I've been having some issues with people butting in, telling me what is best to do for Lexi and that what I'm doing with her is wrong because it's not what they would do. I have become very discouraged over the past few weeks. And then I went to visit my mom and sister in Florida, and since I've been back home the past couple days, I have felt so much better.

The day I got back, one of my friends posted a link to a blog on Facebook called "Cheetos for Breakfast". I opened the link and read the blog and it was like she was speaking right to me. She quoted the bible verse, Micah 6:8:

"He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and love mercily, and to walk humbly with your God."

The blog continues saying that in this society today, there is no longer a million ways to raise a child. There is ONE way, and if you don't raise your child THAT WAY then it is assumed that he/she will be completely ruined for all eternity. I believe the blogger called it the "Stepford" way. And it's so true.

I love Pinterest, I really do. It can be a really good tool and I have gotten some great ideas from it. However it can be very evil too. It has the ability to make women think that they are not dong a good job because they aren't hand-making their childs things. They aren't making their child's birthday cupcakes from scratch, with no artificial flavorings or preservatives, to bring to class. Ok, the whole "GOING GREEN" thing, yea. Ok I get it. I do. And I think it's a good thing. But I think it is taken way out of control when people (mainly women) who are GREEN judge others who did NOT make that choice. 

That's what it all comes down to. Judging. And it starts from the very beginning, and you can't win either way, EVER: 

"Are you giving birth naturally or are you getting drugs or are you getting a c-section?"
If you have chosen naturally, MORE POWER TO YOU! But there will be those women who say "Geez, WHY??" If you choose to get drugs, there will be those women who say "But you'll totally miss out on the beauty of birth!" (ha. yea. ok, the reward is your BABY! Not the process!) Anyway, and then if you choose c-section, there are all sorts of arguments there too about it being "dangerous" and that it isn't "God's will". Well, giving birth is dangerous in itself so that's not really a good argument either, and about it being "God's will"...that's just a whole different argument in itself. 

"Are you breastfeeding or bottlefeeding."
Ok, if you're breastfeeding, you usually don't get negative feedback until you start "breastfeeding too long". And that's when people start judging you. Then if you decide to bottle feed people will judge you for not breastfeeding at all. They'll tell you all the pros and cons, and say that "breastfeeding is the best for your baby and if you can't do it in the beginning, just keep trying because eventually you and your baby will catch on and it will be a wonderful bonding experience." Yea, well ya know. Maybe mommy has some discomforts about doing it, or maybe baby just doesn't like it, or ya know, maybe it's none of your business!

"Is the baby sleeping? Does he/she have a schedule yet? Is he/she sleeping in his/her crib?"
I hate this question. Probably my very least favorite, because I still get it to this day. This is all I'll say: every mother and child and family has a different living situation (which really does affect a baby's sleep, believe it or not) Every baby has different personalities. Some babies are night owls (like mine). Some babies are early risers. Some babies just sleep all the time. Some babies don't sleep at all.

I could go on about questions people ask but I won't. Bottom line is, every baby and parent is different. We are NOT the same. We all have our own opinions, we all have our own views. We have all been raised differently in the past, and our parents all did different things, so why do we feel it necessary to mold to the same pattern as every other mother? There is nothing wrong with giving advice when you're asked. There is nothing wrong with giving ideas WHEN ASKED. And, in some cases, there is nothing wrong with giving a friendly warning from experience. But somehow, someway we have all got to get it out of our heads that there is only ONE correct way to raise a child and that that way is the way WE did it. As long as your heart is pure, as long as you are doing the very best with what you have, as long as you are giving your baby all the love in the world, and your baby feels loved, secure, and is healthy, you are doing your job! I will admit I am guilty of asking the above questions and silently judging when the answer isn't what I did with my daughter. We probably all are, even if just a little. But the bottom line is, and like "Cheetos for Breakfast" stated, WE. ARE. NOT. GOD! We don't get to decide how babies are raised unless we are doing the raising ourselves. We don't get to tell another mother that what she is doing is wrong (unless of course the child is being abused...then, that becomes a very gray area...different argument). God will give us the tools we need to raise our child. He will give us the wisdom and the strength we need.  We were never expected to be "perfect". It's up to us to listen to Him and only Him, and he will guide us as parents in the right direction. No one else's opinion is needed. 

America Has To Come Back To God

Last night, our pastor showed us an interview by Jonathan Cahn, talking about his book "The Harbinger". After seeing the interview, I went out and bought the book, immediately after church. All I will say, is this is the most eye-opening book I have ever read. Seriously. Eye-opening, mind blowing, amazing. I HAD to share it with you all. This is probably going to be a long entry; I am going to kind of give you an overview.

                                             
"The Harbinger" explains EVERYTHING! Everything that has happened in the past 11 years, from September 11 to now, to what will happen in the future if our nation does not repent and turn to God! It is an alarm, a warning, a "harbinger".

The book is told in the form of a narrative. The main character, Nouriel, keeps meeting up with this mysterious man, who turns out to be a prophet. Each time he meets up with him, he gives him a new seal. Each seal has a symbol on it and each symbol is a harbinger.

The whole book basically revolves around the verse Isaiah 9:10:

"The bricks have fallen down, but we will rebuild them with hewn stones. The sycamores are cut down, but we will replace them with cedars."

It all started in 732 b.c. in ancient Israel. Most of the Bible comes from this era anyway. Isaiah 9:10 is called a.,....
"statement of defiance"...this is key! REMEMBER THIS!

This "statement of defiance" was Israel's response to the first invasion of their land, two thousand and a half years before the invasion of our land on 9/11/0, without our knowledge. It's quite eerie, actually.

Now I've always known that God's timing is perfect. It's actually impeccable. But never have I ever believed that more than after reading this book. God did not write this book. But I believe he truly appointed Cahn to. This message couldn't have come at a better time! Our country is in trouble. We are coming upon a very important election, and I feel like we are focusing on all the wrong things. We are looking for the candidate that will bring us out of the horrible economy we're in, when we really should be focusing on the candidate with the better morals. Who is going to bring God back in? God controls everything! It is because we have turned from him that our country is the way it is.

Two thousand and a half years ago, Ancient Israel was virtually that time's America. They had everything. They had no idea what was about to happen. They thought their world would turn as it always had. But, like America, there would come a day when everything they had ever known would just disappear. Why? Because they lost sight of their foundation. They had been called to do God's will. Instead, they were worshipping idols, committing sexual sins, pretty much doing everything opposite of what they were meant to do. Much like America. Our founding fathers meant for our nation to be God centered. George Washington in his Inaugural address said:

"...His benediction may consecrate to the liberties and happiness of the people of the United States a Government instituted by themselves for these essential purposes."

In other words, it is by God's works, God's grace, that we have freedom and happiness, and by HIM ONLY!

But I'm getting ahead of myself. I know that a lot of you will not go out and buy this book, though I hope most of you will. But if you won't I will explain the whole thing in this entry. Trust me, you want to read this!

The book talks about 9 Harbingers:

The first Harbinger is The Breach: A breach is a gap, or an opening, in the wall, allowing the enemy to enter in. In 732 b.c., Israel's security was breached. On September 11, 2001, our security was breached. It was a warning. The enemy didn't come in and stay, he came and left, pretty quickly. In our case, he actually came and died on our land. Quick. Excerpt from the book: "It's a foreshadowing of something much greater and much more severe...a harbinger of a future judgement so great that if it ever came to pass, the nation would never recover." It was supposed to be our wake-up call, and for many it was. But for most, it was not. What we didn't realize was that no government force could fix what was broken, only a return to God. One interesting face is that on 9/11, people kept asking "Where is God in all of this?" That's actually kinda funny. We drove him away! We took him out of our schools, out of our government, out of the media, the culture, everything! So funny how we only turn to God when something goes wrong. How when things go wrong, we blame God. "If there was a God this never would have happened." No. It happened because there IS a God. It's supposed to WAKE US UP! God didn't MAKE 9/11 happen. He allowed it to happen though. He was there with the innocent ones who died. He was with their families. He was with the heroes of that day. He WAS there...

Here is the scary part:
"In the months and years after 9/11, it appeared...as if things had returned to some state of normalcy. As time passed, as the initial shock wore off and the trauma lessened, there was a growing temptation to go on almost as if it had never happened, as if the nation were still somehow immune to destruction. So it was in the last days of ancient Israel. But it was all an illusion....it was all a FATAL illusion. So then...what of America?The Terrorist is the second harbinger. Assyria: The Assyrians were ancient Israel's terrorists. They had the largest army around at that time. They were one of the most brutal people to ever walk the earth. They made TERROR a science. They were the ones who invaded Israel in 732 b.c.

"Woe to Assyria, the rod of my anger and the staff in whose hand is My indignation. I will send him against an ungodly nation. Yet he does not mean so, nor does his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy, and cut off not a few nations." Isaiah 10:5-7

God is against evil, and the Assyrians were evil.
 
"I will punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of this haughty looks....therefore the Lord, the Lord of hosts will send leanness among his fat one; and under his glory He will kindle a burning like the burning of a fire." Isaiah 10:12-16

So what does this have to do with 9/11?

"The Assyrians are the fathers of terrorism, and those who mercilessly plotted out the calamity on 9/11 were their spiritual children...remember the prophecy against Assyria: 'It is in his heart to destroy'...Osama bin Laden"

The Assyrians are also the children of the Middle East. The Assyrians' language was called "Akkadian". Modern day "Akkadian" is...Arabic. Arabic is the language of al Qaeda and the 9/11 terrorists. But it doesn't stop there. The land of Assyria is now the land...of Iraq. So not only are our enemies the spiritual children of the Assyrians but they are also the flesh-and-blood descendants. 

Let me stop here and just tell you about an interesting analogy the book keeps going back to. What sometimes happens when you silence an alarm in the morning when you wake up? You go back to sleep. The same thing happened in both Israel and America. We made a vow to silence the alarm, to keep sleeping. Instead of pausing for a second and saying "Hey, maybe we should think about stuff. Maybe we need to reexamine our ways." we said "We will not be humbled. We will rebuild! We will come back bigger and better than ever before! This will just make us stronger!" So what happens when you ignore a warning? The danger becomes even more dangerous because you no longer have a warning.

Harbinger number three: The Fallen Bricks. 
In two words: Ground Zero. But this was more than just physical. It wasn't just the fall of a building. It was the fall of a civilization. Some may argue that the World Trade Center was not made of bricks. That's correct. It wasn't. But it was the same effect. Besides, there were bricks in the rubble at Ground Zero.

"The bricks have fallen: it's not just about destruction. It's about a nations response to destruction, its vow of defiance." -Excerpt

For a moment after 9/11, America did turn to God. We sang and said "God Bless America" all the time. We sang the National Anthem as if it were a top 40 hit. We said the pledge of Allegiance. God was there. But it was all an illusion. It only lasted a short time. It wasn't real because we didn't really change for good. After a year or two, everything went back to normal.

The fourth harbinger: The Tower
"The bricks have fallen, BUT WE WILL REBUILD WITH HEWN STONE."

The Twin Towers may have fallen, but we were going to rebuild them bigger and better than before. We weren't going to bow our heads, we were going to raise our fists.

*On 9/11/01, the mayor of New York City, Giulani said "We will rebuild. We are going to come out of this stronger than before...."
*In a press release on 9/14/01, the state's senior senator, Charles Schumer said "We will rebuild..."
*Governor Pataki, NY State, 8/8/06, "We will rebuild..."
*Senator Hilary Clinton, 9/12/01 "We will rebuild..."
*01/02/02 Mayor Speech, NY Times at the time of rebuilding, "We will rebuild, renew, and remain the capital of the free world."
*President George W Bush, "We will rebuild New York City" 9/20/01

On a sign at Ground Zero: "A new icon will soon rise above the Lower Manhattan skyline...The Freedom Tower." 

On September 12, 2001, Senator John Kerry said the following:

"I believe one of the first things we should commit to--with federal help that underscores our nation's purpose--is to rebuild the towers of the World Trade Center and show the world we are not afraid--WE ARE DEFIANT!"

How you like them apples?

Excerpt from the book:
"Centuries before the writing of the New Testament, the Hebrew Scriptures were translated into Greek. The result was a Greek version of the Hebrew Scriptures called the Septuagint. The Septuagint version of Isaiah 9:10 renders the rebuilding project in even more specific terms. It says this: 'The bricks are fallen down...but come....let us build for ourselves a TOWER."

It's so amazing how this all comes together....but it gets better!

The fifth harbinger is the Gazit Stone:

The Hebrew word for stone is gazit. It's a smooth stone, carved stone, or QUARRIED stone. After being quarried, it would be shaped and smoothed into a building block.

"The bricks have fallen...but we will rebuild with hewn stone."

There was a gathering at Ground Zero on August 4, 2004. Government officials and other people involved in the rebuilding were there. They laid a 20 ton rectangular block of "quarried stone" on Ground Zero. They called it the Freedom Stone. The stone would "forever remain a symbolic cornerstone for the rebuilding of New York and the nation."

The Governor of New York stated at the gathering the following:

"By laying this magnificent cornerstone of hope, we are sending a [message of defiance] around the world...Today, we, the heirs of that revolutionary spirit of defiance, lay this cornerstone."

Interestingly enough, the rebuilding of Ground Zero became so entangled in controversy and confusing and difficulties that they halted the construction and removed the stone altogether. Because we were defiant, God shut down the plan.
 
Harbinger number six: The Sycamore

"...but we will rebuild with hewn stone. The sycamores have been cut down..."

In the last few moments of the fall of the North Tower, tons of debris were being thrown toward this plot of land at the border of Ground Zero. It wasn't covered with cement and block like most of the surrounding areas, but of soil and grass. The wreckage struck a tree. A sycamore tree.

Pause. Do you know where Sycamores are native? The Middle East and Africa. Not America. Just a thought. Continuing...

An interesting point the book makes:

"If a tree falls to the ground, and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? In the case of this sycamore it makes two: for those who hear it, the sound of warning and redemption. For those who don't, judgement."

In other words, September 11 was a time of judgement for America because we didn't heed the warning. We just kept on sleeping. Just like Israel two thousand and a half years ago.

The seventh harbinger: The Erez Tree

"The sycamores have been cut down, but we will plant cedars in its place" 
The goal of rebuilding Ground Zero was defiance, not just restoration. We replaced the sycamore tree with a  cedar tree. Cedar is most often used to translate Erez in Hebrew. It was planted in the exact same spot where the sycamore was in November 2003. A cedar is stronger than a sycamore tree. Another act of defiance. These words were spoken during that ceremony:

"The Tree of Hope is planted in the very spot where a 60 year old sycamore stood the morning of September 11, 2001." 

The sycamore was removed. This is the root system of that sycamore. It sits in front of Trinity Church in NYC.

The eighth harbinger: The Utterance

In Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address, he said the following:

"The Almighty has His own purposes...Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray, that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away. Yet, if God wills that it continue until all the wealth piled by the bondsman's two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said, that the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether,"

In other words, "In God We Trust" pretty much. He was referring to the Civil War. Yes, they were praying that it would end soon. But, Gods will be done.

On September 11, 2004, John Edwards spoke the following:

"Good morning. Today, on this day of remembrance and mourning, we have the Lord's word to get us through: 'The bricks have fallen but we will build with dressed stones. The sycamores have been cut down, but we will put cedars in their place."

Many people may think "So, he was quoting scripture. Whats so wrong with that?" Well, here's the thing. That scripture is so unknown, that even the person who reads the bible every day probably doesn't realize it's even there. It's just not a verse that is used a lot. AND it's not even a verse of INSPIRATION. It's a verse of judgment. It's a message of defiance. It is what Israel did, and now, what America is doing. So why, in all the verses he could have chosen, did he choose THAT ONE?

His entire speech pretty much revolved around Isaiah 9:10. In his speech he said:

"Let me show you how we are building and putting cedars in those three hallowed places."

then:

"And in a place where smoke once rose, you and I, we will see the cedar rising.

and then:

"You will see that while those bricks fell and the sycamores cut down, our people are making those cedars rise."

And finally:

"The cedars will rise, the stones will go up, and this season of hope will endure."

What he doesn't realize, is not of this is symbolic of hope at all, but of judgment. None of this is going to make America better...it's only going to make it worse. The verse was a prophecy. And it was fulfilled.  So without realizing it, this American leader was pronouncing judgement on the land. It all happens according to ancient prophecy.

The last harbinger: The Prophecy

On the morning after 9/11, the Senate majority leader on Capitol Hill said the following,

"I know that there is only the smallest measure of inspiration that can be taken from this devastation, but there is a passage in the Bible from Isaiah that I think speaks to all of us at a time like this..'The bricks have fallen down, but we will rebuild with dressed stone; the fig trees have been felled, but we will replace them with cedars."

The ancient vow had actually been proclaimed from Capitol Hill. Once again, judgement was being pronounced on America. He spoke of this being an inspiring verse, but it was everything but. Isaiah 9:10 was being transformed into national policy.

In the bible it says this:

"One witness shall not rise against a man concerning any iniquity or any sin that he commits; by the mouth of two or three witnesses, the matter shall be established."

The day after 9/11, the senate majority leader was the first witness.
The second witness was the Vice Presidential Candidate three years later.

Excerpt from the book: "If America is following the same pattern as ancient Israel, witnessing the same signs, uttering the same words, reenacting the same acts, responding with the same response....how can it escape from suffering the same fate? And if the proclaiming of the vow was just the first stage of judgement for Israel, and not the last, then what about America? What does the future hold?"

"There Comes a Second"

There was a second shaking of America. So the WTC was a symbol of America's global financial and economic power. So the collapse of that foreshadowed the collapse of what?

The Great Recession.

Isaiah 9:11:
"Therefore the Lord shall set up the adversaries of Rezin against him, and spur his enemies on."

Because the nation did not wake up from the first shaking, it required a second shaking. Isaiah 9:10 is a "vow of defiance". Isaiah 9:11 is a "prophecy of future calamity". It's ALLL connected. You see, America's problem has absolutely nothing to do with economics. Our problem is that God is not in America anymore. Everything else is just a side effect.

"If our nation's underlying problem is spiritual, then all the political, economic, or military solutions will do nothing to remove it. Such things can only treat symptoms--the bricks and the sycamores. A spiritual problem can only be solved by a spiritual solution. Apart from that, every solution will end up producing another crisis." -Excerpt from book

So here is where it gets interesting:

Seven years after 9/11...the economy collapsed. How?

"The campaign to strengthen America's national security and defenses would require massive expenditures. The War on Terror, the military campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq, would add multiplied billions of dollars to the federal budget. Funds and resources that otherwise would have been used to strengthen the American economy were now diverted and drained away from investment. The war in Iraq would impel a surging of oil prices, further draining the nation's gross domestic product. The massive amount of governmental spending in support of the nation's War on Terror would lead to the skyrocketing of the national debt, further draining its economy. And beyond the financial consequences, what America began in the wake of 9/11 would end up further dividing the nation." -Excerpt from book.

The biggest mistake Wall Street made was shutting down the day of 9/11. When it opened back up 6 days later, it suffered the largest point drop in history. Over the next few years, America's economy became a virtual "house of cards":

"The extreme and prolonged lowering of interest rates would sow the seeds of future disaster. The explosion in credit would lead to a massive explosion in debt. The increased liquidity would mask a multitude of economic dangers. The standard cautions and restraints involved in borrowing and loading would be thrown away. Banks would make loans they never otherwise would have made, consumers would spend money on houses they never otherwise could have afforded. Personal debt, government debt, and corporate debt all mushroomed. And with increased pressure to produce ever greater profits, investment and banking firms would become involved with increasingly risky transactions and practice." 

Yea. All that.

In September 2008, it all came down.

In the 17th century, there was a wall in what we now call NYC. The wall was there to protect the first settlers from Indians, Pirates, and other dangers. Along that wall, merchants opened up stores to trade goods. Eventually, that wall became the "center point" of the island's trade and commerce. Later on, the Dutch would lose the land to the British and the British would tear the wall down. But, the area which the wall stood would still bear the name WALL STREET.

(Just a tid bit of history I thought was interesting)

But it was from that street that our financial power would form. In the 20th century, America was the world's  financial capital.

In March of 1792, there was a meeting at a Manhattan hotel involving 24 of the city's leading merchants. They had the meeting to bring order to all the trading. The document they signed was called the "Buttonwood Agreement". This agreement would soon be known as the Buttonwood Association, then as the New York Stock and Exchange Board, and finally as the New York Stock Exchange. The reason they called it the Buttonwood Agreement is because they used to meet under a Buttonwood Tree to carry on transactions. Now, a BUTTONWOOD is a kind of tree. A SYCAMORE tree. So, if you really wanna get technical, the BUTTONWOOD AGREEMENT was really the SYCAMORE AGREEMENT.

"So all the consequences of American financial power--all of the world-changing repercussions--it all began under the branches of a sycamore tree."

Completely mind-blowing.

So when the sycamore tree was struck down, it was a biblical sign of judgement. When it was uprooted, however, THAT was a symbol of the uprooting of America's power, both financially and economically.

Jeremiah 45:4 says:
"Behold what I have built I will break down. And what I have planted, I will pluck up. 

God allowed the power of America to be planted there, to take root and grow and to then branch out all over the world. We would rise to the highest point of power, but when we rejected God, he gave us a warning. If we STILL refused to turn back to Him, then all of our blessings would be taken away.

Not sure if any of you know this...if you are a farmer or are familiar with farming, you probably do. But every seven years, you are supposed to let your land rest. For six years, you sow and plant, but on the "sabbath year", you let the land rest. 

Also, at the end of every seven years, you are supposed to let go of all debt. 

This 7th year is biblically called "Shemitah". From September 13, 2007-September 29, 2008, is a Shemitah year. 

In September of 2008, both Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae corporations were put under government control, and the Lehman Brothers corporation fell as well. This all took place the week of the 7th anniversary of 9/11. This is how it specifically played out:

"The collapse of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac happened on 9/7. The collapse of Lehman Brothers began two days later on September 9 when it lost 45 percent of its value. It was on September 10 that it announced its loss of almost 4 billion dollars. The following day its stock took a second precipitous plunge....September 11."- Excerpt

The time between the two disasters, the collapse of the actual WTC and the collapse of the economy was 7 years. 

When the Lehman Brothers fell, the stock market would plunge more than 499 points. In response to that, the US Government worked together to come up with a bailout to reverse everything. It was the largest bailout in American history. That bill was defeated. On the morning of 9/29, the last day of the Shemitah year, when the NY Stock exchange met up, the opening bell wouldn't sound. Many saw that as an omen. That day, Wall Street collapsed more than 700 points. That day was recorded as the worst day in the history of Wall Street.

As the sun went down that day, it was the beginning of Tishri, which is the 7th month of the Hebrew year. The trigger to the crash was the rejection of the bailout, which was a sum of 7 hundred billion dollars. 7% of the market was wiped away. That amounted to 777 points  on the final day of the 7th year.

Yea.

Do you have any idea how amazing that is? The only person who could have any control in all of that is

GOD!

If anyone recalls,

"One witness shall not rise against a man concerning any iniquity or any sin that he commits; by the mouth of two or three witnesses, the matter shall be established."

 

On February 24, 2009, on Capitol Hill (once again), Obama came into office. In his Inaugural Address, he says the following:

"But while our economy may be weakened and our confidence shaken; though we are living through difficult and uncertain times, tonight I want every American to know this--WE WILL REBUILD! "

Once again, the vow of Isaiah 9:10 is spoken...by the third witness. The President of the United States. The same vow that was declared the wake of 9/11.

"tonight I want every American to know....

Isaiah 9:9: "All the people will know...."

In Isaiah 9:10, Israel was proclaiming that fallen bricks would not determine their nations destiny. THEY WOULD. In Obama's Inaugural address he says

"The weight of this crisis will not determine the destiny of this nation."

And one more thing:

"We will rebuild, we will recover, and the United States of America will emerge stronger than before" 

It's Isaiah 9:10 in modern form.


In George Washington's Inauguration Address on April 30, 1789, he said:

"No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the Invisible Hand which conducts the affairs of men more than those of the United States. Every step by which they have advanced to the character of an independent nation seems to have been distinguished by some token of providential agency...It would be peculiarly improper to omit in this first official act my fervent supplications to that Almighty Being who rules over the universe, who presides in the councils of nations, and whose providential aids can supply every human defect, that His benediction may consecrate to the liberties and happiness of the people of the United States a Government instituted by themselves for these essential purposes."

In other words..."This nation can not have blessings and happiness without God."

So after his address, the President lead the Senate and the HOR on foot to a little stone church to gather for prayer. America committed themselves to God from day one. Guess where America's capital was in 1789? New York City. Washington DC did not exist yet. George Washington was sworn in as President in New York City.  The little stone church where they met was St Paul's Chapel. St Paul's Chapel is located on the rear corner of Ground Zero. America was committed to God on the corner of Ground Zero, or, America's grounds of consecration, is Ground Zero. But what else was on the corner of Ground Zero?

The Sycamore Tree

If it weren't for the sycamore tree, St Paul's chapel would have gone down with the WTC.

America was dedicated to God at St. Paul's chapel. But we became a nation in Federal Hall. These two places were joined together on April 30, 1789 and they were joined together again on September 11, 2001. When the towers fell, the shock was so great, it opened up cracks in the foundation of Federal Hall. Now how weird is that? It opened up cracks in the foundation of the place America was founded...

THE EVENTS OF SEPTEMBER 11, 2001, OPENED UP CRACKS IN THE FOUNDATION OF AMERICA.

This entry is getting kind of long now, and I'm starting to realize I've pretty much just paraphrased the entire book.

To summarize this entire book up in one scripture:

2 Chronicles 7:14:

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

If we as a nation don't come back to God, nothing will get better. We were committed to God from the very beginning and we didn't live up to that commitment, which is why our nation is in shambles. If we go back to God, our country will become the country it was meant to be.

The key word?



If.

Read the book. Get inspired. Person by person, family by family, church by church, community by community, state by state, we can come back to God.  

 

 

The Cross at Ground Zero. And God wasn't there?

 

Quirky Aquarius Me

I am an Aquarius. The sun sign fits me pretty well...some traditional traits of the Aquarius, however, do not suit me. I have highlighted the traits that do.

Aquarius:"The Water Carrier"

 January 20-February 18

Most likeable traits:

Friendly, People Oriented, Outgoing, Humanitarian, Honest, Loyal, Original and Inventive, Independent, intellectual

Disliked Traits:

Intractable and contrary, perverse and unpredictable, unemotional and detached <----to a certain extent. I am very emotional and sensitive though.

Ruling Planet:

Uranus

Element:
Air

Magical Birthstone:
Amethyst (brings faithfulness in love)

Special Flowers:

Orchid and Violet

Lucky Numbers:

1 & 7

Lucky Day:

Wednesday

"Aquarians basically posess strong and attractive personalities. They fall into two principle types: one shy, sensitive, gentle and patient; the other exuberant, lively and exhibitionist. Both types are strong willed and forceful in their different ways and have strong convictions, though as they seek truth above all things, they are usually honest enough to change their opinions. They have a breadth of vision that brings diverse factors into a whole, and can see both sides of an argument without shilly-shallying as to which side to take. Consequently they are unprejudiced and tolerant of other points of view. This is because they can see the validity of the argument, even if they do not accept it themselves. They obey the Quaker exhortation to "Be open to truth, from whatever source it comes," and are prepared to learn from everyone.

LIKES:

Fighting for Causes, Dreaming and Planning for the Future, Thinking of the Past, Good Companions, Having Fun

DISLIKES:
Full of air promises, excessive loneliness, the ordinary, imitations, idealistic

So, as you can see my personality pretty much fits the Aquarian to a T. I am very passionate about certain things in my life, specifically my relationships. I used to be VERY carefree, and still am to a certain extent. Now that I am a mother, however, I have had to be a little less carefree and a little more concerned about things.

I am very accepting of others as a whole. There are certain types of people though that unfortunately I have put some type of stereotype on and am somewhat predjudice of. I do not like that about myself, but it is a fact.

The part of this horoscope that said I like to dream and plan for the future is VERY true! And it is also very true that I hate "full of air promises", and excessive loneliness.

So yea, I think I am definately an Aquarius =)

30 Things You May Or May Not Know About Me

Oh, this is going to be fun!

1. I was born with hypothyroidism....meaning my thyroid gland is underactive. Actually, I was born without a thyroid gland at all. Hah, I remember one of my middle school gym teachers who had this same problem. I have always had a problem with my medicine (taking them when I should, etc) and one time in middle school, I got sick. I had to sit out of gym class for a full week. That said teacher (won't mention names) came up to me and told me that whoever said I was born without a gland was full of it because there is no such thing as someone not born without an organ. Needless to say, my mother was PISSED!
2. I love to sing, singing is my favorite =) P!NK is my favorite. I love watching American Idol, X-Factor, America's Got Talent...and Glee. And everytime I do, I go "practice" singing. It's fun. =)

3. Not only do I love singing but I love music. Music is my outlet.

4. I am a proud mama of a beautiful little girl, Alexis Sofia. She came into the world on December 29 2011 at 9:19pm and weighed 8 lbs 3oz. She is the LOVE of my whole life!

5. I am married to my best friend, Rick =)
6. I am from a little town in a little corner of the world called Brevard, NC. 30 minutes outside of Asheville. It was named the coolest small town in America, and yea. It is pretty dang cool.
7. I have a gap between my 2 front teeth that I'm pretty self concious about. Although I've gotten kind of used to it.
8. My childhood best friend, Julianna, and I have never fought. No joke. 23 years and not one fight.
9. I am the youngest of 3 girls. My sisters are Mandi and Erin. I have a love/hate relationship with being the baby of the family.
10. I have abnormally long toes. My mama always used to tell me that I could play piano with my toes...and I think I gave that trait to my daughter as well.
11. I have very short nails. I am envious of those of you who can paint cool designs on your nails and it actually look good.

12. I am a Disney fanatic. My favorite Disney movie would probably have to be Cinderella.
13. Speaking of Disney and my favorite movie, I got to work in Cinderella's castle at Disneyworld in 2008. Best job ever. I just wish it would have paid better so I could have stayed there. =(
14. Although my favorite Disney movie is one about the most popular princesses of Disney, when I found out I was having a girl, I didn't want her to have anything to do with "princess". I just didn't want her to get the mindset of being "spoiled" or better than anyone else.
15. My favorite person in the world besides my husband and daughter is my grandmother, Cecelia, my name sake. I call her Nona.
16. My favorite color is yellow. I'm just drawn to it. Ask my friends =)
17. I have a fear of windows. During the day, they are fine. At night, not so much. I am scared that if I look through one of them at night I will see someone looking at me I think.
18. My faith in God has brought me through so much in my life. No matter what I'm going through, God always seems to pull me through.
19. I LOVE FLOWERS! My favorites are hydrangeas, peonies, and gerbera daisies.
20. My favorite food is chicken. I'll eat it just about any way.
21. I once got a job at Hampton Inn Brevard. Fell in love with my boss, Casey. Left and found out that she was related to me. Then came back and I'm here now. =) Couldn't stay away from Casey.
22. I love to plan! I wanted to be an event planner or a travel agent at one point.
23. I also write lists. A lot. I'm always writing some kind of list. Kind of like this one...
24. I have a weakness for apple crisp, chocolate and cheesecake.
25. I have a weird love for office supplies and books. If I had to recreate the movie "Where The Heart Is" and live in a store, it would either be Barnes and Noble or Staples.
26. I hate hot weather. Warm weather is good...but overly hot, suffocating weather. Ugh. I would rather been cold than hot. You can always bundle up but you can only strip down so much...
27. I am a Pinot Noir snob.

28. My dream car is a Volvo s60.
29. I love dressing up!
30. If I could go and do anything in the world, I would want to tour the UK.

Day 5: Men: Why I Love Them, and Why I Hate Them

Men. Can't live with them, can't live without them. They are just as much a part of "the circle of life" as women are. But as much as I love men, they can be super irritating as well:


1. Patronizing. 
I hate it when men do this. This has to be the number one thing that irritates me the most. If a woman is upset about something, she has her reasons. They may not seem "legitimate" to a man, but they are to a woman. So for a man to sit there and talk down to me, and treat me as if I'm a child and try to "talk me out" of feeling the way I feel....it just irritates me to death! 

2. Lying to spare your feelings.
This kind of goes hand in hand with the patronizing. When a man lies to you because he's afraid that if he told you the truth, you'd be hurt or angry. Here's the thing: when I find out about the lie, I'm going to be even MORE hurt and angry. I know that there are so many types of media out there that say that this is a good idea. But really, it's not. Maybe it was a good idea back in the day, I don't know. But these days, and I think I can probably speak for most women, it's best to tell us the truth even if you feel like it would hurt our feelings than to lie. (Lying by omission still counts as lying)

3. Turning off their brain to where they are literally thinking about NOTHING
This is really just irritating as all get out. Women for one are constantly thinking about SOMETHING. Our kids, chores, to-do list, work, dinner, whatever. It is absolutely mind boggling how men are able to just completely shut off their minds and think about NOTHING! It is so irritating to me (and for most women too) to ask a man "What are you thinking about?" and he answers back "Nothing"....because he really is thinking about nothing. How can you people not be thinking about ANYTHING????

4. Selfish human beings.
Now, there are some pretty selfLESS men out there. There are. And women can be just as selfish too. But women tend to be a little more selfLESS, I think, just because of that natural maternal instinct we have. I know that men sometimes don't INTEND to be selfish, but they really do come across that way. For example: the whole "What's In It For Me?" mindset. Women are constantly having to bribe men to get them to do stuff for them. "Will you please come shopping with me? I hear they are building a new [insert favorite type of store here] nearby so maybe we can stop there too!" or "Honey, can you please help me with dinner? I'll give you a back rub after." Why can't men just DO stuff, first of all without us asking them to, and secondly just out of the love in their heart? 

5. So concerned about their egos.
You're driving down the interstate with your Significant Other and heaven forbid, someone cuts him off in traffic. For me, personally, yea, it's irritating. I'll usually honk my horn, and sometimes if I'm REALLY mad, I'll flip a bird. Then I'm over it. I can get on with my day. Men on the other hand? Geez. Someone cuts him off in traffic, he breaks out in WW3. Not only does he lay on his horn, flip the bird, and shout curse words out the window, but he then crawls up on the other cars bumper and rides them for 5 miles, not only putting HIMSELF and your family (or whoever is in the car) in danger, but all the other drivers around him too. Then, we he gets the chance to get next to that person in traffic, he motions them to roll down their window (if it's another man, it's ON! if it's a woman, about 75% of the time, she ignores him lol), and then starts screaming at them. And if he's REALLY pissed off, and if the person that cut him off is a man as well, they'll pull over on the side of the interstate and fight it out. Just to prove that they are big and bad and tough. And NOBODY cuts HIM off in traffic. It has got to be one of the MOST childish things ever, to watch a man defend his precious ego. Grow up!



Now, I'm not a man hater. I'm married. I have a beautiful baby girl that would never have been in existence if it weren't for my husband. There are many things I love about men too:

1. The way they look when they're in deep concentration.
There is just something about a man fixing something or driving a car (without the road rage). Or deep in thought at work. I can't really describe it, but that furrowed look in his brow, the strain in his face, the slight pucker in his lips. I don't know what it is exactly, but when a man is in deep concentration, and you can see his brain working, it's one of the biggest turn ons for me.

2. Protectiveness
When you're snuggling with a man and he has his arms wrapped around you, or when you're in public and he has his hands around your waist, it's a great feeling. You feel PROTECTED, or at least I do. Like nothing in the world can ever hurt you because HE is there with you. It's an amazing feeling.

3. Sense of humor
The fact that a man CAN turn his brain off can be a good thing too. Men have a way of making light of bad situations by making jokes. Though it can be irritating at times if he does it in an inappropriate moment, it still does the job by taking away some stress. And a man who knows how to make a woman laugh is KEY!

4. Way of calming you down.
This goes hand in hand with the sense of humor. I don't know if it's true for other women, but for me, when I'm upset about something or stressed out or just need someone to talk to, I usually call my husband first. Not just because he's my best friend and my HUSBAND, but because he's a man. He has a way of putting things in different perspectives for me and to make me realize that perhaps I'm overreacting. Maybe the situation isn't as bad as I'm making it out to be. 

5. A man who's deeply in love with his woman
When a man loves his woman, you can tell. The way he looks at her, the way he's PROUD of her. The way he talks about her constantly and he gets all excited about it. Men are just so darn CUTE when they love their women. 


Men are interesting creatures. But so are women. Women are mysterious, and men will never understand the way we operate, as we will never understand the way they operate. That is the beauty of life, though. I think that if we DID understand each other, sure it would be easier, but it wouldn't be nearly as interesting.


Until tomorrow....

Religion vs. Spirituality

I am a Christian. 

What does being a Christian mean to me? It means that I have accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior. It means that I believe that I can talk directly to Him, and have a personal relationship with Him. It means that though I fall short and don't deserve God's glory, I am still forgiven because He died on the cross to save ME. It means that I know I am a sinner and that I need God in my life to steer me in the right direction. It means that when times are tough, I know that instead of trying to take control myself, I can lean on God for the answers, and somehow, someway, the situation will turn itself around. It also means that when times are GOOD, I know Who to thank.

Couldn't have said it better!

There are so many different religions out there. Some of them are actually kind of admirable. A lot of them, in my opinion, are silly. (A religion based on Star Trek characters? Really?) But, then again, some might say that MY religion is silly. Having a personal relationship with God? Really? Is that even possible? Yes. It is.

There is a difference in Religion and Spirituality. 

Religion: habit. You brush your teeth RELIGIOUSLY. You go to bed RELIGIOUSLY. In other words, you do it kind of because you HAVE to. It's somewhat of an obligation. It has become a habit. You brush your teeth and then you go and eat oreos.....well, being RELIGIOUS is kind of the same thing. You go to church on Sunday, and then Monday morning, you go to work and curse at the printer for not working right. Then you go gossip about your co-worker, which ends up spreading a horrible rumor. You steal your bosses pen off his desk. You take an hour and a half for lunch instead of an hour. After work, you flirt with that hot guy/girl at the gas station, undressing him/her with your eyes, while holding the gas (thingy) with your left hand with the wedding ring on it. When you get home, you daydream about being the owner of your neighbors brand new sports car.......

......but you are a RELIGIOUS person. Your home is FILLED with Bible verses and crosses and you own about 30 Bibles. You are a Sunday School teacher. You pray for each and every person on the prayer list at church. You are one of the best volunteers at church, cooking for every function. Chaperoning the Youth Group for different functions. Driving the church van for the older ladies mission group. 

But in all of that.....do you ever sit and TALK to God? Are you IN your relationship with God or is it just there as a trophy on your bookshelf? Do you keep your FAITH in check?

That's the difference between being Religious and being Spiritual. For me, being Spiritual is WAY more important than being Religious. The Spiritual person is no less a sinner than the Religious person. Still commits those sins every single day. But they actually PARTICIPATE in their relationship with God. They TRUST Him. They TALK to him. They have FAITH that everything will work out the way it is supposed to.  They may not be in church EVERY Sunday, but when they ARE there, they're there because they WANT to be, not because it's what they're SUPPOSED to do because it's what's EXPECTED of them. God doesn't want a lukewarm follower:

"I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth."

If you are going to be a Christian, if you are going to be a follower of Christ, do it out of the sincere LOVE of your heart. Do it because you genuinely and honestly WANT to, not because you feel like you have to. Be COMMITTED in your walk with Christ, or don't do it at all.

I consider myself a spiritual person. I used to go to church every single Sunday when I was younger. When I got old enough to drive, my parents started letting me make my own decisions. I started to really develop an actual RELATIONSHIP with God at that point. Granted, I haven't always been in touch. I haven't ALWAYS prayed or read my bible like I should. But I do know who Jesus is. I know that my life is the way that it is because God has been involved. I am where I am because of Him. And it is an amazing feeling to know that I don't have to be in control of my life. I can give the steering wheel to Jesus and He will steer me in the right direction every time. That "right road" may be filled with temptation, and bad situations, but God will never give me anything I can't handle, and He will pull me through every single time. I just have to TRUST in Him. 

OK, the preaching is over.....

My Take On Drugs and Alcohol

***Disclaimer: This is my opinion. Does not mean you have to agree and it is not open for debate.***

Drugs and alcohol. Two vices that are sadly becoming more and more accepting in this world. I have never done drugs, and I don't plan on it either, especially that I am a mother now. This is probably going to be a long post because I have much to say about this topic....

Alcohol

Ok. If you are an adult, 21 or older, having a drink every so often is perfectly fine.  I enjoy having a glass of wine every now and then. Even Jesus drank wine. There is a difference in drinking a glass or two of your favorite drink or cocktail, because you like the taste, and drinking excessively to the point of drunkenness. I'm sure that we all have been drunk at one point or another (including myself). I have to admit that it was fun. The aftermath? Not so fun. The vomitting and headache and nausea? HATE that feeling! 

If you want to talk about what the bible says about alcohol:

First of all, God says that we must obey the law. The law says it is illegal for anyone under the age of 21 to drink. So kids throwing parties and getting drunk, according to the Bible, is wrong. So that's where I stand on that. Doesn't mean I haven't done it, cause I have. But that doesn't make it right. 

If you are over 21, cool, have a glass of wine or two. Just don't get drunk. THAT is what the Bible says is sinful. (See Romans 13:13, Galatians 5:19-21, and 1 Peter 4:3). 

But regardless of what the Bible says or not, getting drunk is kind of ridiculous. It just causes you to do stupid stuff, say things you regret, and it can really be dangerous. Like I said before, I have done it. I even did it before I was 21. Not often, but I still did it a couple times. 

But if you still choose to drink and get drunk....for heaven sake, do NOT get behind the wheel of a car. If you don't have enough respect for yourself to not get behind the wheel and save your OWN life, choose to do it for those innocent souls around you. So many times these days do people get behind the wheel while intoxicated and end up killing themselves and others. It's quite sad and it's VERY avoidable. 

So bottom line: Occasional, non-drunkeness? Ok (in my opinion). Excessively drinking and getting drunk, not ok (in my opinion).

Drugs

I don't even know why drugs were invented in the first place. It seems like the only thing they are good for is making people stupid, and they seem to be the HEART of crime. 

POT: IS A DRUG. I DO NOT CARE WHAT YOU SAY ABOUT IT GROWING FROM THE GROUND AND IT'S NATURAL! IT MAKES YOU IMPAIRED WHEN YOU SMOKE IT AND PEOPLE TEND TO ABUSE IT, THEREFORE IT IS A DRUG!!!! 

 

What most pot smokers think....

My point exactly...

If you want to go back to what the Bible says...
Again, God says you must obey the law. Drugs are illegal. Yes, Pot is illegal. Therefore it is wrong. It doesn't matter if YOU think that the law is wrong (it allows nicotine and alcohol but not pot). The law is the law is the law, and the Bible says you must obey the law. Case closed. 

Another reason drugs are wrong, according to the bible, is it destroys your body. Alcohol is included. We are supposed to treat our bodies as temples, not destroy them.

Now, many people disagree with me on the Pot thing. I choose not to do drugs because I don't feel like deliberately making myself stupid and killing all my brain cells. And, it's illegal. The day that Pot becomes legal, then fine. You do whatever you wanna do with it and I won't say anything else about it. It's your own body and obviously I won't change your mind because I really don't have an argument other than I personally do not want to partake in it. It stinks for one thing....

Have you ever noticed that people who do drugs tend to get into more trouble? And tend to get themselves KILLED? Think about it. If you are doing drugs, you have a dealer, right? You have to make sure that you pay your dealer. If you don't pay your dealer, you are either killed or tortured. And let me point out that drugs are SUPER expensive. What sane, smart, educated person (although there are many out there that still do it) would spend that $$ on purposely making themselves stupid, when you could use it for a nice vacation or new clothes or a down payment on a new car? Makes no sense to me. 

Bottom line, drugs and alcohol impair you and they can eventually kill you which is why there are so many laws against them. It is our job to obey and respect those laws because they are there for our protection.