Nut Cases

This morning I opened my email from Erick Erickson's Red State Blog and was totally shocked to read that some left-winger (wing-nut) had targeted his home and family for a prank phone call to 911. Several Sheriff's deputies arrived at his home, lights flashing, and deployed around it with guns drawn because someone had called in an accidental shooting there. It placed him, his wife, and three year old son in a life-threatening situation. I don't know why I was shocked. I know that it's getting dangerous out there. The not-so-encouraging thing is that it's going to get worse. As it gets closer and closer to whatever it's getting closer to (you like that I didn't tell you? Ha! Exercise your imagination), we are going to see things we never thought possible. More than a government that has lost its flippin' mind. More than economical collapse. We are going to see their love grow even colder. Heck, we'll see OUR love grow colder if we don't absolutely guard our hearts. The left fails to remember Who's really in charge. They snicker and laugh at their own plans and think there will never be a consequence to their actions. The sad thing is that people like Erick and his family could have suffered terrible loss should an officer have shot one of his family members. It could have ended badly- the "Accidental shooting" could have easily become a tragedy. It didn't because Erick is a smart cookie and had warned the Sheriff's Department ahead of time that such a thing could happen. They still had to respond cautiously, guns drawn.Still dangerous, any way you look at it. We live at a time when we have to be vigilant not only in our circumstances, but in our hearts as well. We can't allow ourselves the luxury of becoming bitter or vindictive. We can't "let the sun set on our anger." We have to be constantly aware of the temperature of the atmosphere (and I'm not talking about a hole in the ozone, folks).If some of the crazies on the left are willing to place us in harm's way for fun, then anything can happen. Keep your eyes open!

Who's the Real Rat?

My friend and fellow blogger Patrice Lewis from blogged this masterpiece in January of this year. I enjoyed it so much I'm reprinting it here for you. Faye -Figbee ______________________________________________ Who's the real rat? Just when you think things can't possibly get any loopier, they do. Allow me a bit of history. Years ago when we lived in Oregon, when Older Daughter was just barely a toddler, we had a rat infestation. We had rats all over the house, in our basement, in our barn, in the chicken coop, in the shop, everywhere. Rats are BIG. And when you're watching your tiny toddler facing a rat, maternal instinct kicks in and you really, really want to make sure your kid isn't bitten. We set traps and soon our problem was eradicated. If we were to have a repeat of that problem today, we would solve it in the same way. So it's just durn lucky we don't live in Washington D.C. where it's the LAW that you cannot exterminate a rat. Please, spare me the lame jokes about politicians (because I agree with you), but the fact remains that rats are not endangered in any way. What they are is numerous, clever, filthy (their urine and droppings contaminate food), and vectors of disease. The Wildlife Protection Act, passed unanimously in 2010, prohibits pest control operators from killing pests such as rats and mice. Instead -- get this -- the animals must be relocated. And more than that, pest control operators cannot break up rat families. Yes, you read that right. You can't leave Grampa Charlie Rat or Aunt Matilda Rat behind -- you have to round them all up and transport them together. (I'll leave you to speculate as to the impossible logistics of this feat.) This is, Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli notes, "a triumph of animal rights over human health." What on earth does the Virginia Attorney General have to do with this law? Simple. The "relocated" rats are being transported across the river into Virginia, where they are released (in family groups, of course). "Actual experts in pest control will tell you, if you don’t move an animal about 25 miles, it will come back," Cuccinelli said. "So what’s the solution to that? Across the river." Gene Harrington of the Fairfax-based National Pest Management Association called it a "stupid, stupid, ill-advised, ill-conceived law." Bingo, couldn't have said it any better myself. So here we have an example of the entire population of Washington D.C. held captive by the bleeding-heart legislation of a few. And this, I think you'll agree, encapsulates the entire problem America is facing at the moment -- the entire population held captive by the bleeding-heart legislation of a few. It is my sincerest wish that those doofuses who saw fit to pass this law will have their homes invaded by rats. Posted by Patrice Lewis at 8:53 AM

Common Sense is Extinct

Would somebody please tell me when common sense went extinct? It happened so slowly that most of us were lulled into sleep and didn't notice it fading into the horizon. It's like listening to the sound of a drum hypnotically making us numb. The current polarization within our government is a case in point. Everyone has an opinion. Nobody has a solution. I nominate an ex-drug dealer to fix it. One of his mottoes is "Don't be a complainer, be a fixer." Why can't our government do that? (Yeah, no he can't run for office. It's that convicted felon thing.)Complaining about the other guy is just an exercise in futility, as unless there is forward movement on an issue, it's just beating a drum with a stick.Bam bam bam...I've heard a lot of nonrhythmic drums lately. It's election season, ya know...bam bam bam.Yawn. Instead we get Presidential edicts instead of cooperation and common sense. We get Congressional stone-walling rather than intelligence and wisdom. Our government grinds to a halt more often that it should, and when it's not stopping its work entirely, it's scheming and plotting on how to bypass the legislative process by subterfuge. We have power hungry people in office who could give a rip less about the regular folks. Afghanistan: yes, we're leaving. Too soon, no doubt. The policy of our government, even since Vietnam, is to leave a job unfinished. A lot of good men and women die because a job is left unfinished. Cut and run isn't common sense, it's a waste of lives. NDAA,"Green policy," the Keystone Pipeline, etc: we've got a lot of hidden agendas in these "acts" of legislation. People don't bother to check into them. I don't have a problem with green policies, as long as they are based on common sense and not someone's personal power agenda. I love the earth and its creatures and we should take good care of them. But it isn't cool when no one tries to balance the need for oil with the environment. It's not one or the other, it should be common sense to have both. I don't have a problem with anti-terrorist polices until it threatens the freedoms of law-abiding citizens. Gun Control is a simple power-grab by people with an agenda. Safeguards are important. Common sense is missing. We should be fixers not complainers. Point is, when everyone is pointing the finger at everyone else, nothing is being accomplished. Common Sense has gone the way of the Tyrannosaurus.

Secrets for Eternity

The other day I was pondering my life and wondered why so many people have secrets that they don't want anyone to know about. Because they are so secretive, I spend a lot of time "warehousing" their problems forever. They are things I must take to the grave with me, simply because of confidentiality issues. Make no mistake, I don't hold them myself, as that would be a burden too heavy even for me. I do give them to the Lord for Him to carry. But I often wonder what life would be like for all of the people if they were able to unload the trailer of back-stories and move on with life in general. Our own government must have the weight of the ages on them for all the secrets, lies, and other assorted things that they carry. I remember a line from a Harrison Ford movie where he told the "President" not to hide his relationship to a drug dealer. He said to tell the press that he was a good friend. It was a great line. Don't give anyone a reason to question- just be open. Hiding secrets can be taxing and stressful, and sometimes can cause the death of the person holding it it so deeply in their minds and hearts. And darn it, telling lies causes mixed up stories and makes people suspicious. (Which is why so many are not happy with the current administration- true openness is non-existent, and suspicion with an unhealthy dose of distrust is rampant.) Whether it's a drug dealer trying to hide their activities from the police, or a government official trying to cover up a problem, the result is the same: anything WE try to hide will eventually break us into pieces. Truth really does set us free.

Observers

Have you ever noticed that the United Nations is great for sending "observers" all over the globe, but rarely do they actually help anyone? (Except the bad guys, of course). They are apparently send more of those "observers" to Syria. What, to watch the slaughter? Point at the perpetrators and ogle the situation? "Oh, looky there, someone's being murdered. Hmmm. Let's tell uh, umm, somebody somewhere." In one of the chapters of my new book, there was an incident in prison where a man was beaten so badly that he did not appear to be alive. My friend saw the perpetrator wash blood off his hands and knew that something horrible had occurred. So he ran up to the room where it happened and tried to get the attention of the guards, but was ignored. So he used the prison phone and called for help himself.The victim was barely breathing, and very nearly died. Thanks to my friend he lived. My friend was not an "observer" he was pro-active. We should be the same. When David saw the atrocities perpetrated by Goliath, as his own people stood watching and whimpering,he stepped up and did something about it. He went into attack mode. Today there is a headline about a woman who was "flashed" by a pervert on a train. She screamed and not one person paid any attention. So she had to grab the offender, call the police, and hold him until they arrived. Good for her. She took action instead of doing nothing. I pray that one day we will become warriors instead of wimps. Then instead of just watching what evil does, we can stop it in its tracks.

Revenge or Practicality

America seems to have an issue: a penchant for revenge. The politics of throwing criminals in prisons and jails has finally overrun our ability to handle it. We just gotta build more jails, people tell us. So the taxpayers have to dig deeper into their pockets to come up with more and more money. Problem with that is: it's not practical. It's also iffy when it comes to the Bible.

Flint, Michigan is a case in point. They are so overcrowded in their jails that they are now handing out "appearance tickets." Now, I have to say, I don't think that's a wise thing and here's why: DUIs have committed a crime AT THE TIME. They should go to jail at least long enough to sober up. Assault, burglary, etc are the same. Not too smart, if you ask me. (And I'm well aware that no one has asked me). Oh, well, I'm an opinionated woman, after all.

I remember a case several years ago of a young female drunk driver who plowed into a young man's car and killed him. She, of course, survived and went to jail for the crime. But instead of revenge, the parents of the young man went to the jail and forgave her. She was not just amazed, she was transformed! They went to bat for her at her trial, and the judge let her go on supervised probation. She will have to live with her actions for the rest of her life, but the forgiveness granted her will always be with her as well.THAT is the Biblical way. Forgiveness even with consequences.

Tomorrow is Easter and we will all be reminded of Christ's sacrifice for our sins. And it wasn't just for the righteous who committed bad things, it was for the criminals too. Remember the thief? Never forget him-he was given the mercy and love of God even as Jesus hung on the cross in mortal agony. Sometimes it takes extending the hand of help to people who are angry, hate-filled, and on the wrong path in order to make them see that life can be better.

Let's give it a try, shall we? I know my pocket book would be grateful.

Fires of History

A few years back I experienced a vision in which the sky was suddenly consumed with fire. It wasn't the fire of a sunset or sunrise. The clouds literally became flames and rolled across the heavens with the purpose of burning everything in their path. If I had to describe it, it would be like those movie pictures of a backflash when a fireman opens the door of a building engulfed in flames and is greeted by a roaring wall of fire. The flames seemed to have a life of their own, and could not be stopped. As the flames surrounded me, I noticed that I was still standing without being burned. My skin was not singed, my Albert Einstein hair did not burst into flames, nothing on me was harmed in any way.

Why do I tell you this? Because we're coming to a place in time when we MUST learn how to stand in the midst of the fire and not be consumed by that fire.

We are in a period of history that frustrates Christians to the max. Their prayers against and for the current leadership of America seem to be stymied in many cases. Legislation is passed that is in direct opposition to the Word of God, and even our President appears to be so hostile to Christianity that it makes us crazy. (Actually, he thinks We're crazy and he's ok. Not).

Becoming harsh and legalistic about it will not help us. Standing in the midst of a fire means standing completely in trust of the Lord. It means standing in the love of God, not trying to use what we think is His wrath. We can rail against the problem, we can shriek and holler and stomp, but the fact remains that God's time table is being performed before our eyes. The President signed a very dangerous executive order this last week, and we need to be aware and ready. The GOP is fragmented, divided, and the current crop of nominees are desperately flawed in the experience department. The economy is NOT the top issue- the direction of our nation of PEOPLE is.We are the people of America- and without the Lord Jesus Christ as our banner and hope, we will be plunged into a "gross darkness."