The Lovieness of Christ

"I am in as sweet communion with Christ as a poor sinner can be; and am only pained that He hath much beauty and fairness, and I little love; He great power and mercy, and I little faith; He much light, and I bleared eyes."

Samuel Rutherford                

2007 California trip 3

You can take the Texan out of Texas...

But you can't take the Texas out of the Texan!

Calvin blows the candles out on his cake at Grandpa and Grammie's house on his 20th birthday.


Older...but not much wiser! (at least where fire is concerned) For those of you that don't already know, Calvin is a helpless pyromaniac! In his twenty years he has achieved the record of catching the most things on fire out of all the rest of our family...combined! (Excluding only Daddy perhaps.) P.S And yes, Calvin's list of things caught on fire includes himself!

Grinning from ear to ear over "The Game" as it is called.

Daddy giving his cute cheesy smirk! :)



Merry Christmas!

Grammie's pretty tree

The motley Texan crew coming down the stairs... and yes, in our pajamas! (I just realized that is slightly embarrassing to be posting on the world wide web! (Blush) Check out that knife Calvin is baring to fight off any present thieves! (He really uses it to open his presents) And by the way that isn't Robert crowning Jo with the bunny ears, that is daddy hiding around the corner.

Grammie fufilling her traditional role as Keeper of the Camera.

Jo and Becca opening presents.

Calvin and Robert opening their stockings.

Grampa Whitey opening his GPS. "For a man that has everything but a sense of direction.", said Daddy

Grammie and Mom

This is Johanna opening her knife. Calvin and Robert gave one to each of their sisters.

Calvin and Robert putting their stamp of approval on their sister's weapons.

The running joke was "This puts a whole new meaning to Bow/Beau hunting." and "All unworthy would be beaus beware!" (I know we're really warped)

Our techno Grinch.

Balancing Boowie knife Becca, balancing on the Bongo board!

We recieved this picture from our oldest sister Jennifer back home on Christmas morning. Here she is adorably four months pregnant and proudly displaying what she called "the Guppy Bowl"

Merry Christmas!

The Loveliness of Christ

"I am in this house of my pilgrimage every way in good case; Christ is most kind and loving to my soul: it pleaseth Him to feast with his unseen consolations a stranger, and an exiled prisoner: and I would not exchange my Lord Jesus , with all the comfort out of heaven; His yoke is easy, and His burden light. This is His truth I now suffer for; for he hath sealed it with His blessed presence."

Samuel Rutherford

Politics

Women Civil Magistrates?

Is it lawful to elect women civil magistrates? When the other options left to us are so bleak, it becomes a great temptation to say, "Yes!".  John McCain's nomination of Sarah Palin for Vice President has refanned this controversy in the church into a blaze. The old question is asked, "What about Deborah?". Without a doubt Sarah Palin's faith in Jesus Christ and her strong stand against the abomination of abortion makes her seem refreshing in comparison to almost every other option that has been given us in this election.  But is it really lawful by God's holy and inerrant standard to elect a woman civil magistrate? This past Sunday, due to our Minister, John Otis, being in England for a debate, our church listened to a sermon on this very subject by Pastor Joe Morecraft for the evening service.  It was a truly good sermon on this topic and I believe it was a great blessing and help to all of us to better understand this issue. I can most definitely  say it was a great help to me personally and my family, and I would urge any of you who can possibly make the time to please listen to it as well! Below I have posted the link where you can download it from sermonaudio.com.  I pray God will bless you through it! 

http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=914081731428

Psalm 119:34-35

"Give me understanding, that I may observe Thy law,

And keep it with all my heart.

Make me walk in the path of Thy commandments, 

For I delight in them."

Below I have also attached a letter written by Becky Morecraft to Sarah Palin.

September 3, 2008

Dear Sarah,

This letter is not written with the intention to demean or insult you on any level. Rather, I have a deep appreciation for you in many ways. We have many things in common—I am a Christian wife and mother of five children (one in Heaven, lost to miscarriage) and the grandmother of seven, so far—that makes me a few years older than you! I attended public schools where my mother, aunt and grandfather taught and graduated from a liberal arts college with a B.A. in English. My family has always taken strong public stands, especially when serious issues are at stake, even as you do. When my husband ran for U.S. Congress during President Reagan’s second bid for office, my children and I threw ourselves into the battle with all our time and energy. We have since supported several political candidates and are ready to do whatever we can to bring our nation back to its constitutional roots. We have taken a strong pro-life stand and given many women with unwanted pregnancies food and shelter in our own home. Oh, and I was a soccer mom and still am with my grandchildren!

But the primary basis for this letter is not simply common interests and commitments. From what I have learned of your faith, I believe that we are sisters in Christ and, therefore, both subject to His ‘rule of law’ from Scripture. It would appear that we share the belief that, ...“in Christ Himself are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” – Col. 2:2b,3. I assume the following statement of faith, taken from the Wasilla Bible Church website where I understand you often attend, summarizes your personal faith:

The Centrality of Christ

By God’s grace everything in the life of this church will revolve around the reality of Jesus Christ – who He is, what He has done, what He is doing, and what He will do. In the words of the early Church “He is Lord” and will be recognized as such in this church with an absolute allegiance that lifts Him above all others in our hearts, in our homes, and in our congregation. It is His commands that we will obey, His warnings that we will heed, and His promises that we will hold. In every endeavor we will rely upon His power, cherish His presence, and honor His name. We will, in sum, love Him.  (John 14:6)

Apparently, according to this additional statement copied from the church website, we also share the belief that God’s Word is the only solid base upon which to build our lives:

The Authority of Scripture

In order to experience and enjoy the centrality of Christ in our congregational life, we will submit to the authority of the Scriptures. They will be the foundational source of information and direction guiding our exploration of Christ’s reality. The Bible will be used to determine our doctrine, to shape our practice, and even, when needed to settle our differences with the conviction that it is the very Word of God. In all the confusion of varied opinions and above all the claims of religious authority we will hold to the scriptures as the Truth for both faith and practice. In them God has spoken and to them we will listen.  (2 Timothy 3:16, 17)

In accordance with these stated beliefs, I hope you agree that the serious Christian is one who wants to “think God’s thoughts after Him,” to shape every thought, word and deed according to His Word. Is God’s Word silent about the role of the woman and our relationship to men? No, it’s clear in its mandate:

But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of a woman, and God is the head of Christ. -- …he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man. -- For man does not originate from woman, but woman from man; for indeed man was not created for the woman’s sake, but woman for the man’s sake.- I Corinthians 11:3, 7, 8, 9

These verses have life-wide implications. First, it would seem obvious from this passage that in the marriage relationship, the husband is to be the functional head of the home and his wife his glorious ‘help-meet,’ a position so full-orbed for those who realize it that it is unparalleled. Entire books have been penned on this subject—I’m sure you are widely familiar with many of them as a Christian.

My friend, Susan Hunt, an Atlanta-based pastor’s wife, has written her commentary on how this verse and many others apply to the role of women in the church:

… our personal pilgrimages for the last fifteen years have solidified our adherence to the position of male headship in the church. We are increasingly convinced of the theological rightness of this position. …We further contend that rather than being restrained by our exclusion from ordination, women are actually freed from the restraint of positions of authority to be exquisite expressions of the Biblical meaning of a helper-leader. When women insist on role interchangeability within the church, everyone loses. -- Susan Hunt and Peggy Hutcheson, Leadership for Women in the Church, pp. 10, 11.

If these principles apply in the realm of the home and church, surely they apply more broadly in the civil realm. Because you are so gifted, Sarah, your talents are in great demand. What tremendous sacrifices you, your husband and children have made over the past few years as more and bigger opportunities to serve your fellow-man have been set before you, not only in your community and state, but now nationally. I do not hesitate to recognize that you are a remarkably talented woman. But I have some serious questions I hope you will consider.

As a Christian woman, a wife and mother, surely you have wrestled with what has God called you to do. How are you to order your priorities according to Scripture? Are you over-stepping the boundaries His Word has set for you when you hold public office? I believe you are. Will you really be able to devote the time and energy necessary to raise your children as a public office holder? I think they will be cheated by receiving too little time from an exhausted, distracted mother. What sacrifices will your husband be required to make? He should be the head of your home not just a “figure-head”. What message are you sending to the young women of our nation concerning their God-given role? Did an all-wise God ‘forget’ that there are extenuating circumstances where a woman may be needed in leadership? No, He has a perfect standard and we must “trust and obey” believing that He Who has been faithful will never fail His people. He will provide leadership as well as the discipline we deserve when we lack it.

These are difficult questions, especially since it would appear you have already set a course that can’t be altered. But I believe the question in your mind should not be, “What am I capable of doing,” or, “What are the opportunities I have to serve;” rather, I believe only one question is a valid one for you as a Christian woman: “What does God’s Word tell me I should be doing.”

One of my favorite authors was a little-known, brilliant Southern woman of the 19^th century named Augusta Jane Evans. In her great novel, St. Elmo, through her main character, Edna Earle, she battles to save a Christian moral and social order, “taking her stand on the principle that woman can be most influential in society as a woman.” (italics mine) - Richard Weaver, Southern Tradition at Bay, p. 275.

Believing that the intelligent, refined, modest Christian women were the real custodians of national purity, and the sole agents who could arrest the tide of demoralization breaking over the land, she [Edna] addressed herself to the wives, mothers, and daughters of America; calling upon them to smite their false gods, and purify their shrines at which they worshipped. Jealously she contended for every woman’s right which God and nature had decreed her sex. The right to be learned, wise, noble, useful, in woman’s divinely limited sphere. The right to influence and exalt the circle in which she moved. The right to mount the sanctified beam of her own quiet hearth-stone; the right to modify and direct her husband’s opinion, if he considered her worthy and competent to guide him; the right to make her children ornaments to their nation, and a crown of glory to their [people]; the right to advise, to plead, to pray; …the right to be all the phrase ‘noble Christian woman’ means. But not the right … to trail her heaven-born purity through the dust and mire of political strife; to ascend the rosta [sic] of statesmen, whither she may send a worthy husband, son, or brother, but whither she can never go, without disgracing all womanhood.- p. 395

Sarah Palin, God calls you to a higher position than the vice-presidency of the United States. He calls you to be the most influential woman in the world today, perhaps in history, by taking your stand on the Biblical principle of His divine model of womanhood. I implore you to see yourself, not as a candidate for political office, but as a cherished child of Christ, in subjection to His prescribed pattern for life. I earnestly pray that you will make every effort to “arrest the tide of demoralization breaking over our land” as you call upon the mothers and daughters of America to “contend for every woman’s right which God has decreed upon us: the right to be learned, wise, noble, and useful in our divinely limited sphere…the right to be all the phrase ‘noble Christian woman’ means.” [paraphrasing Augusta Jane’s quote above]

I pray that you will demonstrate an even greater humility and strength of character than we have seen thus far by admitting you have taken the wrong path in accepting the nomination for vice president and ask to be released from this commitment. I will persevere in prayer for you and your family. May God richly bless you as you are faithful to Him. I would be happy to talk with you or to correspond in any way that may prove helpful. My contact information is at the bottom of this letter.

“See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the traditions of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.” – Col. 2:8

Random Post of the week 2

Cowboy George and the Dragon





















The other morning when feeding the horse I, Johanna, ran into an unexpected obstacle. It would be infinitely more exciting if I said it was a foul breathed, fire breathing, hideous scaly dragon; as the title of this post might suggest. And that there was a giant tournament held to decide which knight was the bravest in the land to come rescue me. However I am very glad to say that this is not the case. For one I don't cherish the idea of being held captive by an over sized fire breathing Gieco gecko with wings. And two I have never been quite comfortable with the idea of just one brave knight coming to rescue me. If I were really being held captive by a dragon, I would want the whole army, peasants with pitch forks, and who ever else could be found to come to my rescue! Not just one brave fool dressed like a Jiffy Pop pan!!! That aside I return to my trip to feed the horse. On my way I was surprised when I nearly stepped on something that was long, red, black, and yellow. Most commonly known for his little rhyme ''Red and yellow kill a fellow'' I returned to the house, and with complete calm and composure yelled, "CalViN!...CAlvIn!...CALVIN!!! There is a Coral snake outside, and I just nearly stepped on it!" Well maybe not complete composure, but I tried. This is not our Coral snake, but this is what he looked liked.
Coral snakes are (I believe) the most poisonous snake in North America, but not the most dangerous due to there slowness, small mouths, and lack of fangs. All the same they are not the kind of guest that are nice to have around.

Cowboy George came to my rescue, and I did not mind that he did not have an army with him. Due to the slowness of the coral snake, and my brother's promptness it was not hard to relocate the foul serpent. My brother then proceeded with reconstructive surgery, or rather destructive surgery with the machete. We quickly learned why God said he would crush the serpents head rather then just cut him in half. Though in more then one piece that snake thought he could still slither off. It was then we realized this serpent was a proponent of The Divine Right of Snakes and more drastic measures had to be taken. There was only one way to dispatch a tyrant such as this. With drum roll beating and a cry of "Sic sempre tyranous!", we executed the slippery serpent by severing the head from the body and thus ended his life. The danger passed, the horse was fed, and the snake left to the birds. We named the snake Charles Stuart after King Charles Stuart I of England. The tyrant king who was known for his slippery ways, forked tongue, belief in the divine right of kings, and who met the same fate as our snake for his crimes against the people of England in 1649.

THE END

Random post of the week

~Life~

He may live without books,-what is knowledge but grieving?

He may live without hope,- for what is hope but deceiving?

He may live without love,-what is passion but pining?

But where is the man who can live without dining?

Author unknown

2007 California trip 2

There at last!

After a long second day of travel we made it to our destination. We met Grampa Whitey and Grammie in Monterey where they were treating us to a high class stay at the Pacific Grove. After some time we settled down and goodnights were said, we retired for the night and retreated from the cold to a wonderful night's sleep in comfortable rooms with warm cheery fire places.

Jo and Becca kiss Grandpa goodnight.


The morning broke cool, crisp, and beautiful. We broke our fast in the suites' charming dining room. Here we have the knights of the breakfast table round.

Sir Robert

Sir Calvin

Lady Johanna

Lady Rebecca

The Rock incident

The four of us brave knights finished our breakfast first, so we left to go do some exploring. Behind the dining room we found a wonderful pile of inviting boulders and rocks to climb on. We didn't have many big rocks to climb back home, so the temptation was irresistible... to at least two of us. The one downside to this wonderful natural jungle gym was that it was in plain view of the dining room's large windows and French doors. Calvin and I just had to climb those rocks though! There were no signs saying not to, and who cares if a few breakfasters see you climbing some rocks? Robert and Rebecca could not be convinced however, and made sure they were far enough away and out of sight so as not to be associated with us. They were sure we were going to cause an avalanche. Combined Calvin and I didn't even weigh three hundred pounds, how could we displace several thousand pound boulders? Full of adventure we climbed.

It was beautiful up there! There was a delicious breeze blowing, the gentle winter sun was warm, and you could just see glittering Monterey bay over the tree tops. We tried to persuade Robert and Rebecca up again, they really did not know what they were missing! But they were stubburn and kept reminding us of unwanted eyes watching from the dining room .

Nevertheless we enjoyed ourselves. We hopped from rock to rock, enjoyed each view, and took pictures. After some time we eventually decided to come down. Calvin started down first, as spry as a mountain goat he hopped from boulder to boulder to rock...OoPs! Calvin stumbled as the very last rock he stepped on coming down shifted loose. Three mouths gaped open, six eyes nearly popped out, all hearts stopped. Not at our brother who quickly recovered himself, but at that giant rock rolling towards that big pretty dining room French window........Thud! WHEW! It just missed and hit the side of the building instead! Four sets of hearts started again. As a matter of fact they jump started into overdrive. The thought of eyes from the dining room suddenly became an uncomfortable reality. I scrambled down as quick as I could and tried to help Calvin remove the rock from the side walk and replace it where it belonged. Hmmmm... For being so willing to roll in the first place, it sure wasn't in a hurry to get back! Twerpish Rock! We pushed, we pulled, we grunted, we strained, turned red in the face and then.....! Nothing. We never got that stupid rock to budge as much as an inch. I have no idea how Calvin bouncing on it caused it to move in the first place! It was a special act of providence, and that is all anyone can say! It was meant to be there I suppose. Our efforts to move the dumb rock were obviously futile, and when someone who had seen our shenanigans from the dining came out and suggested we just leave the despised piece of matter alone before we hurt ourselves, we took her suggestion. Who knows, to this day it might still be lying rolled up against the dining room as proof of the Martinez clowns having been there.
We were not yet done with our scene making for the morning. Later right before we left, Calvin managed to catch one of Robert's fast balls in the nose while playing catch. You would have thought that you were at a crime sceen if you saw the mess it made in the parking lot!


Monterey Bay

Later we drove down to the bay, it was beautiful. We were really looking froward to the giant twenty foot tall waves Grandpa kept telling us about.Wow! Look at that wave! To poor Grandpa's chagrin the only waves that day barely broke twenty inches, and perhaps would make a tide pool proud! (Grandpa you need to come to Texas and see some real waves!)
Waves or no waves it was beautiful.
And cold! BuRrRrR!

Lone Cypress Point

The lone Cypress is the most photographed tree in the world.

Grandpa & Grammie took us on the Seventeen mile drive.
As you can see it was quite beautiful as well!

Johanna, Rebecca, Calvin, and Robert with Lone Cypress in the background.

Mum and Dad

After Monterey we took a trip down Highway 1 and saw Big Sur

Mother and daughter

Mom backdropped by Big Sur

We stopped at the Phoenix for lunch and warmed ourselves up with hot cocoa and coffees.

Shopping in Carmel

After Big Sur we went to Carmel and saw the two houses that Great Grampa built.

A very full and good day!

(Except for the rock)