Abortion Thoughts

I read a number of blogs of women who are ardently pro-choice. I don’t know why I read them. Perhaps it is just because I like to read the thoughts of people who have a radically different world view than my own. I am bored to tears reading the words of those who I agree with on most every subject. Especially if I disagree with the way the promote their ideas.

For some reason those who are pro-life have been labeled Super-Christians, murderers, haters, and so forth. I wish I could disagree with you, but when I look around I see much of the same even as a pro-life Christian. Here are some of my thoughts.

As a Christian you are called to love others. It is tough to do that standing in front of an abortion clinic holding a sign that calls scared teenage girls murderers.

As a Christian you are called to proclaim the good news of Christ, which is about forgiveness of sin. You are not called to convict others of their sin. That is the Holy Spirits job. You aren’t any good at it anyway.

Abortion is a sin…… So is hating someone. In fact it is the same as murder to God. I wonder if you are guilty of that. As you know, if you have broken just one of the laws you are guilty of breaking the whole law, hence the need for Christ and His good news.

Do I believe abortion is a good thing? No. But I believe as Christians we are fighting the wrong battle. Instead we should love those who are hurting, provide food for those in need. We should provide medical care for those in need, and show the lost world that there is a better way. Not doing so with an air of contempt, but with compassion and understanding.

Women who have had abortions have not done so on a whim, and many times they are hurting over the difficult decision. Standing in front of them calling them murderers is not what Christ would do. He would show compassion. Will you?

Another Pregnant Man

The headline to the story reads "Another Pregnant Man". I remember when the first of these stories came out a while back, and my reaction is the same the second time around. THIS IS NOT A MAN.

For some reason the media promotes this as though it were a man who by some freak of nature was able to conceive a child and carry it to term I don't know somewhere in his urethra. That is obviously not the case here. Just like the first time around we have a woman who has been changed surgically to look like a man. Fine. I don't care what you want to do to your own body. If you want to add a third eyeball because you feel that you were supposed to be born a tri-clops, whatever, that is your business. But please then don't act as though you are doing something special.

You may look like a man, but so what, all your parts are still woman on the inside. I mean for goodness sake the lunch lady at the high school has a moustache and is well on the way to a beard. That doesn't make her a man either. For the record, no man has EVER given birth to a child, and they never will.

To add to the odd factor here, the partner is also a woman. So, we have two women who are both surgically altered to appear like men. They then couple up and date another woman who looks like a man.

For the sake of this child I really pray these parents can provide some sort of positive identity to this life they have created. This baby will have two mothers pretending to be fathers, and no one to actually be a mother or is that father. You see the dilemma.

Same Sex Marriage Fails Again

Same sex marriage still has a zero percent passage rate when put to a vote by the people of ANY state. Zero percent. That isn't very good. Is it?

(photo from AP story)

What REALLY happened

For those of you reading our facebook you are likely to think that my wife had to have a leg and half an arm amputated after our recent ATV accident. I'll clear the air. Yes we, or I, rolled it with her on the back. After reading her accounts you are likely to think we (read I) rolled this 4 wheel drive vehicle at a speed of roughly 75 miles per hour, causing us to be flung from the "vehicle of death" headlong until we collided with the ground causing injuries requiring immediate hospitalization.

Perhaps we remember this incident a bit differently as I ended up with no visible injuries, and she ended up with a couple bruises and a scraped arm. Here is how I would describe the incident.

From a complete stop we began to spin around in a donut. As we reached a 180 degree turn the vehicle began to tip. Unable to stop the momentum we fell off the side of the ATV from a height of approx. 3 feet. As we landed the vehicle continued to tumble and for a brief moment trapped my wife's leg under the metal roll bar. Which she easily pulled out from under vehicle. I was easily able to flip the ATV back onto it's wheels and we were motoring on in a matter of moments.

However, not wanting a good crisis to go to waste my wife is getting some really good "guilt mileage" out of the incident. Examples include; waking in the middle of the night, then waking me, pointing at the barely scratched elbow, making a pout face, and saying oh so sweetly, "will YOU get me a drink of water, It hurts too bad to get up."

... and my wife thinks it's funny.

I will keep this post short as it requires very little explanation.

Mother buys underwear in a roll from Wal-mart.
Gets them home unrolls them. Doesn't like them.

My wife takes them... AND IS WEARING THEM!

I am NOT ok with this. Sure my mother never wore them, But she did own them.

Quick Adoption Update

Today while I was working my wife headed to Billings for an all church garage sale to benefit those adopting from Ethiopia. We had been under the impression that it would take a LONG time to get a placement from the agency we are working with. As it turns out, that has not been the case for a few other families.

Just as soon as they turned in their cash to the agency they were given placements. What does that mean? Well, we may be able to have pictures of our kids soon. Of course we are not exactly swimming in cash, so it may take us a bit longer than some of the other families, but we are still very excited about this news.

I don't normally use this as place to talk about our adoption, but well, I'm excited. So deal with it.

Yellowstone on the Holiday Weekend

This is a small lake just south of Yellowstone lake. Most of Yellowstone lake was frozen over. This lake on the other hand was created when magma and water combined under the surface of the earth... exploded from the steam pressure and is constantly refilled from the underground stream..... or so the info describing the lake claimed.

This is taken right on the edge of Yellowstone lake. One of the few spots of the lake not completely frozen over at this point. I'm not sure what kind of bird/duck this is. It has webbed feet like a duck, but a beak like a bird. Any help here...

See... I told you it was still frozen over. And you didn't believe me.

Elk. Taken near one of the many steam pots.

Obligatory shot of a bison. They are in abundance in Yellowstone. This was about 15 feet from the side of our vehicle.

This picture of a moose was not taken inside Yellowstone but about 30 miles outside the park. About an hours drive from our place.

This is a picture of my wife attacking me completely unprovoked, with a big ball of snow and ice. She would like you to believe I had thrown a snowball at her first. She is not to be believed. She lies... a lot.

Firing the Cable Company

As of yesterday afternoon my wife and I no longer subscribe to cable television. When we were first married we went with out cable for the first year. During that time we read, I worked in my wood shop, and we found other things to do as well.

Our cable bill went up to 120 dollars this past month and finally we said enough already. It isn't that TV is the devil or anything, it is just a time killer. Here are the shows I will continue to watch on-line.

House

Hell's Kitchen

Lie to Me

I will miss out on American Idol...but will watch football with my folks when the season picks up again this fall. In the mean time I will save $1440 a year. All while still able to watch my favorite shows with no commercials. Why didn't I do this sooner. That will be an additional $1440 to go towards our adoption.

The line item veto, your best friend when doing the family budget.

Adoption Blog

My wife had asked me if I'd want to simply use my existing blog to become our adoption blog. Well the answer is no. I am far to indulgent to give up my home of political and religious rants to give this one up.

So, in light of that fact, Here is the link to our new blog where you can follow our adoption process, and find out a little bit more about us.

Getting Fired!

I never thought getting fired might be the best thing that could happen. Last fall I began working at a job that while I enjoyed, was extremely stressful for my family as my schedule was very hectic. Often times I would leave the house at 6am and return as late as 9pm. As you can imagine after scarfing down a meal I was soon off to bed. Apparently my wife was wanting a little more time than that.


I knew she was wanting more time, but who quits a job in this economy without one to replace it. Didn't seem smart to me. Long story short, on March 15th I was informed that my services would no longer be needed. That's how you say, "You're Fired!, when you don't want your former employee to arrive on the company doorstep with a gun. I was without a job. For the first time in my life I had been fired.


I had imagined I would be upset by the news. I wasn't. I had imagined that I would be worried about how I would provide for my family. I wasn't. Instead I found that I had peace about the situation.


I start my new job tomorrow. I didn't really even have to look. It fell into my lap. I will be earning at least the same amount, quite possibly more. I will have insurance that was previously unavailable. And I will have more time to spend with my wife... and this blog. Both of which have been neglected.

The word of the day boys and girls is providence.

I'm Still Alive...

I had the opportunity to fulfull a life long dream yesterday. As you readers are very astute I'm guessing you figured out I'm talking about skydiving. What an experience. My brother and sister-in-law called to let me know that they were going to jump, and my intention was only to go watch them land.

When I arrived I learned they had one extra spot available if someone wanted join in. While this wasn't exactly a cheap endevour I thought, "What the heck". I called my wife. She did not answer, I took that to mean, "It's okay dear, what ever you think".

I watched my family land and then it was my turn. You would think it might be a good idea to get more than a 1 minute breifing on what you are about to do. Aparently that is something you shouldn't really worry about as you prepare to dive head long out of an airplane.

The airplane took off and I was sitting in the tail of small plane strapped to the front end of a very large man. At least he asked my name before cinching down the straps that brought us closer than any first date should bring two people. As we reached 10 thousand feet, about 6 thousand off the ground the door was opened and before long the first set of jumpers were out the door. Do I really want to do this? It was my turn.

We waddled towards the door and I was dangling my feet out the door and under the plane. The wind was intense. I tucked my hands under my shoulder straps and put my head back on the shoulder of the big burly man named Jeff into whose expertise I was about to place my life. Three times Jeff told me to arch my body, and the next thing I knew, I was hurling groundward at 120 miles per hour.

I had wondered why they didn't prep me further as to what to do during the fall, and now I know why. Even the few things I was told in the 1 minute prep period went flying out the window the moment my body was falling out of the sky.

My heart was beating faster than I could ever have imagined, and I lost complete sense of my surroundings. I believe we did one forward flip as we exited the plane. This was the most unnerving portion of the whole experience. Following the flip we arched our bodys and began to fall straight down. Slowly spinning counter clockwise during the fall. I'm pretty sure my instructor was causing this intentionally. I freed my armes and allowed them to float next to my head as I fell. This was my favorite part of the jump. It lasted for about 30 seconds.

I had no warning, when suddenly the straps between my legs went taught and I quickly began to slow. I looked up and sure enough the bright green shoot was filling with air and was saving our lives as advertised.

During the fall Jeff placed us into a couple of tight spins. Amazing to feel as the g-forces once again pressed the harness tight against my body much like the carnival rides you experience that caused you to lose your lunch as a youngster. I watched the first jumper land flawlessly below me.

It was time for us to prepare to land. My instructor now told me to stand up on his feet much like a 6 year old girl dancing with her father. When I did he unhooked the lower harnesses which would allow my lower body to move independent of his. We were now on final approach, and the ground was closing quickly.

We were planning on doing what is called a sliding landing, where you land on your butts. At the last minute Jeff pulled the cords we slowed up and were able to simply place our feet back on solid ground.

As I recount the experience my hands almost begin to shake and I can feel the adrenilene once again pump through my vains. I checked to make sure all vital parts were still attached they were, then I realized, I should call my wife......

Marriage Contracts In Saudi Arabia

Saudi marriage officiant Dr. Ahmad al-Mu’bi told Lebanese television viewers last week that it’s permissible for girls as young as 1 to marry — as long as sex is postponed.
Al-Mu’bi’s remarkable comments also included an explanation that “there is no minimal age for entering marriage.”
“You can have a marriage contract even with a 1-year-old girl, not to mention a girl of 9, 7 or 8,” he said. “But is the girl ready for sex or not?” What is the appropriate age for sex for the first time? This varies according to environment and tradition,” al-Mu’bi said. - Fox News

Close Encounter with 4 Gay Women

The vehicle rolled in slowly though it was still running. Just as soon as the Ford Explorer stopped people started hopping out. The first two were ordinary bubbly young ladies. The second two on the other hand gave away what this was all about. Not the flat tire on the rear drivers side, not yet visible from my vantage point, but that this group was in town for the gay pride rally.

With me were two other guys. We watched for a moment as these 4 women, 2 of which looked like women, made an attempt at solving the problem that ailed them. It was not going well. They quickly located the jack and a tire iron, but looked at them with bewilderment as it was one of those factory installed contraptions with many pieces which must be connected before use. They could not locate the spare tire, despite 2 of them apparently wanting to be men.

Off my companions and I went to the rescue. We quickly removed the spare tire from its neatly hidden location, and replaced the flat with its full size spare. Problem was the spare was low on air. Not an issue for us. As men are required to have at all times an air compressor within arms reach. The spare was inflated to its proper level and all in under 5 minutes.

2 of the women dressed in flowing sun dresses were grateful for our efforts, and thanked us sincerely. The remaining half of their party, dressed in baggy clothes to hide any hint of a womanly figure, scowled at us scarcely uttering a word.

I am only left to presume this look was intended as some sort of "man to man" intimidation. It is good to know that no matter how perverse our society becomes, no matter what gender a woman decides to see romantically, there will always be a place for a man when it comes to changing tires... and killing spiders.

Blood Sport

Let men be men. Lets face it, guys enjoy fighting. Most guys anyway. We enjoy the battle even if we lose. On May 24th I'll be watching the latest Ultimate Fighting Championship fights. Yes it is brutal and sometimes bloody. So what is wrong with that.

Stop feminizing men. Let us be warriors. Let us fight for what is right. Let us celebrate what it is to be a man.

To be a man you should;

Show love to your family sometimes through physical affection.
Support your wife if you have one.
Encourage your kids if you have them.

Some would like to end the list there. However, There is more to this story.

Be the provider for your family. (Shelter, food, clothing..etc)
Be the spiritual leader for you family.
Protect your family from harm.
Fight for what is right.

Usually fighting for what is right just means standing firm and using words. On occassion, however, it means using force.

This was not a complete list. Feel free to ad to it if you like.

Seeing Old Friends

I am the second in a series of 3 boys. I know what your thinking, and you're right. My mother deserves a medal. There is only about 5 years age difference between us, and since early highschool we have grown very close. The oldest of the three was married 5 years ago, I was married 3 years ago, and the youngest, Jerimiah, took his vows this weekend.

Since my brothers and I are so close in age we pretty much enjoy the same company and have mutual friends. Many of whom were in the wedding party or in attendance this weekend. Long story short I laughed until I cried, and my stomach still hurts today in the after effects.

Good friends. I'll take them over cars, homes and money. The good ones will travel any distance or endure any cost when you need them. Congradulations to my baby brother and thanks to all our friends who made the trip. I hope to see you soon.

One more thing. It is possible there is a video floating about with my brother and me dancing to dualling banjos. I would encourage you not to watch it but I'm sure that it would only fuel your curiousity. Keep checking back. I'm sure someone will sell me out.