Around The Bend
https://chocolatecastles.com/2016/04/07/around-the-bend/
— Read on chocolatecastles.com/2016/04/07/around-the-bend/
As I sit here before heading out for a family celebration, both Randy and I have so much to give thanks. Last evening we had some friends over to celebrate Randy’s birthday. As we were saying goodbye to our friends at the end of the evening, we sat down to just go over the night,; we both felt such a gratitude for God placing us in a place where people are so grateful for this land of ours. It was exciting to open the door as they arrived and see several of the men wearing shirts with stars and stripes, or material that looked like the American flag. As we talked through the evening we discovered that, no matter the different backgrounds which we all had come from, we were there laughing and bonding over desserts and talking about how blessed we felt to live in a place where we felt safe and loved. It made me truly grateful for the Fourth. I don’t know if it is because we are getting older and thinking more of what all we have been blessed with, but it was so great to have people around us that greeted us with “Happy 4th” and acknowledging how many of the men here last night served this great country.
Some of us watched on Utube, our church we were a part of back in Dallas, as the church recognized each military group and sang the respective song which still makes my heart swell with pride as the giant flag is brought in. I don’t think I have ever sang God Bless American with out crying. It is sad that so many of our young people do not even know the words to Star Spangled Banner or have not said the Pledge of Allegiance in years.
Am so grateful that is is still the Land of the Free, and home of the brave. Let us all today, take a moment to really think of how blessed our lives and families are because of the “rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air, gay proof through the night, that our flag was still there, oh say does that star spangled banner yet wave, ore the land of the Free and the home of the Brave.” Thank you to everyone who has sacrificed so much that we can celebrate today with friends, fireworks and great food. We owe so much to you. May we never forget! God Bless America!
There is a gospel group called Hearts in Tune, which is a favorite of mine. This morning upon hearing more of the tragedy that is going on not only in Dallas, but over the world, those words just kept coming to me, “Hearts in Tune.” It is so very sad to me to listen to commentator after commentator in the media discussing the events taking place. Most of them continue to stress more gun control, more laws and more government programs, thinking that will solve the problem that is taking place in our world.
Never before has our country had such “freedoms”, so many policies and so many programs, all aimed at making America great. In spite of all of the above, America has continued to decline, morally, spiritual and economically. Our families institutions are being destroyed, along with our children, who will be growing up in a world where anything goes. We have continued to push God out of our lives, our families, government and out of some of our churches. We push for more gun control, yet we continue to kill innocent babies. We march for equal rights, when all the time, more rights just bring more confusion and more turmoil.
When will our leaders realize that no matter the policies, programs and laws, until our country falls on its knees in acknowledgment that we need God, hearts will never be “in tune”. What our country needs is a heart that follows after God and his laws. He has promised us that if we follow His plan and His commands, our land will be blessed. What is it going to take to turn us back to Him? I think we are seeing what it will take, more violence, more sin and more “freedoms” which really don’t make us free at all. Our freedom must be in God and God alone, then and only then will we be free to live the lives that He intended.
Just finished watching Donald Trump answer questions from reporters on TV. As I sat here listening, so many thoughts came over me. Hearing him talk of how American can be great again, brings hope to me. But it cannot happen overnight or without change in each and every home. I have never really been very politically involved, which as a Christian, I should be ashamed. We sit here complaining about how American has become a country without God in our values, schools and communities. This summer I heard our daughter say, “oh, we don’t pay attention to much to who is even running, because it just doesn’t effect us”. I said the same thing for years, as our kids were growing up and feeling that it just didn’t matter too much who was leading our country. It makes me sad that I didn’t teach our children that voting was a privilege and honor. We drove by our church school this morning after the service. As I looked at it, it came to my mind that I had never heard about any church school which had had a shooting incident. Why is that? Do our leaders think about the fact that yes, churches are not perfect, nor or their schools. But as parents, shouldn’t we realize that the Godly values that are taught in Biblical based schools teach not only respect for others, but for the student themselves. Maybe the faith based schools have more accountability, more discipline and require more from the students? That everyone must answer for their decisions?
Can we not see the results of a society which has taken God out of everything?
Why is it that our National leaders have not figured out that as they have tried to make America a country of “a country which has given us so many freedoms and rights” we have actually built a country which has taught a whole generation that there are no consequences for bad decisions. That as they have ‘lead a nation to accept all religions” we have neglected the religion which this country was founded, which taught that we were to respect God and try to live according to His laws? That hard work to better yourself was a blessing, not a curse. That Godly principles gave people a sense of purpose and security of knowing that we were under God’s authority. We didn’t have the chaos or a whole generation which is looking for an “easy life”. Life had meaning…because it looked to God for values and morals. America has lost the respect of the world, is it any wonder? Families have been torn apart by divorce. Children run our homes, not the parents, as we want to be their “friends”. Children have no boundaries and we wonder why they grow up to be adults which feel entitlement.
We have allowed all these “freedom’s”, which have taken our God given rights to pursue Him. It’s sad that I didn’t speak out and work for what my heart truly believed. That our Nation can be great again. But it will only come, when we, as a nation, get on our knees, acknowledging that we need God. We need Him not only in our everyday lives, but in our schools and in our homes. Then, and only then will we bring back respect within our Nation and from other countries that use to look at us and know that we were truly “one nation under God”!
On this Labor Day 2020, may we do our part to put God back into our Nation…one family at a time!
I love fireworks, I love what they stand for. We have had a whirlwind of company the past 2 weeks with more family coming in from Austin today. I just made the pioneer woman’s incredible chocolate sheet cake. My son coming in from Austin is bringing his new “friend” for us to meet. I have seen pictures of her from FB and some texts that they sent us when he went to Chicago to visit her. But getting to meet her has brought up many memories. I remember meeting my husbands mom and dad and how nervous I was. What would I wear, would I have a good hair day? Would I sound silly or be able to act the way I felt they expected? Is all this going on in her mind?
It is so different to be on the other side of the “meeting the parents” day. I got up, showered, put on shorts, flip flops and thought, “oh well, my hair looks good enough”. Or wait, does it? Should I iron the shorts and make them look nicer? Should I put on my whole face, with eye makeup and all? Do I go ahead and wear perfume? What if she is allergic to perfume? What if she is allergic to nuts that I put in the chocolate cake? I need to dust and sweep and clean the bathrooms before they get here.
I guess it really isn’t much different. No matter the age, no matter the circumstance, we all still feel that we need other’s approval. As we age, the approval doesn’t seem as intense, but we still want everything to be perfect for meeting people that might be a very special part of our family.
So we have cleaned the house, baked favorite dishes for our son and will hopefully make her feel most welcome. We have a sign over our back door that says, “Enter as Strangers, Leave As Friends”….that is what we hope will happen this weekend.
Have a glorious 4th and remember to stop, pray and thank God for the freedoms we do still have and for the families that still sacrifice so much for us to have those freedoms.
America, God shed His grace on thee, and crown thy good with brotherhood, from sea to shining sea!
We are sitting here, watching news before heading out with some of our kids to watch fireworks. We love fireworks and picnics. It is truly one of the most fun activities that I look forward to every summer. As we were watching the news and listening to warnings regarding possible threats by terrorist across the country, we are reminded to be aware of our surroundings, and report any suspicious behavior.The last several years, it has been such a heavy thought to me that our leaders choose to not see how our country has spiraled down to become a country that sees more and more violence. They try to tell us that it is because we need more “programs”.
We have continually pushed God out of our country, our schools and our families. We then wonder why we are seeing more school shootings, more violence against churches and constant rising in crime across our land.
Talking to teachers, we hear that things are very different now. Years ago, when they talked to parents regarding discipline problems they are having with the child, parents use to ask what they could do to show support to the teacher and offer their help in disciplining the child. Now. more times than not, when teachers have to have a parent teacher conference, it results in the parents placing blame on the teacher, because “the child certainly is not to blame.”
Times have changed. We no longer have the freedoms that we once did, because everything we say or do seems to violate another person’s comfort or “rights”. The days we live in seem to have escalated into days of people having no respect for themselves or others. Children are not taught boundries.
When we look back over the last 10 years, it is easy to see the results of a nation which doesn’t allow discipline in schools. We are no longer teaching our children to honor the real heros. The heros that the children hold in high esteem, seem to have no morals themselves. It amazes me that our leaders all over the country do not recognize that when discipline left the schools, new problems arose. We have more gangs, more drugs, more children being bullying, more kids ending up in prison. Families have changed. Because of the times which allow any thing that seems ‘right” we have a nation that confuses truth with “rights”.
This post might sound pretty negative, but our nation is no longer a nation “under God”. As we continue to spiral down, troubles continue to spiral out of control. News is full of stories of people being killed, some by even family members
.Our wonderful Nation that was formed by men who truly were heros, knew that sacrifices were being made for others. Their Godly convictions were convictions that were based on God’s truths, that we were given to guide us. If we followed those laws and commands given to us by our Creator, our Country would still have problems, but we would be a blessed people, with God as our model.
Why, in the 40’s and 50’s when we allowed God in our schools and taught respect in our homes, did we not have the problems which we have today? Hum….
It is with these thoughts that I thank the many many people who have sacrificed so much for the freedom that we still celebrate. It breaks my heart that the Country which they have fought for has abused so many of the freedoms. That America has become a country full of people who feel entitled to “things”, which in the past, people worked hard to receive. This has created a generation of people who don’t like to work or respect those who do.
It is great that our forefathers cannot see what American has become. America, from sea to shining sea….let’s realize our mistakes and turn our country back to what it is suppose to be, One Nation, Under God!
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