Keeping the Sabbath: A Delight

"Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. You shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy." - Exodus 20:8-11

This being the fourth of the Ten Commandments, my husband and I started recognizing the Sabbath day earlier this year. Why we hadn't done it sooner, I really don't know. I guess we figured since we go to church on Sunday, that we were sort of recognizing that commandment already. But then, I started questioning what if there was some significance to the actual "seventh day" (being Saturday) deserving our observance?

In Matthew 24 Jesus spoke to his disciples concerning Signs of the End of the Age. He said in verse 20, "Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath." That reference indicated to me a specific day still being recognized even after Jesus' resurrection.

Then my attention was drawn to Genesis 2:3 and the tail end of the Commandment itself, "the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy." This day is blessed by God himself...He set it apart from the rest of the week. All we are asked to do is remember/observe it, by keeping it set apart, and to refrain from our work.

"'If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the LORD's holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, then you will find your joy in the LORD, and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.' The mouth of the LORD has spoken." - Isaiah 58:13-14

The Sabbath truly is a delight: a 24-hour date with the Creator of the Universe; a gift made specifically for all mankind to enjoy; a weekly vacation from the workaday world; a family retreat like no other. I highly recommend it!

God of the Ages

Changing Views on Motherhood

Today marks the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision. What a sad day in our nation's history. I have always had a soft spot in my heart for the abortion issue because it has always been my understanding that life begins at conception. And the termination of a pregnancy is a termination of a life.

Last year, at the DC March for Life I was exposed to dozens of stories of mothers & fathers who regretted their abortions. It had an extreme impact on me and really demonstrated the many more victims affected by this horrific Supreme Court decision.

Then more recently, I had a change of heart on the significance of motherhood.

MY EARLY PERSPECTIVE

I was raised to value the sanctity of human life and abortion was never an option (except possibly in the cases of rape and incest). Not much was said about birth control except abstinence was the best way to avoid pregnancy. Beyond that I never paid much attention to having children, since I wasn't married.

Then I got married.

I wanted children, so birth control was never a consideration. So, within the first six months I was blessed with the news of a double pink line: a baby!

AFTER BABY #1

After she was born, I was instructed to refrain from sexual intercourse for the first six weeks, but I needed to start thinking about whether or not I wanted to have another child right away.

In my fairy tale mind, I always thought it would be good to space the children apart...about two years was good. However I didn't feel comfortable with the idea of using contraceptives because it seemed so unnatural, so I stuck with what worked my whole single life. Abstinence. Of course, that didn't work very well for my marriage.

Within a few months I became pregnant again. Oops, I messed up in my counting. The timing couldn't have been worse. We had just moved, our old house wasn't ready to leave, our new house wasn't ready to move in, we moved in with my parents, I left my job, my husband left his business, we started a brand new business in a brand new industry, and I was majorly depressed. Not good timing at all.

AFTER BABY #2

After he was born, I had no problem with the doctor's orders to abstain. These children were 15 months apart. But then my allotted recovery time was over and my wifely duty was expected to kick back in. Again, I relied on the calendar, and goofed in my math. The big joke was how fertile I was.

I'd like to say we were excited about the double pink line this time, but I was in over my head with the two I already had. This was such bad timing. And to top it off my condition was frowned upon by my own mother. I was devastated. We didn't initially tell anybody else I was pregnant because frankly I didn't want to have to go through the same discouragement I felt after my mother's comments. We figured we'd just wait. It would be obvious soon enough.

After a few prenatal visits, there appeared to be a problem. My doctor could not hear a fetal heartbeat. I was told it could just be the position of the baby. So we scheduled another visit. Again, nothing. By this time, I was getting concerned. An ultrasound was scheduled.

My husband joined me for the sonogram. I saw the baby on the monitor. By this time I was a pro at pointing out certain features. Of course this was much earlier in the term than my previous tests, but I could see the heart. It was not beating.

Boy, for not wanting to be pregnant again at this early point in my marriage, the realization of that miscarriage was devastating. My husband consoled me, stating God had other plans. After the initial emotional shock, I was able to accept the fate of this child. But this experience made me treasure the miracle of the lives of my other children all the more.

AFTER BABY #3

Ten months later, after a very rocky road of counting, abstaining and giving in, we were greeted with the news of yet another double pink line. While my mother still made comments over the number of children I was having, I reminded her I had just as many as she did. The only difference was our age. By this time I was almost 38 years old. She was concerned about the health risks (understandably so). I was grateful we were blessed with another child. I came to appreciate every moment of this pregnancy.

During the final trimester God blessed us with a new church family. It was close to home, it met my need for spiritual growth and it was a very family-friendly environment. (The pastor had eight kids of his own.) This new-found appreciation for multiple children was so refreshing.

From the time he was born, he was cherished by all those around. I truly felt blessed by not only the miracle of life, but healthy, perfectly formed babies. Oh, how grateful I was.

AFTER BABY #4

As time passed, either my counting improved, my eggs got old or my abstinence grew, because I remained pregnant-free for more than a year, the longest stretch of time in my seven years of marriage. Unfortunately my anxiety level was going through the roof. I was so afraid of getting pregnant again.

I kept thinking of... having to start all over again, the growing health risks...and what would my mother think. I just could not bear the thought of having another child. Naturally, this put a strain on my marriage. Because I relied heavily on the most effective birth control method I knew.

Then God started working on my heart. Okay, maybe the work began long before, but I started recognizing that my having more children was not my decision to make. It was the Creator of mankind's.

You see, he ordained the institutions of marriage and family. His plan was for a man and woman to become one. It was His intention for us to be fruitful and multiply. He opens and closes wombs, and it is He who knits bodies together in a mother's womb.

My decision to methodically determine when not to meet my husband's needs, not only caused my marriage to suffer, I believe it grieved the heart of God. I was elevating myself to His level in attempting to orchestrate the blessing of conception, and this was so wrong.

I surrendered my will to His and stopped keeping track. I worked on becoming the best help meet God created me to be for my husband, and I left the miracle of life in His hands.

There was a point several months ago I thought I might have conceived. To say I was overjoyed would be a lie, but I wasn't dreading the possibility either. At that point my greatest inhibition was what my mother would say, but I figured God would help me through it.

It was a false alarm, but it caused my husband and I to talk about the possibilities, and it opened my mind to reconsider the sanctity of marriage and family and the sovereignty of God.

BIBLICAL PERSPECTIVE

"Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward." - Psalm 127:3 KJV

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb." - Psalm 139:13 NIV

"My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth," - Psalm 139:15 NIV

"Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." - Psalm 139:16 NIV

"Thy hands have made me and fashioned me: give me understanding, that I may learn thy commandments." - Psalm 119:73 KJV

"Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture." - Psalm 100:3 KJV

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." - Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

MY CURRENT PERSPECTIVE

I watched a DVD this past year called, Fearfully and Wonderfully Made and it fascinated me to watch how miraculous conception really is. The path taken by the sperm to fertilize an egg and all of its obstacles. The cell division and DNA code kept in tact. Absolutely remarkable.

It was always my understanding that it was the mother and father's doing, creating new life. After all we are made in the image of God...we have the ability to procreate. But then I've come to realize even the animals and plant life can procreate. It is God who made us, not we ourselves. It is He who knits us together in our mothers' wombs. And all the days that were ordained for us were written before they came to be. God is God, and I am not.

With this new realization of the Creator's hand in the lives of my children, the severity of the choice to end that life at any time is magnified. God miraculously causes conception after the sexual union of a man and woman. He uniquely fashions the child every step of the way in the womb. He has plans to give us hope and a future...all of us...every life He creates.

Who are we to snuff that life out...whether it be before or after conception? God have mercy on us all.

EDIT 12/24/14: At the time of this writing I was really hurt by my mother's reaction to my getting pregnant so often. Her concern I believe was over my age...I was 34 with my first child. While it really was a cause for stress in my life at the time, I have forgiven her.

Fluvanna Patriots Are Coming Together

You have probably heard of the "Tea Party Movement" or the "912 Project", but I'm not sure what you might know about them. Well, there was a groundswell of average Joes and Janes all across America this past year that started getting fed up with the reckless spending going on in Washington DC. Whether it was the banker bailouts, the pork-filled stimulus package, the automobile bailout, the cap 'n trade bill, or this most recent health care takeover bill, many Americans started standing up, shouting, "Stop it! That's Enough!"

Both Charlottesville and Richmond coordinated efforts in their respective regions to hold "Tea Party" protests/demonstrations, freedom rallies, etc. Up until now, if we wanted to get involved, we had to join forces with them. In fact, I helped launch the Charlottesville 912 Project, simply because folks wanted to come together and someone had to coordinate the first event. I took the initiative to plan the first event and that group has grown to over 170 members. Meanwhile, Bill Hay, a fellow patriot out of Ruckersville took the lead in coordinating the Jefferson Area (Charlottesville) Tea Party group and has done wonders with it.

Well, I have young children and can't very well go gallivanting off to Charlottesville and/or Richmond to help mobilize fellow patriots on a regular basis. Plus, my heart truly is here in Fluvanna, and I'd like to do my part to be an engaged citizen in my own hometown. So...

This past weekend marks the launch of Fluvanna Patriots, our own "Tea Party"-like Patriot group, and I'd like to invite you to join us. It's free of charge and consists of folks just like you and I, and you can be as involved as you want to be. If you just want to stay informed, this is a great way to do so. If you want to meet up with other like-minded folks here in the county, you can do that. If you want to get more involved in the community, this can be a valuable resource. I highly recommend coming on board.

We are simply "a non-partisan group of engaged Fluvanna County citizens concerned about the direction our country, state and county are headed." I've laid out what we believe on our website: http://fluvannapatriots.com/about/ I encourage you to check it out, and subscribe to the group by entering your name and email address at the website.

Please understand this is not about "politics", it's about citizenship and civic virtue. As fellow Americans, and fellow Fluvanna residents, we have an obligation to engage in our communities...to make this a better place for our families and those around us. I hope you'll join me.

If you have any questions about this group at all, please don't hesitate to ask.

Tom Perriello: Foe to the American People

Last week, I took my daughter into Washington DC to experience something I've never done before. We went to a Press Conference held on the steps of the Capitol Building, then went to pay our Congressman a visit.

My daughter was very excited about riding a train (the Metro) into DC, and I couldn't have been more pleased with the company we kept on the way in: other freedom-loving patriots disgusted with the HR 3962 Health Care Bill being considered by the House of Representatives.

We ducked out of the Press Conference a little early to get a head start on the tens of thousands of other folks wishing to speak to their congressman face to face about this horrific bill being jammed down our throats. Along with about 20 other folks we were able to congregate in Mr. Perriello's office and share our disdain for this bill. (We were the first batch of folks to make his acquaintance that afternoon.)

I was impressed with the civility of some of the gentlemen speaking about the devastation to the small businesses this legislation would bring. My friend videotaped the entire exchange. Seizing the opportunity to follow up on my question to him at the town hall meeting held here this summer, I asked him regarding the constitutionality of this bill why he indicated he was willing to "let the courts fight it out". I enlightened him on the pending lawsuit in the Virginia Supreme Court that a citizen brought against the County of Fluvanna on behalf of the residents in Fluvanna County for the failure to recognize two petitions for a referendum. The BOS knew there were well over 10% of the voting population who wanted a referendum on the Joint Water Authority (on two separate occasions), but they were willing to ignore the law and "let the courts fight it out". Now, the taxpayers are not only paying for the JWA, but we're paying for the defense of the lawsuit being waged on our own behalf.

After all my ranting and my questioning as to why he would let the courts fight it out when he knew this bill was unconstitutional considering he swore an oath to uphold the Constitution, he gave his response: He didn't believe this bill was unconstitutional.

Oh, I couldn't dig fast enough to pull out my copy of the US Constitution before someone else had a crack at him. Needless to say, it got a bit heated in that room. When all was said and done, he promised he would not vote for this bill if it included taxpayer-funded abortions. However, he would not commit to voting "no" on the bill even if the abortion provision was stripped. He said he considered himself "undecided". Then, he had to rush out of his office (after giving us about 10 minutes) to get down to the house floor for a vote.

I made sure I left a copy of the US Constitution on his desk along with a letter I wrote him following his Town Hall meeting held in Fluvanna County a few months ago.

I'm sorry, but I think the man is a liar...his mind was made up. He defended portions of the bill to us, claiming they were needed, yet failed to recognize the points that we each were making. He "listened" in that he kept his mouth shut so we could speak, but he didn't engage in conversation with us about our concerns. Instead he defended the bill and thanked us for coming in.

I left there knowing in the pit of my stomach he was going to vote for this thing...and he did.

Tom Perriello is a smooth talker, but he's no friend to the Fifth District.

He voted for the Stimulus Package, claiming he was kept up to date on all that was in it through text messages, understanding we would have to print money in order to pay for it, and in light of the fact that the majority of the American public did not want this.

He voted for the Cap & Trade, without possibly ever reading the bill, going totally against the will of the people, and hid from us when we came to let him know how we felt about his vote.

And now, after a landslide victory for Republicans in Virginia's elections last Tuesday, a grassroots-driven 1,000,000+ patriot march on Washington on September 12th, and another grassroots-driven last minute 20,000 - 40,000 patriot onslaught on Washington this past Thursday, he voted for the Health Care Bill last night.

This man must be run out of office...starting today.

Join Me in DC to Stop Health Care Bill

The 1990 page Affordable Health Care for America Act (HR 3962) has been released and the House of Representatives is expected to vote on it next week. The original bill was only about 1000 pages, and it has now doubled.

It includes taxpayer-funded abortions, mandated health insurance coverage, a public option, ultimate single-payer option (page 92), "death panels", loss of more jobs and higher taxes. This is socialized medicine and we only have a small window of opportunity to stop this.

Michele Bachmann, Congresswoman from MN, has invited all Americans to join her in Washington DC on the steps at the Capitol Building on Thursday at noon where she's holding a press conference. Following the press conference she has asked us to join her as she walks the halls of Congress to speak to our representatives about this horrific bill.

Watch this interview between Ms. Bachmann and Sean Hannity:



I'm seriously considering going. Anyone interested in joining me? This truly is a line in the sand for our country. We must do everything we can to stop this bill. Let me know what you think.

Monticello & UVA under UN Management

I discovered a few weeks ago that Yellowstone National Park is currently under the management of the United Nations (and has been for several decades). When I told my dad about it, he was surprised. So I set out to find the proof to back up my claim, and this is what I found: Both Monticello and UVA are under the UN's authority as well!

Here's a little blurb about UNESCO, an arm of the United Nations...

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) seeks to encourage the identification, protection and preservation of cultural and natural heritage around the world considered to be of outstanding value to humanity. This is embodied in an international treaty called the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, adopted by UNESCO in 1972.

You can learn more about UNESCO's World Heritage mission here.

They have a list of properties on their website that are "protected" by the UN, and here's just a smattering of what's listed.

Cultural

* Independence Hall (1979)
* Monticello and the University of Virginia in Charlottesville (1987)
* Statue of Liberty (1984)

Natural

* Everglades National Park (1979)
* Grand Canyon National Park (1979)
* Great Smoky Mountains National Park (1983)
* Olympic National Park (1981)
* Redwood National Park (1980)
* Yellowstone National Park (1978)
* Yosemite National Park (1984)

There doesn't appear to be any added in in the 1990s or even 2000s. I'm not sure why, but there's a list of properties that have been submitted for consideration in 2008. And look what's being considered here in Virginia:

* Thomas Jefferson Buildings (2008)
* Mount Vernon (2008)

Can you imagine what Thomas Jefferson and George Washington would have thought to have had their homes placed under the control of World Government? By the way, one of those "Thomas Jefferson Buildings" is our very own State Capitol Building in Richmond!

What do you think about that?

UPDATE 2:46PM: I called Monticello this afternoon and asked what this meant being on "the list". The young lady I spoke to (very nice, by the way) indicated Monticello was owned by a private non-profit foundation and they controlled the operations of the site. However, she confirmed that this location was recognized as a World Heritage site, the only home in America to have this honor. She referred me to wikipedia for more information.