What an utter disgrace… we haven’t blogged in 115 days! We’re still here.
Steven and I celebrated my Birthday yesterday in our California-like-spot… Rockwall Texas. The drive was amazing, we listened to all our old favorite songs. The weather was perfect! While we were eating, the near by fountain sprayed us with mist every once in a while, so we pretended it was an ocean breeze. The food was perfectly vegan and delicious. We walked for a long time taking beautiful pictures. I took a spectacular shot of Steven, it belongs on the cover of a Ralph Lauren Catalog- very regal- very handsome! We took a “silly” picture and it was my idea- very surprising. It got pretty hot at around 4pm and so we laid down under a shady tree and talked for another long while. It was a magical day (Thank you, my darling)!
I got a beautiful bouquet of tulips (my favorite), a pirate speed-boat and a super sweet card. It says:
Take joy in the music of life.
They’s playing your Song.
Happy Birthday!
Posted by Sudi in General on January 14th, 2010 at 11:56am
The Valley of Vision
Lord, high and holy, meek and lowly, Thou hast brought me to the valley of vision, where I live in the depths but see Thee in the heights; hemmed in by mountains of sin I behold Thy glory. Let me learn by paradox that the way down is the way up, that to be low is to be high, that the broken heart is the healed heart, that the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit, that the repenting soul is the victorious soul, that to have nothing is to possess all, that to bear the cross is to wear the crown, that to give is to receive, that the valley is the place of vision. Lord, in the daytime stars can be seen from deepest wells, and the deeper the wells the brighter Thy stars shine; let me find…
Thy light in my darkness,
Thy life in my death,
Thy joy in my sorrow,
Thy grace in my sin,
Thy riches in my poverty,
Thy glory in my valley.
Sally Kern was first elected to the Oklahoma State House of
Representatives in 2004. Sally is a member of Olivet Baptist
Church in Oklahoma City where her husband is the pastor.
The Proclamation
We the People of Oklahoma, invoking the guidance of Almighty
God, in order to secure and perpetuate the blessing of liberty; to
secure just and rightful Government; to promote our mutual
welfare and happiness, do establish this proclamation and call
upon the people of the great State of Oklahoma, and our fellow patriots in these United States of America who look to the Lord
for guidance, to acknowledge the need for a national awakening
of righteousness in our land.
WHEREAS,
“It is religion and morality
alone, which can establish the
principles upon which Freedom
can securely stand” (John Adams); and
WHEREAS,
“We have no government armed
with power capable of contending
with human passions unbridled
by religion and morality”
(John Adams); and
WHEREAS,
“Our Constitution was made only
for a moral and religious people”
(John Adams); and
WHEREAS,
“We have staked the whole future
of American civilization, not upon
the power of government . . . but
upon the capacity of mankind for
self-government, upon the capacity
of each and all of us to govern ourselves,
to control ourselves, to sustain
ourselves according to the Ten
Commandments of God” (James Madison); and
WHEREAS,
“Freedom is not a gift bestowed upon us by other men, but a
right that belongs to us by the laws of God” (Benjamin Franklin);and
WHEREAS,
“God who gave us life gave us liberty,
and can the liberties of a nation
be thought secure when we
have removed their only firm basis
— a conviction in the minds of the
people that these liberties are of the
Gift of God?” (Thomas Jefferson); and
WHEREAS,
“Whether any free government can
be permanent, where the public
worship of God, and the support of
religion, constitute no part of the
policy or duty of the state” (Joseph Story); and
WHEREAS,
“We hold sacred the rights of conscience, and promise to the
people . . . the free and undisturbed exercise of their religion”
(Roger Sherman); and
WHEREAS, “This great nation was founded, not
by religionists, but by Christians”(Patrick Henry); and
WHEREAS, “When you . . . exercise the right of
voting for public officers, let it be
impressed upon your mind that God
commands you to choose just men
who will rule in the fear of God”(Noah Webster); and
WHEREAS, “The principles of genuine liberty
and of wise laws and administrations are to be drawn from the
Bible” (Noah Webster); and
WHEREAS,
we believe our economic woes are consequences of our greater
national moral crisis; and
WHEREAS,
this nation has become a world leader in promoting abortion,
pornography, same sex marriage, sex trafficking, divorce, illegitimate
births, child abuse, and many other forms of debauchery; and
WHEREAS, alarmed that the Government of the United States of America is
forsaking the rich Christian heritage upon which this nation was
built; and
WHEREAS, grieved that the office of the President of these United States has
refused to uphold the long held tradition of past presidents in
giving recognition to our National Day of Prayer; and
WHEREAS,
deeply disturbed that the office of the President of these United
States disregards the biblical admonitions to live clean and pure
lives by proclaiming an entire month to an immoral behavior
[i.e., the White House issued a national proclamation for Lesbian,
Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Month];
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that we, the
undersigned elected officials of the people of Oklahoma, religious
leaders and citizens of the State of Oklahoma, appealing to
the Supreme Judge of the world, solemnly declare that the hope
of the great State of Oklahoma and of these United States, rests
upon the principles of religion and morality as put forth in the
Holy Bible; and
BE IT RESOLVED that we, the undersigned, believers in the
One True God and His only Son, call upon all to join with us in
recognizing that “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,”and humbly implore all who love truth and virtue to live above
reproach in the sight of God and man with a firm reliance on the
leadership and protection of Almighty God; and
BE IT RESOLVED that we, the undersigned, humbly call
upon our Holy God — our Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer —
to have mercy on this nation, to stay His hand of judgment, and
grant a national awakening of righteousness and Christian renewal
as we repent of our great sin.
Posted by Sudi in Books, General on October 22nd, 2009 at 03:39pm
I’ve read some great books this year. Here they are:
How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth – It was recommended to me by one of my proffs. It is an excellent guide on reading the Bible, taking into consideration hermeneutical (Bible interpretation rules) insights by genre (epistle, poetry, prophecy).
Love Your God with all Your Mind- Is an excellent book about the role of reason in faith. Being a Christian does not mean one is unintelligent, like a lot of atheists assume. Christians are thinking people, or at least we should be.
Feeling Good- The New Mood Therapy- I read this book for one of my counseling classes. It is an excellent book about how to defeat depression through cognitive therapy, which has been proven to be as effective as medication.
The Attachment Connection- Is a very insightful book about parenting. It teaches parents how to create emotional bonds with their chidlren through intentional attachement. The researcher who wrote it, has done extensive studies with children in homeless shelters.
The Prodigal God- Is an excellent presentation of the story of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15). Tim Keller is a sharp theologian. He provides some incredible insights into the relationship between the father and the older son.
Digestive Wellness- Is all about the digestive system, immunity and nutrition. It is very well documented and fascinating to us health nut-vegans. I learned how to do a Vitaminc C flush that Steven and I do regularly.
Money, Possession and Eternity- Is probably the best book on biblical stewardship out there. Presents the connection between money, the Christian faith and eternity. Randy Alcorn is amazing.
Recently Steven and I have read a good number of Christian Biographies written by Janet Benge. They are all wonderful, inspirational and very touching. We both love them.
Posted by Sudi in General on July 17th, 2009 at 04:23pm
Earlier this summer, on May 14th, I lost a very dear friend/mentor of mine to cancer. I did not talk about it much. I shared it with Steven briefly since I had told him many times how much Joyce meant to me. For the most part my grief was quiet and very personal.
I wrote to her husband telling him what she meant to me. After her memorial service he made a careful compilation of all the memoirs he heard and recieved via letter and email, including mine. Today, I finally had time to read them all.
As I read, I couldn’t stop asking myself. How will I be remembered? If I were to die today what would poeple say about me? Who would show up to my funeral? What kinds of letters and emails would my baby-love receive, if any? Asking myself these questions gave my life a fresh perspective.
I hope I remember to ask myself that question everyday, hopefully a few times every day. Maybe that way I will live more intentionally trying to spread His truth, love, grace, wisdom and generosity, all characteristics I so admired in my friend.
We enjoyed an unforgettable 4th of July. Steven got me surprise tickets for a Concert & Fireworks Show at the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens. We arrived at 5:30 and stood in line (we actually sat in our lawn chairs under the shade of a huge Magnolia tree) for an hour. At 6:30 the doors were opened. It was a very hot day, but around 7ish, the temperature dropped to a comfortable 97 degrees so the rest of the night was very enjoyable.
Two options for seating were offered, “lawn” or “tables”. Steven “the genious” got us lawn tickets and we got to sit front and center in front of more than 10,000 people. We really had the best seats (grass) in the house. We laid out our old La Jolla beach towels and enjoyed fun snacks and drinks.
The Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra did the fabulous concert. All patriotic marches and good ol’ American classics like Yankee Doodle Dandy. The grand finale was performed by a soloist, a young soprano who sang God Bless America, a huge flag unfolded in the back as she sang and the spectacular fireworks began. We had the time of our lives.
Our big gardening project this year began a month ago when Steven decided we should plant a vegetable garden. We got the wood at Home Depot and baby-love built an above-ground-garden-box. This past weekend we were finally able to buy dirt, pete moss and potting soil in order to give the veggies the best possible soil to grow in. We got all our dirt at the local Plant Shed, a family owned, garden-lover’s dream place. We transported 800 pounds of dirt in our trunk/back seat. Who needs an F-150? We planted Juliet and Cherry tomatoes, green and yellow peppers, one poblano pepper, cucumbers, green onions, and radishes. On four separate small gardens, Steven planted 4 watermelons as well. Right by the fence we also planted sunflowers and wild flowers. Here are the pictures.
Steven has a serious green thumb. It’s amazing! A few weeks ago half of our pansies were eaten by a hungry rabbit. Steven came up with a concoction made up of chilli powder. A week later the pansies were back in full color bigger than ever. Very impressive!
Liberty Counsel Argues High School Valedictorian Case at Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals
Liberty Counsel argued today at the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals in favor of Erica Corder, a high school valedictorian who was forced to publicly apologize for sharing her Christian faith during her 30-second message at graduation. Erica was one of fifteen valedictorians from the Lewis-Palmer High School class of 2006 in Denver Colorado.
Immediately afterward, Erica was informed that because of her speech she would not be receiving her diploma with the other students and would have to meet with the principal, Mr. Brewer. Principal Brewer forced Erica to write an apology for her actions in order to receive her diploma, which she then did under protest. The apology was disseminated to the entire school community.
Steve Crampton, Vice President for Legal Affairs and General Counsel for Liberty Counsel, presented oral argument this morning. On appeal, Liberty Counsel argued that Erica’s speech was private and entitled to full protection under both the Free Speech and Free Exercise Clauses of the U.S. Constitution.
Liberty Counsel is fighting hundreds of cases like these year-round. The liberties we enjoy, can not be taken for granted. We must fight and pray in order to preserve them. God Bless America!
