Happy Birthday Mom!!!

My mother's 60th birthday is January 1st, but I just couldn't wait to post this.

60 things to love about my mom Sally…



1.       She is a loving mother

2.       She is committed to her family

3.       She is a great mother-in-law (so says Sarah)

4.       She gave birth to me and Stef

5.       She is a fantastic hiking buddy

6.       She loves G-d’s Creation

7.       She is creative

8.       She is a good quilter

9.       She prays for her children

10.   She honors her parents

11.       She is adventurous

12.       She is energetic

13.       She is a beautiful lady

14.       She has a warm smile

15.       She is worthy of respect

16.       She is encouraging

17.       She has loads of perseverance

18.       She puts others before herself

19.       She takes us to the beach

        20.   She is an amateur geologist



21.       She is a great pet owner (stay there wooden cat…)

22.       She loves to garden

23.       She is forgiving

24.       She is generous

25.       She has a positive attitude

26.       She is technologically impaired

27.       She is our favorite snow-bunny

28.       She is a fisherwoman

29.       She raised incredible kids

30.       She is a wonderful grandmother



31.       She enjoys warm weather, but lives in AK

32.       She is trustworthy

33.       She is hopeful

34.       She is compassionate

35.       She is tough

36.       She is a good stewardess of what G-d has given her

37.       She says what she means and means what she says

38.       She is always willing to help

39.       She is honest

40.      She cooks a mean mooseburger

41.       She is a good listener

42.       She is a wise counselor

43.       She is kind

44.       She is a hard worker

45.       She built that house (with help of course)

46.       She is open-minded

47.       She is gentle

48.       She is patient

49.       She is committed

50.      She values the important things in life



51.       She is easy-going

52.       She enjoys simple pleasures

53.       She is passionate

54.       She enjoys quality coffee

55.       She has discerning taste

56.       She stays in touch

57.       She is a loyal friend

58.       She is an expert wildlife-spotter

59.       She is great at snuggling grandbabies

60.      SHE IS 60 Y’ALL! AND STILL GOING STRONG!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!

Pelzer Light People ... BIG FUN!

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” --- Matthew 5:13-16

“There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning the light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.”
--- John 1:6-9

“This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.” --- John 3:19-21

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” --- John 8:12

The LORD reigns, let the earth be glad;
let the distant shores rejoice.
Clouds and thick darkness surround Him;
righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne.
Fire goes before Him
and consumes His foes on every side.
His lightning lights up the world;
the earth sees and trembles.
The mountains melt like wax before The LORD,
before The Lord of all the earth.
The heavens proclaim His righteousness,
and all peoples see His glory.
--- Psalm 97:1-6

Advent...

the horse's hay beneath his head
our Lord was born to a manger bed
that all whose wells run dry
could drink of his supply

to keep him warm, the sheep drew near
so grateful for His coming here
come with news of grace
come to take my place
the donkey whispered in his ear
"child, in 30-some-odd years
you'll ride someone who looks like me
untriumphantly"

the cardinals warbled a joyful song
he'll make right what man made wrong
bringing low the hills
that the valleys might be filled

then "child", asked the birds
"well, aren't they lovely words we sing?"
the tiny baby layed there
without saying anything

at a distance stood a mangy goat
with the crooked teeth and a matted coat
weary eyes and worn
chipped and twisted horns

thinking "maybe I'll make friends someday
with the cows and the hens in the rambouillet
but for now, I'll keep away
I've got nothing smart to say"

there's a sign on the barn
in the cabbage town
"when the rain picks up
and the sun goes down
sinners, come inside
with no money, come and buy

no clever talk, nor a gift to bring
requires our lowly, lovely king
come now empty handed, you don't need anything"

and the night was cool
and clear as glass
with the sneaking snake in the garden grass
deep cried out to deep
the disciples fast asleep

and the snake perked up
when he heard You ask
"if you're willing that
this cup might pass
we could find our way back home
maybe start a family all our own"

"but does not the Father guide the Son?
not my will, but yours be done.
what else here to do?
what else me, but You?"

and the snake who'd held the world
a stick, a carrot and a string
was crushed beneath the foot
of your not wanting anything

- a stick, a carrot, and a string by mewithoutyou

Serious...please pray.

                                                                     (Asia Bibi's family)

Itan Wali, Pakistan (CNN) -- In this village in Pakistan's Punjab province a tearful 12-year-old girl ponders if the Pakistani government will soon hang her mother.

"Whenever I see her picture I cry," Isham Masih told CNN. "I want my mother back. That's what I'm praying for."

This month a Pakistani court sentenced Isham's mother, 45-year-old Asia Bibi, to death, not because she killed, injured or stole, but simply because she said something.

Prosecutors say Bibi, who is a Christian, broke Pakistan's strict blasphemy law by insulting Islam and the prophet Muhammad, a crime punishable by death or life imprisonment according to Pakistan's penal code.

The alleged incident happened in June 2009 when Bibi, a field worker, was picking fruit in a village two hours west of Lahore. Prosecutors say when Bibi dipped her cup into a bucket of drinking water during a lunch break, her co-workers complained the water had been contaminated by a non-Muslim.

Court records show the women got into a heated argument.

Mafia Satar said she was there and heard Bibi's insults.

"She said your Muhammad had worms in his mouth before he died," Satar told CNN, a crude way of saying Muhammad was no prophet.

The town cleric, Qari Muhammad Salim, reported the incident to police who arrested Bibi. After nearly 15 months in prison came her conviction and the death sentence.

"When I heard the decision my heart ached," Bibi's husband Ashiq Masih told CNN.

Masih denies his wife ever insulted Muhammad. He said death threats forced him and his daughters, one of them disabled, to flee their village.

Neither the Koran nor the prophet Muhammad's teachings in the Hadith call for the execution of blasphemers, but Islamic scholars and jurists from generations past included the death sentence when drafting Islamic law.

Human rights groups have long blamed Pakistan's blasphemy laws for persecution and violence against religious minorities like last year's attack on a Christian village in Punjab Province and recent bombings of minority Muslim mosques.

Activists say the government has refused to amend the law for fear of backlash from Islamist groups and their followers who deem scrapping the law as un-Islamic.

At the time this report was filed, Pakistan's law minister had not responded to CNN's request for an interview.

Bibi has appealed her death sentence and asked for bail, the chief prosecutor of Punjab province told CNN.

The prosecutor, Chaudhry Muhammad Jahangir, said the appeal will be heard by the Lahore High court and a decision could be months away.

Pakistan has never executed someone convicted of blasphemy but in Bibi's village public opinion was unanimous.

"Yes, she should be hanged," a group of villagers cried out.

The town cleric, who made the initial complaint against Bibi, called her death sentence one of the happiest moments of his life.

"Tears of joy poured from my eyes," Qari Salim told CNN.

The clerics tears are in stark contrast to those shed by Bibi's daughter Isham, who wants her mother to live.

There are so many Christians all over the world suffering human rights abuses simply because of their belief in Jesus.  The bombings last week in Iraq were similar persecution.  What can we do to help?

Plants are good for us...

Plant Sterols and Stanols: What they Are and Why they Are Important
Plant sterols and stanols are found naturally in the cell walls of plants; they occur in very small amounts in foods such as fruits, vegetables and vegetable oils, seeds, beans, and cereal grains. More than 80 clinical studies support the benefits of plant sterol and stanol consumption for lowering blood cholesterol levels, especially LDL ("bad") cholesterol, without lowering levels of HDL ("good") cholesterol.

How they Work
Plant sterols and stanols have been shown in numerous studies to lower LDL cholesterol. Because they're similar in structure to cholesterol, they compete for absorption in the intestines. So with regular consumption of plant sterols and stanols, less cholesterol gets absorbed into the bloodstream, and the better your chances for lowering your LDL cholesterol.

Don't Miss Out on the Benefits of Plant Sterols and Stanols
So if you want to lower your cholesterol levels, try following the guidelines from the National Institutes of Health: Reduce your intake of saturated fat and cholesterol, exercise daily, lose weight if needed, and eat plenty of fiber-rich whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. And don't forget to get the extra cholesterol-lowering benefit that comes from adding 2,000 mg of clinically proven plant sterols and stanols to your diet every day.

BRYAN T & SARAH E MUDDER of CENTRAL , SC
Shaklee ID: WM06529

...and most of these plants have been organically cultivated...

Careless Consumerist Consumption

Oh great mammon of form and function,
Careless consumerist consumption,
Dangerous dysfunction, described as expensive taste.

I’m a people disgraced by what I claim I need,
And what I want to waste.
I take no account for nothing if it’s not mine.
It’s a misappropriation of funds,
Protect my ninety percent with my guns.
Whose side am I on?
Well who’s winning?

My kingdom’s built with the blood of slaves,
Orphans, widows, and homeless graves.
I sold their souls just to build my private mansion.
Some people say that my time is coming.
Kingdom come is the justice running,
Down, down, down on me.

I’m a poor child, I’m a lost son
I refuse to give my love to anyone.
Fight for the truth, or help the weaker ones.
Because I love my Babylon.
I am a slave, I was never free.
I betrayed you for blood money.
Oh I bought the world, all is vanity.
Oh my Lord I’m your enemy.

Come to Me, and find your life,
Children sing, Zion’s in sight.
I said don’t trade your name for a serial number.
Priceless lives were born from under graves
Where I found you.

Say, My name ain’t yours and yours is not Mine
Mine is The Lord, and yours is my child.
That’s how it’s always been.
Time to make a change.
Leave your home, give to the poor all that you own,
Lose your life, so that you could find it.

First will be last when the true world comes.
Livin’ like a humble fool to overcome,
The upside-down wisdom of a dying world.
Zion’s not built with hands,
And in this place God will dwell with man.
Sick be healed and cripples stand!

Sing Hallelujah!!!

My kingdom’s built with the blood of my son,
Selfless sacrifice for everyone.
Faith, hope, love, and harmony.
I said let this world know me by your love,
By your love.

Oh my child, daughters and sons,
I made you in love to overcome.
Free as a bird, my flowers in the sun,
On your way to Mount Zion.
All you slaves, be set free!

Come on out child and come on home to me!
We will dance, we will rejoice,
If you can hear me then follow my voice.

--- Zion and Babylon by Josh Garrels (http://joshgarrels.blogspot.com/2008/09/jacaranda-album-lyrics.html)

(Chinese factory photos from http://www.mazm.com/2007/09/19/38.toys-manufacture-in-china-25-pics.html)

Another perspective on sowing and reaping...

The following are excerpts from an essay by Wendell Berry called 'Conserving Forest Communities' in a book of essays named Another Turn of the Crank (1995).

...The history of these now-forested slopes over the last two centuries can be characterized as a cyclic alternation of abuse and neglect. Their best hope, so far, has been neglect-though even neglect has often involved their degradation by livestock grazing. So far, almost nobody has tried to figure out or has even wondered what might be the best use and the best care for such places...The soil, though not so deep as it once was, is healing from agricultural abuse and, because of the forest cover, is increasing in fertility...

... And so as I look at my home landscape, I am happy to see that I am to a considerable extent a forest dweller. But I am unhappy to remember every time I look (for the landscape itself reminds me) that I am a dweller in a forest for which there is, properly speaking, no local forest culture and no local forest economy. That is to say that I live in a threatened forest... woodlands as I have been describing are now mostly ignored so long as they are young. After the trees have reached marketable size, especially in a time of agricultural depression, the landowners come under pressure to sell them. And then the old cycle is repeated, as neglect is once more superseded by abuse...The economy of this kind of forestry is apt to be as deplorable as its ecology...

And so Kentucky forestry, at present, is mainly of two kinds: the casual and careless logging that is hardly more than an afterthought of farming, and the large-scale exploitation of the forest by absentee owners of corporations. Neither kind is satisfactory...we have never understood that the only appropriate human response to a diversified forest ecosystem is a diversified local forest economy...

...in the summer of 1982, according to an article in California Forestry Notes, three men, using five horses, removed 400,780 board feet from a 35.5-acre tract in Latour State Forest. This was a "thinning operation." Two of the men worked full time as teamsters, using two horses each; one man felled the trees and did some skidding with a single horse. The job required sixty-four days. It was profitable both for the state forest and for the operator. During the sixty-four days the skidders barked a total of eight trees, only one of which was damaged badly enough to require removal. Soil disturbance in the course of the operation was rated as "slight."

At the end of this article the author estimates that a tractor could have removed the logs two and a half times as fast as the horses. And thus he implies a question that he does not attempt to answer: Is it better for two men and four horses to work sixty-four days, or for one man and one machine to do the same work in twenty-five and a half days?...

A good forest economy, like any other good land-based economy, would aim to join the local human community and the local natural community or ecosystem together as conservingly and as healthfully as possible...
A good forest economy:
would be a local economy,
would be a decentralized economy,
would be owned locally,
would preserve the local forest in its native diversity, quality, health, abundance, and beauty,
would be properly scaled,
would be locally complex,
would make good forestry attractive to landowners, providing income from recreational uses of their woodlands, markets for forest products other than timber, and so on...,
would be much interested in local education,
would be a long-term economy,
would be patient,
would be unselfish...

...for good foresters must always look toward harvests that they will not live to reap.

Sowing and reaping…

"Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for G-d loves a cheerful giver. And G-d is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work."
-2 Corinthians 9:6-8

What do we want to reap? What are we sowing? If we want to be loved, we should sow love - “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:39). If we want forgiveness, we should sow forgiveness – “…forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us…” (Matthew 6:12). If you want health, sow health in to your own life and the lives around you. Stop eating unhealthy food and get rid of the hazardous chemicals at your house. Everyone around you will benefit.

If we want to reap financial abundance, we should sow generously and cheerfully into the good work G-d is doing. A particular story we have heard in several contexts is about a person who decides to tithe on their next year’s income. Stepping out in faith, believing they will get bonuses and promotions, praying consistently, and giving over and above what is expected. These people always experience financial blessing and in many stories experience health, peace, love, and joy as well!

G-d’s resources are limitless, His love – enduring, His acceptance – full, His promises – conditional.

“If you fully obey The LORD your G-d and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, The LORD your G-d will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey The LORD your G-d…” – Deuteronomy 28

The blessings that follow are diverse and many. That particular chapter also list curses that follow when we do not listen or obey G-d. We may not understand or agree with G-d’s ways and purposes, but they are wisdom and they are life.

So let’s take Isaiah’s advice…

Seek The LORD while he may be found; call on Him while He is near.
Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts.
Let him turn to The LORD, and He will have mercy on him,
and to our G-d, for He will freely pardon.
"For My Thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My Ways,"
declares The LORD.
"As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are My Ways higher than your ways
and My Thoughts than your thoughts.
As the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
and do not return to it without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
so is My Word that goes out from My Mouth:
It will not return to Me empty, but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and hills will burst into song before you,
and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.
- Isaiah 55:6-12

Singing hills?  Clapping trees?  G-d's will accomplished.  Nice!!!

The Day of Atonement - Yom Kippur

Leviticus 23: 26-32
"And The LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto The LORD. And ye shall do no work in that same day: for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before The LORD your G-d. For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people. And whatsoever soul it be that doeth any work in that same day, the same soul will I destroy from among his people. Ye shall do no manner of work: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. It shall be unto you a sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath."

"...a day set aside to "afflict the soul", to atone for the sins of the past year." - http://www.jewfaq.org/

Yom kippur is the most sacred day of Israel's calendar.  Back in the day, the high priest would ritually bathe 5 different times.  This was the only day of the year he would enter the holy of holies.  He would wear white linen garments, not the usual priestly "golden vestments".  The daily sacrifice would be made along with the burning of incense and candles.  The special Yom Kippur rituals would then begin and the high priest would intercede on behalf of the entire nation.  He would confess his sins and the sins of all the priests, sacrifice a young bull, then enter the holy of holies to place a censer of incense on "the foundation stone" and pray.  He would come out again to sacrifice a goat "marked for Yahweh", then enter the holy of holies again to ceremonially cleanse the sanctuary, veil, and the holy place from the defilement of priests and worshipers.  The high priest would come out again and lay his hands on the scapegoat along with the sins of the nation.  The goat would be led far ouside of camp and over a cliff.  After this was done the high priest would declare "as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us." (Psalm 103:12)
-portions taken from Israel's Holy Days In Type and Prophecy by Daniel Fuchs

"Because on Yom Kippur we are guaranteed to be forgiven if we repent.  And that is the primary Mitzvah of that day: to repent.  And if we repent, we are forgiven. That's all there is to it."
-www.beingjewish.com

"When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here.  He went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation.  He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but entered the Most Holy Place once for all by His own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.  The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean.  How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve The Living G-d!"
---Hebrews 9:11-14

New Year's Big Fun!

The Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah) is here!
Happy Hebrew New Year 5771!

Leviticus 23:23-24
The LORD said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites: 'On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of rest, a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts. Do no regular work, but present an offering made to The LORD by fire.

G-d outlines His appointed times in Leviticus chapter 23. Most scholars accept 7 total appointed times, also referred to as the Feasts of The Lord (although there is some disagreement as to which ones ‘count’ and when they are celebrated).

The weekly Sabbath (1 day per week=52) is to be kept holy (Lev. 23:3), a terrific idea. The spring appointed times are Passover, the feast of Unleavened Bread, the feast of First fruits (7 days in close proximity), as well as Pentecost (1 day) celebrated fifty days after Firstfruits. The fall appointed times are the Feast of Trumpets (1 day), the Day of Atonement (1 day), the feast of Tabernacles (7 days), and the Eighth Day of Assembly (1 day). That adds up to a total of 70 appointed days during a Hebrew year!

The month of Elul (Aug/Sep of our calendar) is the final month in the Jewish year a time for prayer, self introspection, and repentance. This intense spiritual preparation is for Rosh Hashanah, which occurs during the first and second days of the month of Tishrei (Sep/Nov of our calendar). The celebration of this holiday is marked with solemnity. It is thought to be the birthday of the world, a day of Judgment, a day of Remembrance, a day of shofar blowing, and the start of a new year! It is also thought to be the time of year that Abraham offered Isaac to G-d and a ram was provided instead. This story foreshadows the coming Messiah who “takes away the sin of the world”. For these reasons, a shofar (ram’s horn) is blown on the Feast of Trumpets.

Torah readings: Day 1 Gen. 21:1-34 and I Sam. 1:1 to 2:10
Day 2 Gen. 22:1-24 and Jer. 31:1-19 and Numbers 29:1-6

Also helpful to read Romans 4:20-21, Hebrews 11:19, John 1:29, and Isaiah 53:7.

Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are considered the most important of the holy days. The New Year is celebrated with family gatherings, special meals, sweet tasting foods, synagogue services, and the blowing of shofars. As congregants leave the synagogue after services they will say to each other, “May you be inscribed in the Book of Life!”. Doesn’t that sound grand?

“Praise be to the G-d and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love He predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will— to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the One He loves. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of G-d's grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. And He made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment—to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.”

---Ephesians 1:3-10

"Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable and will be changed."

---1 Corinthians 15:51

The Hebrew calendar is based both on the lunar year and solar year. A standard day is from sunset to sunset “…the evening, the morning…” as described in the Genesis Creation account. Our standard Gregorian calendar (which comes from the Julian calendar) is based on a solar year. For some fascinating insight on the Hebrew calendar see http://www.jewfaq.org

Big Fun this weekend ... saving money!

Regularly priced $6 per box...

Nice tea, but not in this economy!

Unless...you have an Amazing Savings in your town.  For a limited time, $1.29 for two boxes!

That is amazing!

Pizza Yum-Yum

See what big fun we had making our pizza yum-yum!

Foccacia Bread

2-¾ cups Flour
1 teaspoon Sugar
1 teaspoon Salt
1 Tablespoon Yeast
1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1 teaspoon Oregano
1 teaspoon Thyme
½ teaspoons Basil
1 pinch Black Pepper
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 cup Water



Combine flour, sugar, salt, yeast, garlic powder, oregano, thyme, basil, and pepper. Then add oil and water. Mix just until dough has come together. Lay the dough out on a smooth lightly floured surface and knead until it is smooth and and looks elastic. (I usually only need it a few times)


Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Then get a large bowl and oil the sides and bottom of the bowl with olive oil. Place dough inside and lay a damp towel over the top of the bowl. Sit the bowl in a warm place and let dough rise for 20-25 minutes.


After the dough has risen, take it out of the bowl and punch it down. Then place it on a baking sheet or baking pan and flatten it out into a large rectangle. Brush olive oil on the top and sprinkle salt.


Now for the fun part! Add tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, fresh herbs (basil, thyme, rosemary,…) garlic, meat (or perhaps not?), and nice fresh cheese.


Place in oven for about 16-18 minutes.


(Thanks, Pioneer woman website for the recipe!)

There's a war in the mind, over territory,
For the dominion, who will dominate the opinion?
Schisms and isms, keeping us in the forms of religion,
Conforming our vision, to the world churches decision.
Trapped in a section, submitted to comittee election,
Moral infection, epidemic lies and deception,
Insurrection, of the highest possible order,
Distorting our tape recorders, from here and like underwater.
Beyond the borders, fond of sin and disorder,
Bound by the strategy, it's systemic depravity,
Heavy as gravity, head first in the cavity,
Without a bottom, a fate worse than Sodom.
What's got 'em,
Drunk off the spirits, Truth comes, we can't hear it,
When you've been, programmed to fear it.
I had a vision, I was fallin' in indecision,
Appallin’, callin' religion, some program on television.
How can dominant wisdom, be recognized in the system,
Of Anti-Christ, the majority rules.
Intelligent fools, PhD's in illusion,
Masters of mass confusion, Bachelors in past illusion.
Now who you choosin', the head or the tail,
The bloodshed of male, or confidence in the veil.
Conferences of Yale, discussin' doctrines of Baal,
Causin' people to fail, keepin' the third in jail.
His Word has nailed, everything to the tree,
Severing all of me from all that I used to be.
Formless and void, totally paranoid,
Enjoy darkness as the Lord, keepin' me from the sword.
Blocked from mercy, bitter than Cerses,
Hungry and thirsty, for good meat we would eat,
And still, dined at the table of deceit.
How incomplete, from confrontation to retreat,
We prolong the true enemies defeat.
Destitute a necessity, causin' desperation to get the best of me,
Punishment 'til there was nothing left of me.
Realizin' the unescapable death of me.
No options in the valley of decision,
The only doctrine, supernatural circumcision,
Inwardly only water can purge the heart,
From words, the fiery darts,
Thrown by the workers of the arts.
Iniquity, shapen in , there's no escapin' when,
You're whole philosophy is paper thin, in vanity
The wide road is insanity.
Could it be all of humanity?
Picture that, scripture that,
The origin of man's heart is black.
How can we show up for, an invisible war,
Preoccupied with a shadow, makin' love with a whore.
Achin' in sores, Babylon, the great mystery,
Mother of human history, system of social sorcery,
Our present condition, needs serious recognition.
Where there's no repentance there can be no remission!
And that sentence, more serious than Vietnam,
The atom bomb, Saddam, and Minister Farrakhan.
What's goin' on, what's the priority to you?
By what authority do we do?
The majority hasn't a clue.
We majored in curses, search the chapters, check the verses,
Recapture the land, remove the mark from off of our hands,
So we can stand, in agreement with His command.
Everything else is damned!
Let them with ears understand.
Everything else is damned, let them with ears understand.

It's freedom, said it's freedom time now.
It's freedom, said it's freedom time now.
It's freedom, I'm a be who I am.
It's freedom time, said it's freedom time.
Everybody knows that they've lied,
Everybody knows that they've perpetrated inside,
Everybody knows that they're guilty, yes.
Resting on their conscience eating their insides,
Get free, be who you're supposed to be.
Freedom, said it's freedom time now,
Freedom, said it's freedom time,
Freedom, freedom time now.

by Lauryn Hill

Straight out of the Phillipine Islands and into your kitchen...

Chicken Adobo

4-5 lbs of chicken (thighs, drumsticks, etc...)
1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 cup soy sauce
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp peppercorns
3 bay leaves


Combine all ingredients, cover and marinate chicken for 1-3 hrs.
Bring to boil, lower heat.
Cover and simmer for 30 mins.
Uncover and simmer until sauce reduced and chicken tender (~20 mins.)


...thanks Scott, that was delicious!

This week's big fun...

How to beat mononucleosis in just two weeks...


Pray more than usual and have all your friends pray with you...


Psalm 103, Luke 1:37, Mark 11:24, and 2 Corinthians 9:8, are just a few good verses to pray out loud with loved ones.

Get plenty of rest, eat a well-balanced diet, and supplement with a good multivitamin. I also recommend Shaklee's soy protein first thing in the morning. It will most assuredly give you plenty of energy for the long day ahead.

Initial big fun

"Love the quick profit, the annual raise,

vacation with pay. Want more

of everything ready-made. Be afraid

to know your neighbors and to die.

And you will have a window in your head.

Not even your future will be a mystery

any more. Your mind will be punched in a card

and shut away in a little drawer.

When they want you to buy something

they will call you. When they want you

to die for profit they will let you know.

So, friends, every day do something

that won't compute. Love The Lord.

Love the world. Work for nothing.

Take all that you have and be poor.

Love someone who does not deserve it.

Denounce the government and embrace

the flag. Hope to live in that free

republic for which it stands.

Give your approval to all you cannot

understand. Praise ignorance, for what man

has not encountered he has not destroyed.

Ask the questions that have no answers.

Invest in the millenium. Plant sequoias.

Say that your main crop is the forest

that you did not plant,

that you will not live to harvest.

Say that the leaves are harvested

when they have rotted into mold.

Call that profit. Prophesy such returns.

Put your faith in the two inches of humus

that will build under the trees

every thousand years.

Listen to carrion--put your ear

close, and hear the faint chattering

of the songs that are to come.

Expect the end of the world. Laugh.

Laughter is immeasurable. Be joyful

though you have considered all the facts.

So long as women do not go cheap

for power, please women more than men.

Ask yourself: Will this satisfy

a woman satisfied to bear a child?

Will this disturb the sleep

of a woman near giving birth?

Go with your love to the fields.

Lie down in the shade. Rest your head

in her lap. Swear allegiance

to what is nighest your thoughts.

As soon as the generals and the politicos

can predict the motions of your mind,

lose it. Leave it as a sign

to mark the false trail, the way

you didn't go.

Be like the fox

who makes more tracks than necessary,

some in the wrong direction.

Practice resurrection."

-Wendell Berry from "Manifesto: the Mad Farmer Liberation Front"