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.