Bob Hope's Definition of Democrats (And We Have to Include Many Republicans, Too)

Okay, politics is not a common topic here at the Antbed. A friend showed me this video clip and it is pretty funny. Who knew Bob Hope understood things so well? But, we can't just limit it to Democrats. :)

A Lesson in City Government

Living in the Permian Basin, the oil industry has a HUGE presence. Our area is  like its own little micro-climate. We have, again this month, the lowest unemployment rate in the entire state of Texas. And have for years. It "ain't purty," but it is a place that just about anyone who wants to work can work. 


That being said, we are used to seeing pump jacks and drilling rigs. Everywhere. Just on our drive to church, I bet we could count 30 of them. 


But, we never thought we would be looking at one every time we walked out our front door! 


We live in an area where all the lots are at least an acre. A few weeks ago, the kids made a discovery. There was a flag sticking straight up in the middle of the 19 empty acres that we have lived across the street from for 18 years. It's a pin to mark a site an oil company hopes to drill. Right across the street from my house!


Since we were annexed into the city limits a few years ago, the city has to approve everything in our neighborhood now. And so when we learned there was to be a hearing on the proposed drilling sites in our neighborhood, I decided it was time for a trip downtown.


This is one of the great benefits of homeschooling: teaching life lessons through life events for our family. I loaded up the suburban with the four youngest and we headed out in time to park and be at City Hall in time for the beginning of the meeting at 10 o'clock this morning. We had already completed several of their assignments for the day. When we made it inside, our neighbors told us our portion of the agenda had been postponed until 1:30 this afternoon. So we drove back home, had read aloud time, lunch, and then loaded up to head back downtown. 


I had each of the kids sign themselves in on the visitor page. Upon entering the council chamber, we realized this was going to be a "standing room only" meeting. Eventually, a few people left and the girls and I found a seat. The boys sat on the floor along the wall.


It took quite a while for them to get to our items on the agenda. The kids did well and grew interested in the proceedings as they figured out what was going on. There were several "human interest" type items before us and it made me appreciate the fact that I wasn't having to make all of the decisions the City Council was having to make.


When it came time for our agenda items, there were several people, from both sides of the discussion, who took their turns at the microphone. I went fully intending to simply observe the proceedings and have a discussion with the kids afterward. But then, all of a sudden the mayor asked if anyone else wanted to speak and my hand went up. I made my way to the microphone, stated my name and address and said "my piece." It was pretty comical on the way out to the suburban afterward when Joshua said, "I didn't expect YOU to say anything, Mom!" I told him I didn't expect it either.


They will never look at a civics lesson quite the same again, will they?

Helping to Turn the Tide

Photo credit

The political climate in our nation is getting uglier. So much is at stake. As Christians, we need to be in prayer. There is a battle being waged for the soul of our land. We should be actively, passionately engaged in the spiritual war by faithfully praying. 


We need to ask the Lord to provide godly statesmen who honor Him with all their thoughts, words, and actions and who will serve our nation with integrity of heart and clean hands. We have had too many bent on a career in politics, who have lost sight of the path of true, unselfish service. 


We need those who will stand for Truth and take back the ground that has been surrendered to ungodly goals and purposes. 


We need those who are able to cast the vision for true freedom through a focus on personal responsibility, instead of the mentality that expects someone else to meet my needs.


We need those who have hearts of true Compassion, seeking to bless in ways that build up those they are serving instead of tearing them down through the creation of dependence, for the purpose of political gain.


We need those who will boldly, but humbly, wear the name of Christ.


We need those who are willing to endure persecution, trusting in God alone to defend them, as they protect the fatherless and the widow.


We need leaders who have been tempered and tried through the faithful attention to each season of their lives and who have, because of that, learned Wisdom.


We need those who are faithful in prayer, faithful to their families, unashamed of their Faith.


We need those who have a godly worldview and understand that every choice made needs to be made from the context of fearing only God, never man.


We need those who have a faithful support group that will hold them up in prayer.


We need those who walk in a clear conscience before God and man.


May we, who are called by The Name, diligently ask the Lord to raise up a host of people who will glorify Him through elected office and that He will remove from office those who are not honoring Him. We can do this while always and only speaking blessings, never curses. Honor is due the office of those He has set in places of authority over us, even when the person holding that office is not honorable. 

Proclamation from Our Mayor

It is such a blessing to have a godly man for our mayor. I had sent his office an email asking them about doing this and they had already begun preparations to issue this proclamation. Our mayor sent me a precious reply to my request and told me that they would send me the information as soon as it was ready. I received this in an email this afternoon. 

Everything we need is supplied by His Hand. And we are so blessed to be reminded of that, even if it is through hard circumstances. May His Name be glorified.  

We will be carrying our umbrellas to church with us on Sunday. I think we own umbrellas . . .      :)

Parental Rights Amendment

Many of you already know about the movement underway to add a Parental Rights Amendment to our U. S. Constitution. This is a critical issue for our day. As the government becomes more and more intrusive, things we thought certain are no longer guaranteed: Like the right to raise your children according to your beliefs. If you have somehow missed out on what ParentalRights.org is trying to do, it really is important for each of us to be informed and involved. There are so many examples of the courts and child welfare officials violating parental rights in our nation today. The arrogance is unbridled, because we have assumed that our rights as parents were understood, inviolable. There are parts of the government who truly want us to sit back, oblivious to the danger, until it is too late. Once again, I will reference the Bonhoeffer biography I read because this situation is eerily similar to the the one found in the pre-World War II nation of Germany, as their rights eroded beneath their feet. The amendment is gaining interest. Many have signed on. Many legislators are supportive. But, as we know, it's never easy to amend the Constitution. And, until it is actually passed and ratified, there is no guarantee. Unfortunately, with the current administration's attitude toward the Rule of Law, even an amendment  is no guarantee. But it is a start. And it is, I believe, necessary.  

In case you would like more information, the Parental Rights folks have produced a documentary that has, to date, been viewed only in private screenings. They are now planning to show it on television. This information is from an email they sent out today:

The Child Comes to Television March 7

Next Monday, March 7, Watchman Cinema’s parental rights documentary The Child: America’s Battle for the Next Generation will be aired on National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) network. The film will air at 8 p.m. Eastern and again four hours later at 12 a.m. Tuesday, March 8. NRB is channel 378 on DirecTV or channel 126 on Sky Angel.