What Does the World See?

"What can churches do to become a better reflection of Christianity?" (Core Christianity, pg 108).

 This is one of my favorite subjects. According to one statistic, 76% of all Americans call themselves Christians (religioustolerance.org 2008). More recent studies are out there but I will use this as a loose basis to ask why aren't 76% of all Americans happy, prosperous, taking care of the poor, voting in Godly men in office, tending to widow, to the unfortunate? Why are not 76% of all Americans known for their temperate speech, kind actions and diligent working habits? Why are not 76% of all Americans taking care to live a life in which the other 24% cry out to God saying "I want what they have!! Save me God of Christians"?
   I believe that one of the reasons for this is of course, 76% of them are not saved. Not saved by grace and filled with the Holy spirit and living a life worthy of Christ. No, a lot of them are living a life that involves only themselves and those for whom they care. So it is no wonder that people who do not know the Lord and admit it, sneer and look at people like that as hypocrites. But as for the small percentage of those that are truly born again, to them I suggest the following actions based on the premise that "Salvation begins as a relationship with God and should be expressed in one's relationship with others" (Core Christianity, pg 97):1. Start an orphanage. Take in the unwanted and abused children of this world. Put childless couples who yearn for children in the orphanage (a reconstructed old mansion with 15 to 20 bedrooms and acres of land that the church has purchased and refurbished) and single women in charge of there day to day life and education. Show the world how Christ loves the children. If the churches did this, the world would see Christ is truly God. It would abolish the horrible foster care system and put children in an atmosphere of learning, self discipline and in the arms of people who love children. No one should be allowed that is not crazy about kids and passionate about education. And yes, pay them through the church, let the members support this mission at home and then the body of Christ that would rise from those walls could reach out even farther beyond the orphanages walls because the children would grow up wanting that life for other abandoned and abused kids. If there were places like this, you would see child abuse decrease dramatically.2. Start Christian schools that are not too expensive to attend. Most private Christian schools are for the upper income families and the majority of the time those families have a good support system for their children. That leaves out the marginal families and those that are not able to pay for a good education and must suffer through government schools. This would eliminate the voucher system so many people are pushing.This shows the world that Christians are not greedy. Let the local churches all donate to these schools to keep it going. There we should a united faith for the benefit of the children that are going to run the world in about 20 years. 3. Be serious with your conservatism. Do not yell "NO NEW TAXES" and yet not put your money into the programs that you are yelling should not be the governments job. Like feeding the young mother who makes bad choices and giving her a place to stay while sending her to school so that she can get a job. Or give her a job if you own a company. Pay for the daycare so that she can afford food to feed her family and have your church man a daycare for single mothers. Pair them with a mentor. I mean isn't  the welfare mother the bane of society and the one that is draining the system dry? (I hope you hear my sarcasm).4. Take care of those elderly, all of them. Pay their light bill, make sure they have fresh food that you would eat so they don't have to get food stamps and also give them medical care free or reduced if you are a physician. This show the world that we take care of those that are less fortunate than us. Let those that use the name of Christ, count the cost and do what is suppose to be done so that the government doesn't have to step in. Take care of the blind and the lame, make sure they live like you would want to live if you were hit with a catastrophe.These are the real reasons that the unsaved call us hypocrites, because those of us who can help don't, they buy a bigger car, better vacations and fancy clothes to look good at church. One car payment of $700 can pay 5.5 elderly, housebound people's electric bill. If every Christian just paid one elderly person's bill, or one infirm's pharmacy bill, that would save the governments millions. Those are real solutions. That is what the church is suppose to do if they are doing their job. But they are not. And we are called hypocrites for our greed and self serving.  We forget the blind, the lame, the poor and worse of all, we forget the children, who become the next generation that falls. If America were truly a nation of 76% Christians, we would not have one cent of debt. Because Christ is against us being debtors.  Oh my, I could go on and on.  

A Child's Cry

Sometimes reading the news just kills me. My heart breaks and I dream of hunting those that hurt children and  even animals. But the cries of a child echo in my head when I read of the parental/caregiver abuse that seems to be so prevalent in this society that does not value the life of a child. We are returning to the Dark Ages when children were chattel and had no standing in society unless given by a male relative. They were not even required to report their deaths. Today, anger is a cancer that infects a heart that should be overwhelmed by the responsibility and desire to care for the helpless captive that is a child. A daily reading in any newspaper will prove that is no longer the case for a vast majority of people.



A Child’s Cry

If I cry, will that satisfy you?
The part of you that meanness took hold
And if I show that my soul is sliced
Will you leave and not hurt me anymore?

What is in you that yearns to hurt?
To leave a mark, a bruise?
Who are you to believe, that is your right
Your right to oppress a soul?

I am weak, smaller than you
I cannot fight or stop the pain
I suffer, and wince silently
Knowing a noise will increase
My doom

How can I prove that you don’t
You never, have to hurt me again?
How can I stop your hand
From hitting, from burning?
Your voice from cutting?

If I die, will that satisfy you?
Will you leave
And not hurt me anymore?

If I cry, will that satisfy you?
The part of you that meanness took hold
And if I show that my soul is sliced
Will you leave and not hurt me anymore?

Beer, Bohemianism, and True Christian Liberty

Beer, Bohemianism, and True Christian Liberty

Writer's Block

So I know what it means to have Writer's Block. I never thought that was really a condition until recently. I can say a hundred things in my head but when I sit down to write them, the great sentences or conversations are gone. Completely forgotton. This. Drives. Me. Crazy! Because truthfully I have so much to say. Especially on issues I am passionate about like Courtship, Single women in the church, how the church handles single women in the church, the poor, the rich, why I think I am fat. All kinds of things. What is holiness and how do you live it and be a Mother at the same time. Those important topics are crying out in my soul to be said. And yet here I sit. Not having a clue how to start my sentences, my paragraph or just a simple thought that can be made into an understandable sentence. So, for the slim audience that I have, please be patience, I am not a guru by any means but there are a few things I have to say and I guess when my life settles a little, (son is home, college again, girls want to see what school is like so sending them for a few classes at a local private school, chickens died, neighbors are a pain and it is hotter than bowl of fire) I will write. It will be seriously important and heartrending stuff along with enough humor to keep you interested. ":)) Coming Soon... the rest of the Courtship series.

Christians,The New Socialists?

http://www.whathathdarwinwrought.com/




As I read about Dawinism and the survival of the fittest I am shocked that I see Republican mind sets in this socialist viewpoint. Only the ones who can work deserve to eat and survive. Get rid of all the excess baggage of hangers on that require the people who can work to help them survive. Am I imagining this? I don't think so. It seems that the Republican Social Reform movement is really Darwinism and Euthenics.


I have seen with my own eyes, those in office put my God's name on their lips in speeches and as soon as the camera's are off they speak in profanities and of partying til dawn in drunken excess, yet call themselves the Christian Conservatives. These are the ones who are calling for the ripping of the checks to the elderly, stripping them of their medical care and their ability to have medicine to help comfort the pains of old age. I am sickened to hear my fellow homeschool  fam
ilies who are well off, healthy and strong with no fear of the future because they are married to men who have a good and secure retirements or large life insurance policies, callously call the poor lazy and unworthy.  They do not know the struggle of the woman left with children to feed by a man who decided being a breadwinner was too much of a strain on his pocketbook and she who trusted him is left to feed those innocent mouths. The church says look to your family and the family says we can't afford it so she goes to the government and find relief. The old person who was raised in a time where a career for a woman was getting married and having children but because of the economic times and the love of everything young and strong their husbands either died unexpectedly or were laid off after 27 years with no pension. She is in her 50's and 60's with no prospects of a living wage as she has no skills. These are the faces of the poor I see. Not the drug addled woman who has 5 kids and lives with 2 men. Yes that woman is out there but if she is getting assistance then the rules for receiving assistance should be changed and monitored. Children should be taken swiftly and put in safe places (see my ideas on reviving orphanages with visions like Bethesda Home for Boys). It is the fraud and government waste that needs to be corrected, not the helping the poor. It can be done and should be done by the strong voice of Christians and others who care for the poor. It is appalling that the party that claims God is the one who is vilifying the poor. I am disgusted. But then I am middle class and not rich. Maybe if I were well off the greed would cloud my thinking and I would want to keep what "was mine"!  

Pie for 4th of July!

I made this yummy looking pie this morning after reading about it in Joanne Fluke's murder mystery http://www.murdershebaked.com/. I love a murder mystery with recipes. The first one I ever saw was the Aunt Dimity series http://www.aunt-dimity.com/

I will let you know how it turned out! :)

Apple Blackberry Pie

I am going to post Part 5 of the Courtship series in the next few days. I have it half written but it was wearing me out so I baked. It was delicious. Past tense noted I hope. Here it is for posterity....


Apple Blackberry Pie


8-10 Apples. Peeled, cored and sliced (I guess you could use specific kinds but being ignorant of things like that I use what is in the basket.)
1/2 Cup white sugar (or raw organic)
1/2 Cup brown sugar
2 or 3 teaspoons of vanilla
1/4 tsp cinnamon ( I am not a big cinnamon fan outside of cinnamon rolls)
1/4 tsp fresh grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt (or less if you want)
1/4 of a fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup of heavy cream
2 deep dish pie crust
1/2 cup of fresh or frozen blackberries


I put the apple slices, blackberries sugars, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and lemon in a bowl and stir together
Then dump it into a pie crust, pour the cream on top, if it looks like too much don't use it all, and cover with other half of pie crust. I cut out little hearts to tell my kids I love them and place the cut out in different places. Then I make x's all over it too. Cute huh? Not Paula Deen here.


Bake in a 350 degree oven for about an hour or until it is bubbling and coming out the holes. Serve with vanilla ice cream, or a slice of cheddar melted on top. Yum

On the Topic of Marriage...Here is something from John Piper

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fdsr.gd%2FinwrnY&h=ea415


This really spoke to me as it unearthed in my own heart thoughts that have been there and that I protect by rationalizing. Not a good thing martha.

Courtship - Part 4

I think the question that has been posed to me the most is "Why would you want to do that?" When responding to some event in which our believing in courtship has become part of the conversation. And then there is always the laugh of disbelief and pitying looks I received with the usual comment "you may believe in courtship but they (meaning my children) don't! You will see.." . As if I am fooling myself and my kids will be the ones to tell me. Well first, I understand their disbelief. Courtship is perceived as an antiquated custom, from a time of when women were perceived as property of their father's and then sold in a bargain between two men or two families. I would be vehemently opposed to that notion of courtship. But what my family practices and believes in is quite different.

What courtship is to us is simple. It is the deliberate waiting until a child has reached a point in their life, and it is different for every person, where they are ready to marry, are able to support a wife, or the mental and spiritual maturity to have children and a family. They must be at a point in their life where marriage is feasible before starting to consider a relationship with the opposite sex. This is the start. But courtship continues from there. It is a process of looking for a potential wife or husband, not a "girlfriend or boyfriend". They are not looking to start dating around. Even before they consider a young man or woman, certain criteria and steps are followed. And then when a potential spouse is considered there are more steps before any "relationship" starts. But at all times both sides are starting with the premise of "I am considering marrying you". It is a known and talked about purpose. "I want to get to know you for the purpose of marriage". Not " hey, I like you so I want to go out to dinner with you and get to know you". There is not any open ended discussions. It is definite. Only when a son or daughter is ready for marriage will they consider someone for marriage. It may not work out, but you will know BEFORE there are any heart attachments. Discussions of importance are talked about before any relationship is entered into. Both parties are aware that this is a serious endeavor, it is not like the world where emotions are first and foremost and all the important details are not discussed until the honeymoon.
Some people think this is crazy, and backward. It is not. It is biblical. Look at Jacob and Rachel. Yes Jacob saw Rachel and fell in love with her, but he never approached her. He dealt with her father and knew her life and beliefs before he asked her father to marry her. He had no relationship with her until all the boring details were made. Like his parents before him, business came first then marriage. This is the basis of our view of courtship. The business of the relationship is settled, then the feelings are allowed to grow unhindered.

I think of all the problems in marriages, money issues, child rearing philosophies, unequally yoked and spiritually incompatible spouses. The Christian population has an equal chance of divorce as the secular society. Why is this? Because everyone thinks you have to date around, have a few relationships til you get it right, and get some "experience". They think its cute to have little kids 4 and 5  yr old kiss their friends kids and call it puppy love, encouraging elementary kids to have girlfriend and boyfriends. So by the time a kid hits high school they have had their hearts broken at least once and the most important thing in their life is to have a girlfriend/boyfriend. Their focus is not on school or heaven forbid, God, but on whether they have a date for the youth get together. They are distracted, and unfocused on their futures. Their main focus should be on their relationship with Christ, with their parents and siblings. They should be learning how to have a strong family life so that they can take that into their own families one day. They should be praying for their future spouse, not for a date Friday night.

  Now how we put this into practice is a series of steps that ideally you would start teaching when they are young but really you can pose this to teens and even young adults. Anyone really. It is ageless. I have already talked about how important it is to have your child's heart.  They must understand how much you love them first and that you are doing this for them. Not to them. Because they will catch alot of flack from the world and surprisingly, from the Christians too. That surprised me. But then courtship takes dedication and alot of parents don't want to invest that much into their kids life. They are just trying to get through raising them.  This makes me sad. 

Courtship - Part 3

I hope that you will forgive me for going so long between these posts. I have thought many times that I needed to sit down and continue this but life kept getting in the way. I am sure you understand.

I have talked about gathering your children's hearts to you. It is the first step to teaching anything that you want to stay in their heart and to become their own.  One of the ways that I know is very important is to live authentically in front of them. What I mean by authentically is, living a life that is not hypocritical or full of pride. A very young child can see when their parents tell them to live or to act one way and then the parents do not live or act that way. It is confusing when they are young and it makes them angry, resentful and rebellious when they are older. I have always shown my weaknesses to my children. When I fail, I do not try to cover it up, even when my instinct is to cover my failure or sin. It is for my children's own good that they see me as having human failings in my life. It encourages them when I repent and try again to live correctly. It lifts them out of despair to see me admit my wrong and tell them that I will depend on God to forgive and help me. It lets them know that they are not alone in their battle against sin. Who can live up to the life that a parents portrays as one of pious Christianity? One of a parent who claims not to sin or to be tempted in any way? One who claims to be free of the burden of their sin filled life. Romans 7:15-25, has to be one of the most comforting passages in the bible. It shows that even Paul, whose passion for Christ infused him every moment of every day, struggled with sin until his own death. But he was utterly dependent on God for his strength, for Christ living in him for his salvation and the covering of his sin and for His strength to live through it. We can give our children the strength to live through sin by being honest with them about our own struggles.
Now I do not advocate using your child as a confessional, only to let them know that you struggle and that you depend on Christ. And if you don't, you need to face it that you sin daily, you are not worthy of Christ's sacrifice yet He died for you to have His covering of your sins. You do nothing of your own strength but through Christ who dwells in you. Say that to yourself over and over until you understand it completely before you try to tell your child that he/she will struggle with sin. If you really don't understand how it applies to you I promise they will see you as a hypocrite and your credibility as a mentor and leader is out the door, along with them.

If you have not lived this way, humble with humility in your own weakness, anger at your own sin, and repentance  with an outward showing of a desire to strive to be more like Christ , then I admonish you and encourage you to immediately do this very thing. Read parenting books like The Heart of Anger by Lou Priolo, and Shepherding a Child's Heart by Ted Tripp. Keeping Our Children's  Hearts by Steve and Teri Maxwell is a fantastic book for specifically knitting your child's heart to you at any age. So don't despair if you have teens and are regretful of lost years. Remember how God restores what is lost, it is never too late for your children's hearts.

So it is my very deep desire to encourage you to look at where you are with your children, where you stand in their estimation. Because if you are convicted in teaching them courtship and hoping it will be come their own desire, you must be able to talk about things that are important and deep with them without them squirming and saying they don't want to talk about it. You will have to be insistent without being harsh and demanding, because you are talking about their hearts and how they will control it. Ultimately, you have no control over their hearts, or actions. This must be them coming to their own conclusion, and wanting it for what it is worth- the purity and sanctity of their relationships.  This is one of the most difficult things for a parent to accept, because they want their children to walk in the Way, but the control you thought you had in their life will die as soon as they walk out the door.This leaving must happen sooner or later and too often it happens sooner than later without you equipping them with the ability to handle their own emotions and actions. You must first have their hearts before you can help them to begin guarding their own hearts. And that is your goal. To have your children guard their own hearts. For them to desire to maintain purity and preserve their hearts for their future spouse without the baggage that comes with having a past. This is a way to show your children you love them because you are protecting their marriage from a very young age. You are showing that a marriage is something that is so important that you have to prepare for it. It is not "oh I fell in love so I get married". That is the world's way. We want our children to marry God's way.

What books have most influenced John MacArthur?

What books have most influenced John MacArthur?

Choices

So it seems that I am not gifted in discernment with those that I choose for friends. It seems that I am a little too quick to take people for face value, whatever they claim to be. I suppose this could be a good thing as it denotes a seeming desire to believe the best in those I meet. But unfortunately it seems that at least half of the ones I meet and accept turn out to be less than they declared themselves to be. And disappointment, sometimes confrontations, sometimes hurt feelings but almost always a rift ensues. Sad. Especially when you really love new friends, old friends, just love friends in general. It can be a hurtful experience to discover that your friend does not have the depth of your devotion nor do they give nearly the same importance to the one thing that is crucial in your life. Your God. Nor do they even seem to see the importance of devotion or a life commitment to God. It is scary to see people who profess to know the Savior,yet refuse to acknowledge Him in a public setting, preferring to "keep my beliefs private". What?? Where is that in the Bible? Is there a verse I missed? Is there a place where we are encouraged to "not offend' the unbelievers by refraining from promoting the gospel,  or our relationship with Christ. To keep from putting it out there that we belong to the One True God?. did I miss that passage?  I am fairly sure I didn't miss that.


  I set out to say that whoever is not for Him is against Him. Luke 11:23. And Titus 1:16 states that there are those that profess Christ yet in their lives there is no evidence. And they are condemned. How can you risk your relationship with God by trying to stand with one foot in the world and one foot in Heaven. It doesn't work, as stated in James 4:4. Friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God.

So, be careful in your choices. God is like a very protective parents. He doesn't care if you get embarrassed or not, He will discipline you if you hang out with the wrong crowd. Trust me, I know. 

Have You Heard?

I heard something today.
 Oh yes, I am sure that you will want to pray.

For this person. This person that I heard something about. We know her, have a for a while, oh yes you know her too. You won't believe it, but maybe you will because you know, she was always a little, well, you know. So I heard that she is is doing such and such. And is participating with such and such kind of people. Yes, terrible isn't it. We really must pray for her. And her family, who you know, they can't help it if she is like that. I guess that child is lucky to be so gifted in that area in spite of her, because you know after I tell you what I heard, you know it couldn't be because she was a good Christian mother they excel in that.  I have been struggling about whether to tell so and so about her and what I heard is going on. I guess it would not be a Christian thing to do to let so and so keep thinking she is a good mentor or good influence in her kids life. We have to be careful you know. With that kind of thing. We better not tell her about the get together now. Because we are Christians and we should protect each other. Yes, I heard she left her church, wonder where she will go now? Probably no where if what I heard was right because she must not really be that strong in her faith if all that is going on her life. Yes we really must pray for her. Oh look, there is so and so now! I better go let so and so  know what is going on in her life, so we can pray for her. That would be the Christian thing to do wouldn't it?



Proverbs 16:28
Galations 6:2

Courtship - Part 2

My son does not like for me to say to people who do not know us "we believe in courtship or that we practice courtship" because so many people interpret the word Courtship  in so many different ways. So maybe I will call it Purposeful Acquaintance? I don't like Dating with a Purpose. One because it sounds so cliche and also because I don't like what dating means. Dating is temporary. What I believe in is lasting. By the time the couple is going out together alone, they are engaged. And when I say alone, that is relative because they are never alone, they are always in public. 

So, I don't know what I will call this, but for now I will just continue.

As I read my last post I realize that this may take a while. But is it important. Probably one of the most important things that you can do for your children besides teaching them in the instruction and admonition of the Lord. 

Ephesians 6:4 tells us 

"Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord."

I want to point out the "provoke your children to anger" part of that verse. To teach your child something that requires self discipline, control and patience, you have to have their heart. If you are demanding and controlling in this matter, you will lose their heart and provoke their rebellion or anger. You can say all day long that is not the way your child should react but you must remember a few things. No one likes to be told what to do, how to do something and especially how to do something that affects their life in such a personal way as finding a spouse. 

And secondly, you must remember that we are natural rebels. We rebelled against a perfect parent, one who treats us with nothing but patience and everlasting love. Yet we sin and are hard headed in His instruction.  But not only for Christians but for the unbeliever or the agnostic, your children will not receive your interference lightly in this matter either. Unless you have their heart. And I realize that people other than Christians, want what is best for their child and may be exploring what courtship or abstinence means in a relationship, so I will try to make this non believer friendly too without, hopefully sounding like a Preacher!

One of the best things we can teach our children is self control and self discipline. It is not always easy especially if you have not been taught this yourself. I was not taught self discipline. I had to learn it in my 30's and now in my 40's I am starting to learn it some more! Control over yourself is invaluable as it protects you. That is the main point that I started out with for my children. "This is for your good.  It will help you, it will protect you, not only your body but your mind, your heart and your time."

I started off  in this manner because my purpose was to protect my children from mistakes, from heartache, from impurity of mind and soul and to protect their body which is too young for sex, much less the things that come with promiscuity. Disease, denigrating of self worth, a bad reputation, usually alcohol and drugs become a part of that lifestyle. There really isn't anything in that lifestyle that is worth letting my child start off their life, their young life being  caught up in the "boy friend - girl friend " drama. It never ended well for me and I have yet to see it end well for in the majority of the teen boy friend/girlfriend relationships. I have yet to meet anyone who said "wow I am glad I dated him/her. It will give me such insight into my marriage one day". Nope, I must say I have yet to hear that one.

 So as we teach self control and discipline we can naturally start our introduction into the belief of courtship. I have decided that for my own purposes I will tell you what I believe in and have labeled Courtship.

 We purpose to wait until we are of marriageable age before allowing ourselves to consider someone for a relationship that is at all times headed towards marriage.

Yes, towards marriage. We are not going to have a few boyfriends or girlfriends to see what it is like in a relationship. God made one woman for one man. He didn't make Eve, Shirley and Gabrielle for Adam to date and then pick the one that Adam liked best or had the best time with.  He made Eve, for Adam and I believe that God has one person for each of us if it is His will that we marry. And sometimes it is not. But assuming that He has someone for my child, I will guide my child and help them take the right steps towards the right decision.
It is without question, because I have been saying it since he was 12 and my other 2 were born,  you are going to search for a spouse not a girlfriend, or boyfriend. My kids will have already have had plenty of girl friends and boy friends. I hope you see the difference in spelling that I used. They are friends that are girls and friends that are boys.

That brings me to what happens when your child starts to like someone a little more than others. I will discuss that in my next post.

So to recap so far, the first thing you have to do is purpose in your heart to teach this in a loving manner that is not dictatorial. It has to be your child's belief ultimately, so you have to decide how you will approach it. Start with alot of smiling and loving attitudes toward your child. Your child has to know that you love them and want what is best. If this takes you a while it will be worth it because you have to change your own heart before you can affect someone else's.

You also have to make sure that you have taught self discipline and self control in other areas of their lives, not just this. If you have the attitude of  "my child can make his own choices in everything" from clothing, what they eat and what time they go to bed, then you must understand this may come as a shock to your child. I am not saying it cannot be done, but I want to hear how you did it!

Next, be purposeful, tell your child that you believe that it is best for your child to avoid the boyfriend/girlfriend lifestyle and then tell them why.  Some of my reasons are that your heart belongs to your future wife/husband, you are too young for that kind of pressure and I also pose the question what does it accomplish? A relationship at this point in their lives would hinder their freedom to pursue their own interests because they would always have to answer to someone else.

  Know that as they get older they are going to have crushes. It is up to you to help them through this. I will tell you how I handled it with my son and intend to handle it with my daughters. And believe me, I know they are completely different situations. But it doesn't have to be difficult. Not if you have their heart.

Courtship

When I was young, my Mother always said that it was important to remain pure until I was married. But she left it there. She never explained to me the benefits both physically, mentally and spiritually of entering a marriage pure. And because I never truly understood it, the idea  was never mine, I never Owned the belief, I just heard it, it never became a part of me...and so as I grew older.....well you know.

   So one day, a few years after I had a child of my own, a lady from my church had a class on Courtship and I had not ever heard of courtship so I went. And it was the answer that I wish I had been given when I was young. But saying that, the way courtship was presented to me that day are not the exact courtship principals that I teach to my children. I modified it to meet the needs that I had when I was young, knowing that my past and the lady who presented her version of courtship's past were as different as night and day. I knew I needed to go a little deeper when reaching my children because I was sure that wild blood was hereditary. What I didn't know then was that sin was what was really hereditary. So for the next few posts I will explain Courtship by Sunshine.

What courtship is, is very important to understand. You have to understand that it is a way of life, a standard of belief, a set of principals, a map to a marriage. It points toward the marital relationship not away from it. It is not a set of Do Nots, but a list of Do's. There are plenty of do nots but there are equally alot of do's. It is the path toward a relationship that will be safe and kind to both of the young people involved. But it is also something that the parents have to commit to teaching because this is something that must be taught regularly, not just once and then never spoken of again. It has to become the child's belief or it will not work and may instill rebellion. And it is never to something that is spoken of in self righteousness or pride. It is too volatile a subject for someone to have pride in. Courtship is humbling in that you find your weaknesses exposed to yourself and family. This can separate or bond a family.


  One thing that I learned while mentoring young girls and men for several years in our church was that even the kids who claim to belong to Christ, still were drawn to immodest dress and relationships that were not good for them at an early age. Now being from original sin with a sin nature (and I know that will set some people off who don't believe that) this I found to be natural and not something to shame the kids with. Because when you are young you may not have a firm hold on your feelings and unless you are Martin Luther or James Dobson, who claimed salvation at age 3, this is understandable. As adults and parents in these kids life it is our responsibility to help them talk to us and that takes trust. Trust is established I have found by not showing shock or disapointment when we are confided in. Also do not judge others harshly in front of our kids. If they hear you judging and being mean about someone's failures they surely are not going to trust their sins to you for fear that you will treat them the same. So prepare your relationship with your child before you broach the subject of courtship with them. Make sure that you are able to talk with them. Let them know that you want to share something that is for their good. Because that is the truth. Staying pure is beneficial to your child heath and future marriage. You have to be able to broach this subject with them in a gentle and a loving way. Or they won't listen to you just to spite you. They will regret it but some kids will spite you to prove a point and most of the time it is the kids of the self righteous people who have children that rebel.

 Smile at your child every day 10 times a day for 2 weeks before you begin teaching them about courtship.

First, after you do the 2 week smile, you need to to find a quiet time that you know you will not be disturbed for at 30 minutes.  Really I would spend no longer  on this that amount of time. And you should do it at least by age 10. I have actually been speaking to my 8 yr old since she was 5, but in very limited terms. She really doesn't know what it means but knows that she is going to do Courtship for her marriage. She knows that it means no boyfriends at all and that when she does get a boyfriend it will be toward marriage.

That is the next step, talking about relationships with very young and not so young kids. 

Death of a Friend

Steve was my husband's friend. I met him during the first year of our marriage 23 years ago. He had the same birth date as my husband exactly 10 years older than him. Back then, we all drank very heavily and did a lot of boating and outdoor playing. Over the years we all stuck together as people died from accidents and families lost parents (me) and babies were born. Steve loved our kids and treated them like his own as did his wife. She was devoted to Steve and their only son was the light of their life. 10 years ago his kidneys failed and he was put on the transplant list. I remember thinking , we should have been more careful and said something when he was downing Advils like candy to counteract every pain from his working on cranes to hangovers. He would eat 8 at a time. But being young and not really experienced in spotting things like that we didn't. But we felt the guilt as a collective group of friends when this happened and we stayed close to him during that time before the blessed day of a kidney was found. We had almost lost him many times the 2 years he waited for that call.

Steve used to come by the house sometimes and if my husband wasn't home he would say "let's go get a margarita while we wait for the old man". And he would take me and my young son out to get one. He was always honorable and a gentleman. A good friend to my husband. When my husband and I separated (which was at least every year), he always treated me the same. Never taking sides, always saying that nobody is perfect.

I became saved during the time that he was waiting for a kidney. He would call me all the time to tell me to pray for him, since God was my friend now. He would ask for specific things and sometimes just a general prayer when he didn't want to elaborate. For years he would call me and and ask me to pray for him. And not to tell anyone. I didn't tell and I did pray. I also told him how to have the privilege of going before the Lord without shame. I told him the Gospel.

After his transplant I didn't see much of him, he started partying again and went back to work. He got his life back. It was wonderful. And occasionally he would call me and ask me to pray. Out of the blue. But it was like we had just seen each other an hour before. I think that is true friendship. You can not talk for ages, but when you see each other, it is like you just walked out the door a minute ago.

I heard about a year ago his kidney failed. His body rejected it and he had to go back on dialysis again daily. How horrible. It was so sad but everyone was optimistic because he had rebounded so well before and they had high hopes of another match. But he got weaker alot faster this time and last night his heart failed him. It had worked too hard.

I don't know if he ever accepted Christ. I haven't seen or had an  opportunity to talk with him in a long time. I do know that he did not call me at all this year to pray for him. That gives me hope that he was able to pray for himself.

My husband is devastated, missing his friend that he saw and talked to often. He had been planning on going by today and taking him to the races. He went alone, with red eyes from crying.  And I wonder  if he will wonder where Steve is spending eternity and then think about where he w. 

Son's and Birthdays

     I have a 20 year old. Yes I do. I keep telling myself that. Although his actual birthday isn't until the 17th, he is still going to be 20 in a few days. So, I did what all mothers of twenty somethings should do:

 I  bought him an afternoon flying a plane. Yes I did.

    Don't shriek, my Mother in Law already did that. But after carefully listening to my reasons for doing this crazy thing, she conceded, that yes, you are only young once, he is flying the nest soon and should really have lessons. Plus, he loves to fly and I wanted to be the one to give that to him. Selfish I know. But there will be so few things I can give him in the near future, things that his Wife and children will want to do for him, I want to savor these last few years that I am the most important woman in his life.

    I am the one he feels obligated to report to, the one that he wants to have conversations with at midnight and the one that he shares his dreams with. I want to enjoy this time to the fullest. Like life, childhood is a mist, a vapor, a breath that once drawn is exhaled and spent. I wanted to see the child light up in my son's eyes when I said "Guess what we are doing today?". He is mine for now. And as much as I pray for his future Wife and cannot wait to have another daughter to love,  I kinda like being the woman in my son' life right now.

   He had a great time.

Unions and Socialism

http://www.glennbeck.com/2011/03/01/wisconsin-socialist-noodles-company-is-dictatorship/#comment-158376631

In response to this post on Glenn Becks site I wrote this:
Mind boggling stuff this is>

• Unions are not there to tell the owners how to run the company they are there to say "this is what skilled (as in I have been trained, licensed and have a certificate that equals a degree because most of the time it takes 4 to 5 years to earn the certificate) labor costs. If you want skilled labor, trained, guaranteed labor then this is the cost of hiring us. Otherwise go rat and get some mexican or high school dropout who can't read a blueprint to do this job. That is what the labor unions do. Where the problem has come in is just like the government, the union organizers have decided that they deserved 3 to 4 times the average pay of their workers for finding the work. And they are corrupt. Just like the government's leaders, the union leaders have corrupted the unions. You don't complain when a company negotiates for salaries with employees they are considering hiring. You just have a problem that the employees wear a hard hard hat and not wear suits. You don't have a problem with minimum wage do you? That is demanding fair wages for workers. Trouble is minimum wage won't support you. You cannot live on your own, much less support children on minimum wage. It takes food stamps and government assistance for that. IF minimum wage was a true living wage, one that could pay rent, utilities, groceries, car insurance, health insurance (don't even get me started on that racket of paying for nothing every month and then get penalized for using it government sponsored racketeering) and the occasional coffee then we wouldn't need unions would we?
  
  
  But wait you scream at the top of your capitalist voice (a system that I staunchly support and vote Republican because it is the lesser of two evils, not because I believe in them) we are talking about TEACHER"S UNIONS. And those teachers are not producing the best and brightest so they dont' DESERVE high wages. I understand you point precisely. With a pipefitter or carpenter, they have to produce a perfect product or get fired. And teachers have "Tenure". Yeah, that is a problem. They have tenure and can basically sit on their butts all day while little Johnny and little Rita play all day. Learning nothing. Governmentally sanctioned. Sucks doesn't it. Cause that is what alot of Congressmen do. And Senators. But as their are not that many qualified people to take their place, just nut cases like O'Donnel and Farakhan, or maybe a Kennedy. And their are not a lot of people lining up to take Mrs. Teacher's place because everyone knows that kids who have a distinct lack of parenting and daycare babies who are just out for "what's mine" are what is really is wrong with the school system. Teacher's show up every day ready to teach. But it is a rare kid who shows up at school ready to learn. The teacher's can not teach a child who is combative, lazy, knows that their parents will curse out the teacher or worse they don't have a parent who cares whether they learn or not. The public schools serve the poor because the rich put their children in private school. Where the school makes the rules, not the parents, government or kids. Where you learn or you are kicked out. Where gangs are not allowed and neither is your baggy pants. Your tank tops and your weapons. But schools, where these teachers risk their lives each day that you are screaming don't deserve to get paid well, are a right now and not a privilege. Where all socialization and morals are taught or really not taught in an atmosphere of no accountability because when they took the authority of God out of school they took the morals and the accountability out. There is no threat of hell and a terrible life for the loser in school, he is actually looked up to now because they dont' have anyone else. It is not the teacher's fault that little johnny can't read, it is because little johnny's mother has to work and is too tired to do homework with him and he couldn't do it at school because they were too busy having "feelings day for gay and lesbians" or "Allah is our friend's religion" day. Instead of learning algebra, Lester was at the back of the class watching porn on his i-pod and the teacher is too scared of him, he is 20 and the leader of a gang, to tell him to stop.
  The problem isn't the teachers, it is the kids, the parents and the government who are screwing up our educational system. It was great system before everyone had to have a say in it. You can't have a bunch of chiefs and no indians. Someone has to be in charge and that person has to have the authority to lead. Unions are threatening small businesses or big corporations, the government has done that. Unions are trying to keep food on the table for the middle class. Otherwise the rich would devour the middle and lower classes. That is how unions were born. Slave wages to the workers. Now like the government, unions have become corrupt at the top. NOT the workers, not the people. Now when the brilliant minds like Glenn Beck come up with a way to fix that we will have Utopia that the little socialist wants.

Honey Oat Bread

I am feeling too grumpy to post. I will write another post (and I say another because last night I wrote a 5 paragraph one and accidentally deleted it...grrrrr) explaining what an awful mother I was on the last day in Atlanta yesterday. But today I made this......and it is Good!
 It is printing funny. Sorry I am technically challenged.

Honey Oat Bread

1 3/4 cups warm water (105°F to 110°F)

1 tablespoon dry yeast

3/4 cup quick-cooking oats

1/3 cup honey

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 1/2 teaspoons salt

5 cups (about) all purpose flour

Stir 1/4 cup warm water and yeast in large bowl. Let stand 10 minutes to dissolve yeast. Stir in remaining 1 1/2 cups water, 3/4 cup oats, honey, oil, and salt. Stir in enough flour to form soft dough. Coat another large bowl with oil. Transfer dough to oiled bowl and turn to coat. Cover with plastic wrap, then kitchen towel and let rise at room temperature until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

Oil two 8 1/2x4 1/2x2 1/2-inch loaf pans. Punch down dough; shape into 2 loaves. Place 1 loaf in each pan. Cover and let rise in warm draft-free area until almost doubled in volume, about 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Bake until brown on top and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Cool completely. (Can be prepared up to 1 day ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.)

I also made Hot Teriaki Wings, broccoli, baked sweet potato and Apple Pear Cobbler. My kids are still eating the bread. Will they ever go to bed?

   I became infertile over 17 years ago. It is no secret to those who have known me these past 15 years that I wanted a large family. At least 6 children. I have 3 living children but I have tried for the last 9 years to have more. I have paid for 9 more attempts with a specialist because this is how I had my last 2. I had been pregnant 7 times before my last child. Only 3 survived.

   This is the year that I had to accept that I would not have anymore children. It was a death blow to my heart. The knowledge has knocked me in a strong place where I did not know I was vulnerable. I have suffered all the symptoms of clinical depression. It has shaken me in another area that I never had any doubts either. That is the most devastating thing of all I believe. I started to doubt whether God loved me. I do want to stress vehemently that I have never doubted for one minute that He exists. Because faith is a gift from God and he does not take back gifts I have learned. So I have my stronghold of knowledge that God is God. He does exist and he does micromanage our lives.

 But yet I doubted. And for months I cried out in anger, grief and anguish that is only understood by someone who has this same longing. A woman who can have child after child with little effort will not understand the depth of the grief associated with this longing. And many will nor understand why it hurt so much because "you already have 3, many women don't even have that many". And they are right. I am thankful. It is not that I am not thankful but my grief is from something deep inside me that I cannot explain. The father of my children believes that I have been trying to replace my daughter who died 2 weeks before she was due. She would be 22 yrs old this year. But every mother knows you cannot replace any child. Not the one that was still at birth, or the one that never made it to 12 weeks gestation. My grief is my own and I know that it is there. Rational or not. It is there.

  This year, I knew that I had reached the age that I should not try again because if by a miracle I was able to have another child it wouldn't be fair for the child to have a mother 40 something years older than they were. I may not live to see them graduate. I know that possibility is there for every parent but over 40 is pushing it. So I have settled in my heart that I will only have 3 children and that I will put my sole efforts into them. And that knowledge drowned me everyday.

  I cried out everyday for answers from God as to why He withheld His blessings from me yet a child was abused and killed everyday in the hands of heathens and cruel people. I was angry and belligerent to my Heavenly Father in the same manner that I was to my earthly father when he lived. I really tested that family bond with Him.

And Then He Answered.

  You really want an answer from God about these mysteries of suffering and you are sincere with deep and abiding belief that He can answer. But you really doubt He is gonna do it til you get to Heaven. But you pray and rant anyway. Well, the very unexpected happened to me. God answered why I was infertile at age 27. Why, while everyone around me was either pregnant, getting pregnant or trying not to get pregnant, there I was for 17 years, unable to get pregnant naturally. And it came in the form of a 17 year old girl. The day she was born was the month that I tried to get pregnant and couldn't. And never was able to again naturally. My womb was closed unexpectedly after 1 stillborn,  1 wonderful son, and 1 mid term miscarriage. I couldn't conceive.

 And across the nation a little baby was born. This summer I met her. My heart met her and in the process of a 2 hour conversation that God alone orchestrated, I found out why I was infertile. I cannot and I mean because of a promise, tell the details of why my infertility was so important in this young girls life, and why my testimony answered her questions and crying out to the Lord but I assure you, as God assured me, I rested in my affliction that day. As did this young girl. And she left me with a hope that she needed. That God provided on a still road, on a hot summer night with His stars in the sky proclaiming that He alone, God alone is in control of our lives and every second, every thing, every joy and affliction is for His glory so that He can care for His creations.

What a miracle to witness both an answer so profound to both of us, who had never known one another but met for a brief time when our paths crossed and God answered our crying out to Him in this incredible way. How deeply He must love us to know that we can bear one another's burdens and provide through Him comfort and relief.  This is my testimony to His Greatness. His loving kindness to a young girl through me. What a blessing to have been infertile for her. I would not change a thing. I miss the spots where I believe children should be in between, before and after the children I have but God had a greater plan than a large family for me. That would have been easy.That was for other women.

 I have been "the mother of many children" as a barren woman. (Isaiah 54:1) and the bearer of a burden for the comfort of the innocent. How blessed to be chosen to bear this affliction. It will comfort me well into Heaven.

A Useless Life

  Today my heart hurt. I am not sure why, maybe just everything. There are times in your life when you are going through so much internally and you don't want to share it, as it may make someone stumble. You want to let out all that you feel but realize that what you feel isn't that great and it would not only ruin your testimony, but it may make someone else hurt, fear, wonder, or doubt. And you certainly don't want to be responsible for that. But yet you feel..depressed, unloved, useless and a life wasted. So many regrets cram into your mind and your heart is physically overwhelmed to the point where you want to just run. Run from the life you have and beg God to please transport you back in time, let you do it all again with different results.

   But then you look at your children, your life that you have lived and see the most miraculous thing. In all your failures, you had the most wonderful children that without your mistakes would not be who they are today. With every miserable failure, every wrong turn, every mess up and flat out horrible step you took in your life, you molded someone that touches the world. whether 8 or 19 or even 11, your life has produced a life changing chain of events that has helped someone; has reached out in love, compassion, and yes, godliness.

  Your life is a reason to be. If you reach beyond todays pain and uselessness and see that in the years that have been so wasted, someone without a mother was touched and helped by your hand, a child was comforted in an abusive situation, or even rescued from a predator as a result of your diligence and hardheadedness, a life maybe saved, or at least rescued from torturous existence. Maybe it wasn't so bad so far. If this useless, wasted life of daily mistakes has been used by God to raise a warrior for His kingdom, well then, isn't every miserable mistake worth every single solitary second? I haven't begun to see the effects my little, useless life has had. Let these words be true.

1 Corinthians 1:26-29

(26) For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. (27) But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; (28) and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, (29) that no flesh should glory in His presence. 

Promise Me

When my son was around 14 I read an article somewhere, probably in Michael Pearl's publication or Above Rubies or maybe one of Vision Forum's publications about expectations in children. It may have been something else and I really wish I had a decent memory because maybe then you could read the article yourself and get out of it the same thing I did. What I discovered was a Code Statement.

  A Code Statement was something that was a statement that meant something only to you and your child. Or in some families it was a Family Code Statement. Because of the unusual dynamics of my household, things like this were strictly between my kids and me. The statement was a code between you and your child that was the synopsis of everything that you expected and hoped for your child when you were not there. Now the article didn't say this exactly, but you know how when you read something and you get an idea that comes from the basis of what someone else is saying but it is not really what they are saying? Know what I am saying? Sorry, couldn't resist....:))

  Seriously though, I sat down one day and thought about the things that were important to me for my child to do and not do when I was not there to help him. How to resist temptation that the devil makes sure you are 100 miles away from your child before he unleashes it, that kind of temptation. What words could I put in my child's head that would give him strength without him having to take the time to pull out a long list of "Do Not's" and think "well would my Mom want me to do this?" and all that kind of stuff.  So I made a list, and the name of the list was "Promise Me".

It was something like this:

Promise Me that you will not put anything evil in front of your eyes
Promise Me that nothing evil will cross your lips
Promise Me that you will not do anything that you could not do with me watching you
Promise Me that you will not say anything that you would not say in front of me or the Preacher
Promise Me that above all you will think of Jesus Christ before you embark or partake in anything
Promise Me that you will keep your eyes, ears and heart pure at all times.
Promise Me that you will not look at any immodest woman or thing, that your eyes stay pure
Promise Me that you will think and say only what is Godly and pure so that your laughter and fellowship
will be pure and happy.

    This is not the exact list, my son just read it again, he is now 19, almost 20, but it is close. If we find that old battered list I will put it up, but this gives you the gist of it.

  You may think that is alot to put on a 14 year old, but it is not, because way before that age he has been bombarded by imagery, and stories and temptations way beyond what you may think. Even you Godly Homeschoolers young men have things thrown at your child when he is not next to you, sometimes even in the pew next to you. Satan is so devious and he hates your children more than you can know because God loves them so much, he wants to destroy them. And uses any means he can.  So, to give my child strength, in accordance to the scripture, to raise them in the way they should go, I came up with a code statement. And every time he left my presence, whether to go on youth camps, out the door to Boy Scouts or to the homeschool Co-Op or even to his Sunday School class, when my son gave me the mandatory goodbye kiss on the cheek, I would whisper "Promise Me" and he would always say to me, looking me in the eyes, "I Promise".  And I let him go. To go out of my presence, into the world with a promise on his lips to his Mother, who he knew was praying for him constantly. He had all the scriptures memorized and knew that in promising me all these things, that he was in actuality, promising God. It made a difference. This link to my heart, this promise, meant something to my son for many years. And it still does.

   When I put him the plane in the morning and kiss him goodbye as he flies away from me for 6 months to 9 different states working for a ministry to promote the kingdom of God through the equipping of young minds in government, I will whisper "Promise Me" and he will, I have no doubt, look me in the eyes and whisper back "I Promise".

It is is our code statement, not meant for other ears, only our two, a promise to God between us. My promise to God that I will pray for my child and raise him in the Admonition of the Lord, and my child's promise to me that he will live his life for God by following His precepts. It is a blessing to give to your child, something to hold on to when you are not there, something for them to live up to and something for them to stand by when you cannot stand by them.

Limiting Embryonic Stem Cell research and starving children

Limiting Embryonic Stem Cell research and starving children

I read a question from someone in an old Washington Post He asked "why do we limit embryonic stem cell research but let children starve everyday?" I think that is a valid question because all questions signify that the person asking them does not know the answer and wants someone to tell them the answer. So here ya go: It is alot more simple than you are implying. First there are no starving children in the USA. The only cases of children starving are the ones who are under the radar of the local, state and federal authorities not to mention the religious community of every belief. That is a lot of coverage. Any starvation of a child in the USA with all the social programs, faith based programs and just the downright overwhelming generosity of the average American is intentional on the parent or caregiver of said child. That said, I will move on to explain the starvation of children in other countries. There are thousands upon thousands of children either going to bed each night hungry or dying of malnutrition every day. 26,5000 children will die today and everyday for causes that include malnutrition (starvation). According to the www.globalissues.org website over half of the those children are in the sub Saharan portion of Africa, a quarter of them are in South Asia, and the rest except for .1 percent are in Latin American countries. IF you are following that is .1 percent for the Western Industrialized nations. If you will google "feed poor children around the world" what do you get? about 600,000 entries. Knowing that tons of them are probably repeats I will hazard a non scientific guess (and don't cut and paste this comment and allude I am making any other non scientific guesses on anything other than these organization, I need the money and will sue you) that there are around 20,000 legitimate organizations that collect money, clothes and battleship size containers of food to send to the poorest parts of the country. Along with millions of condoms and all forms of birth control. The majority of donations made to all these thousands of companies are made by Americans. I have almost sent the last $10.00 in my checking account after watching one of those heart wrenching commercials with pictures of little children with flies coming out of their mouths. I wanted to slap the parents for having sex too. But then most of them don't know that causes kids. And there you have it: one of the leading causes of overpopulation in the world in starving countries is that the people don't have the basic knowledge of how their bodies work. They live like animals in ignorance and poverty. And in that comes child after child to people unequipped to be parents. This leads to child rape, sexual bondage, sexual trade of children,and trafficking of minors. Because no matter what is going on in a man's life he is a slave to his nether regions and must have sex. Now I can hear you ask: "what does this have to do with the fact that children are starving and it is America's right wing fanatics fault because all they care about are embryos and fetuses?" Well let me tell you Grasshopper... These poverty stricken countries that have millions of tons of food shipped to them every day of the year for the last 25 years since the sensational multi continent concert "LIVE AID" swept the globe and also have had millions upon millions of dollars and people sent to aid them have consistently done the same thing: the governments of these nations have made sure the worldwide aid has not reached there people. They intentionally, make sure you hear me, intentionally and on purpose, with malicious intent and with pure effort, hoard the food, burn it, let it rot or best case scenario, trickle it to the people. Appalling but obviously not a front page sensational story like Brittany Spears shaving her head on a drug/drunken night out. No, as a matter of fact you have to search for the stories. Because if this was put in the mainstream media, all those thousands upon thousands of people who write those checks every month and wait for that picture of little Annoria or Carlos to come in the mail knew that their money was in fact enabling a third world dictator to buy a Rolex instead of feeding a family of 18 for 6 months they would slam the kitty door closed and nail it shut and then no more TV commercials for Juan to persuade the gullible American they can end world poverty with as little as $30.00 a month. There are children starving to death at the rate of 10,000 a day because of selfish, power crazy (remember Saddam Hussien? but I forgot the Liberals said he was really a nice guy once you got to know him and you weren't a citizen of Iraq) and sick cruel Men and I say Men because it is across the board that they are in charge. Women and children in all these countries aren't even allowed to eat unless the man of the house is willing to share his food. Child hungry and crying? tough, a man's gotta eat so he can have sex and make more unwanted children to starve in the streets. So when we are able to go into a country where there are starving children with the freedom to feed them and set the families up with an educational system that leads out of poverty, when we are able to find a government that puts all the free food and money that the world throws at all these nut case countries into their starving and poverty stricken populations, then we will end childhood hunger. We have enough food in America to "Feed the World". But the world won't open their door and let us in.