Conversations With a Four-Year-Old

 

Kids truly have and amazing thought process. More so than we give them credit for at times!

I had to take our German Shepherd, Sammy, to the vet for a rabies shot. Munchkin was a bit upset, since she remembered when Grammy's dog was sick and we took him to the vet. He didn't come back home. I assured her that I would bring Sammy back home and that she would be just fine. After we had left, she had a conversation with her dad…

"I'm going to miss Sammy," Munchkin sighed.

"She's coming back, Munchkin. Sammy's not sick, she just needs a shot," her dad explained.

"Then why is she going to the vet? We don't go to the doctor when we're not sick."

Good point. The logic skills this kid has amaze me at times, and make me laugh quite frequently!

Munchkin usually hops in bed with me for a few minutes in the morning. Once her dad has gotten up, she usually comes in and starts chatting with me at some point. She crept in yesterday morning and climbed in bed next to me and started talking. She tired of her mostly one-sided conversation after a couple of minutes.

"Mommy," Munchkin began, "I'm hungry."

"Mmmmmm…." her mom replied.

"Mommy, you have to get up and get breakfast for me and my brothers. We're starving!"

"Mmmmmm…." her mom replied.

She reached under the pillow and grasped her mom's hand. Gently tugging she announced, "Mommy, it's time to get up now. We need breakfast!"

Mommy slipped her glasses on and stumbled out of bed, following the chattering four-year-old.

The kids had their breakfast and were playing while their dad was popping some waffles in the toaster. The scent of hot waffles wafted into the dining room where Munchkin was observing my writing.

"Mmmmm. I smell some mighty tasty waffles!" Munchkin exclaimed.

This evoked a great deal of laughter from Mommy and Daddy.

Kids are hilarious conversationalists aren't they? Chatting with mine is always interesting!

Hand-Knit Socks

Now for a lighter topic!

Munchkin's feet are growing quite big. Many of her socks no longer fit. The only socks that do fit are her boring white socks. She kind of misses her cute socks, so I thought that I'd knit her some cute socks!

I've wanted to learn a method of knitting two socks at once using the magic loop method for a while now. I have a great book that teaches this method. I pulled out the book, needles and yarn and set to work.

The author recommends knitting toddler-sized socks to learn the method, and also suggests making each sock a different color so that you don't get the yarn for each confused. (You have to use two separate balls of yarn; otherwise your two socks would be knit together. This is a bad idea if you plan to walk while wearing your socks…) She mentions that toddlers won't care that their socks don't match, so once you are done with them, gift them to an adorable little kid who will love them. Unfortunately, Munchkin was not impressed with the idea of an unmatched pair of socks…

She eagerly tried on her new socks, and then asked if she could wear just the pink socks. I told her that there was only one pink sock. She pondered that, and told me that she would wear the purple socks, then. I told her that there was only one purple sock. She asked me to knit her more socks. I had an idea that I'd wind up knitting a second pair of mismatched socks for her… So, I cast on the second set, and tried to take the first pair off her feet. Even thought they didn't match, she insisted that she wanted to wear them while she waited for me to finish the matches.

When we moved into our house, my mom found a wooden box full of socks that my great-grandmother had knit for her sons. Socks are a practical gift, but they are also a gift of love. I've heard it explained this way— socks take time to knit, depending on the size of someone's feet, they can take a lot of time to knit. You give them to someone you love, knowing that they will wear them out. Then you knit them another pair to wear out. Anyone who knits you a pair of socks has put a lot of love into them. I know, socks are cheap, why not just buy them? If you have ever worn hand-knit socks, you will understand! I have one pair that I knit for myself, and I wear them whenever they are clean! Also, what better way to show my kids how much I love them, than to knit them socks. Maybe someday, someone will find a box full of socks that I've knit, and smile thinking about how much I must have loved my kids to knit them so many socks.

God and Government: Inseparable in a free society

"It is the right as well as the duty of all men in society, publicly and at stated seasons, to worship the Supreme Being, the great Creator and Preserver of the universe. And no subject shall be hurt, molested, or restrained in his person, liberty, or estate, for worshipping God in the manner and season most agreeable to the dictates of his own conscience; or for his religion profession of sentiments; provided he doth not disturb the public peace, or obstruct others in their religious worship...."

Massachusetts Bill of Rights, Part the First, 1780

Interesting considering that Massachusetts now has the reputation of being one of the most Godless and wicked States in America. Yet it is merely a sign of the time, just as this section of the Massachusetts Bill of Rights was indicative of the general beliefs of the time. The inscription on the Liberty Bell is from Leviticus 25:10, "Proclaim Liberty throughout the land unto all the inhabitants thereof." The basis of liberty is Scripture. After all, our rights are God-given, they come from God. How can any society that values liberty, not honor the One who gave it to them? This is something that was understood by early Americans. They realized that they would only prosper and endure as a nation so long as they acknowledged God and gave Him the honor and loyalty that was due Him. Psalm 33:12 reminds us, "Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance." How many times has God destroyed a nation, or allowed it to be destroyed for failure to follow Him?

Our founders counted on the American people continuing in their faith and following the God of the Scriptures. John Adams observed, "Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." Look at what James Madison had to say, "We've staked our future on our ability to follow the Ten Commandments with all of our heart. We have staked the whole future of American civilization, not upon the power of government, far from it. We've staked the future of all our political institutions upon our capacity… to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God." This quote is very telling, and easily explains the decline of America in recent generations. The further we distance ourselves from the faith of our forefathers, the lower we are doomed to sink. I quoted Thomas Jefferson in a previous post, but he bears repeating, "I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that his justice cannot sleep forever." Scripture makes it very clear that God will judge nations. America certainly has much to answer for.

Obviously, the American people have turned from God. As a consequence, our leaders have become evil, godless men and women, ruled by their own ambitions and their love of money and power. Those are the prevailing attitudes in America today; why should we be surprised when they are reflected in leadership? Still, how could this have happened in a nation where the majority claims to be Christian? Certainly there must be enough Godly people to bring about change. The answer is simpler than you might think. John Jay, the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, had two things to say that might help clear this up. Firstly, "Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty, as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers." Sadly, we cannot claim to have followed this advice at any point in recent history. His second observation is even more important for us to understand, "Whether our religion permits Christians to vote for infidel rulers is a question which merits more consideration than it seems yet to have generally received either from the clergy or the laity. It appears to me that what the prophet said to Jehoshaphat about his attachment to Ahab ['Shouldest thou help the ungodly and love them that hate the Lord?' 2 Chronicles 19:2] affords a salutary lesson." The implications of this are weighty to say the least. Can anyone who truly follows Christ elect anyone but a God-fearing man who claims loyalty to God first, even above country? When was the last time that you voted for such a man? Have you ever?

To be honest, we have the nation and government that we deserve. We have exactly what we have asked for. If the actions of our leaders are not in accordance with God's laws, then why do we continue to elect them? The "lesser of two evils" argument can't hold water. It implies that even though you are choosing the lesser of two evils, you are still choosing evil. Would God truly have us ever choose evil in any form? The argument that there are no Godly men running for office is a rather transparent lie. There have been plenty of Godly statesmen, willing to serve at every level of government, but the "Christians" refuse to support them because they are not "electable". In light of all of this, I feel completely vindicated in saying that we have got what we asked for. We knew exactly the kind of men and women we elected in the past. Their thin veneer of spirituality was never truly enough to deceive anyone who did not want to be deceived. We all know that the politicians are adept at playing the "religion card", so why are we such fools as to keep falling for it? The truth is, we aren't. But we are comfortable. Why would we want liberty, when security is so much more comfortable? Why would we want to fight for our children's future, when we can borrow against it to make ourselves appear prosperous for a day?

Patrick Henry's parents were part of the spiritual revival that preceded the American Revolution. A fact that is largely ignored by believers and unbelievers alike, but I digress. Young Patrick grew up in an atmosphere of true Christianity, a movement devoted to following Christ regardless of the consequences, and believe me, the people involved in this movement faced great consequences! He later said, "It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians, not on religions, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ!" That is why America was free, that is why we valued people and liberty. That is why we flourished for so long. That is why we prosper no more. We have forsaken God; worse still, we outright oppose Him—we mock Him. How do we dare even utter the phrase, "God bless America"?

Make no mistake, God is love—but He is also righteous and just. Our rights, our laws, everything good about America comes from God. Is it any wonder that there is little good left in America anymore?

Recall the words of John Witherspoon, "There is not a single instance in history in which civil liberty was lost, and religious liberty preserved entire. If therefore we yield up our temporal property, we at the same time deliver the conscience into bondage." Remember, as we allow our rights to be chipped away one by one, worse, as we freely offer them up, we will eventually lose our freedom to worship God. At that point the American people will be so subjugated and disarmed that we won't even have the will or the means to fight. God is just; Israel learned this many times in the Old Testament, now it's our turn.

Life Happens...

I've survived my daughter's 4th birthday, and her subsequent illness. Her party was quite fun, with her grandparents and aunt and uncle in attendance. (I have to say, I LOVE having room to entertain!) The next day, the poor kid came down with a stomach bug. Fortunately, it seems to have been just a 24-hour thing, and she has been fine today. I hate it when my kids are sick. I told husband that when she is sick, she just sits there, she's just not my Munchkin. That's what I dyislike most about it when my kids are sick, they just aren't themselves. Here's hoping that she was athe only one to come down with it... Time will tell.

I know that I promised the next post in a series soon, but as you can tell, a few things have come up! Hopefully, I'll have the chance to get that finished. Maybe I can carve out some time to do that tomorrow, but I won't promise anything yet! Stay tuned!

PS-- Hope you all survived Valentine's Day, I have mixed feelings about the holiday. The best part is the chocolate that goes on clearance the day after, LOL!

The Dreaded “D” Word

It's a nine-letter word. It starts with the letter "D". People mistakenly believe it is synonymous with liberty. Any guesses?????

Answer: DEMOCRACY

The 1928 Army Field Manual defined democracy as: "a government of the masses. Authority derived through mass meetings or any other form of direct expression. Results in mobocracy. Attitude towards property is communistic-negative property rights. Attitude toward law is that the will of the majority shall regulate, whether it is based upon deliberation or governed by passion, prejudice and impulse, without restraint or regard to consequences. It results in demagogism, license, agitation, discontent, anarchy."

That doesn't sound very much like liberty, does it? In fact, it sounds pretty unattractive. In 1952, that Army Field Manual was changed, and the previous definition omitted.

Personally, I much prefer a Constitutional Representative Republic, or republic for short. What's the difference? I thought you'd never ask!

A republic is based on the rule of law. We are governed by a Constitution whose purpose is to assure that our rights are not infringed upon by the government. In fact, said document severely curtails the power allowed the government. The people are sovereign in a republic, not the politicians. The people are to elect statesmen to represent them in carrying out the limited functions of government and to see that the people's rights are not infringed upon. Very little legislation and regulation is required in a true republic. A republic tends to foster a nation of innovation, personal responsibility, creativity, self-sufficiency, generosity, peace, justice, education, and general well-being. Why is this? Perhaps because people are free to pursue their ideas and dreams without unnecessary interference. As long as you do not infringe upon the rights of others, you are free to live your life as your conscience directs. What a novel idea!

Speaking of rights, another common misconception is that our rights come from the Constitution. No one can grant to another that which is not his to give. Our rights are God-given. Handed to us by our Creator. Every person is entitled to the same rights because they were given to us by He who is the God of all. No man can ever take those rights from you. They may oppress you, they may stifle your rights, but they can NEVER take them from you, because they are from God alone! The Constitution was a document written by men in an attempt to ensure that the new American government would not infringe upon the God-given rights of the people, as every other government on Earth had. It was an imperfect, but nonetheless, brilliant document. Sadly, we did not heed the advice of Thomas Jefferson, and bind down the government with the chains of the Constitution. Instead we gave them free-reign to trample the rights of any whom they chose, so long as we were not terribly inconvenienced ourselves.

It has been said that in a democracy, 51% of the people trample the rights of the other 49%. An accurate assessment. Thomas Jefferson said, "The republican is the only form of government which is not eternally at open or secret war with the rights of mankind." Jefferson was not a fan of democracy, but a champion of liberty. John Adams noted, "Democracy... while it lasts is more bloody than either aristocracy or monarchy. Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There is never a democracy that did not commit suicide." His son, John Quincy Adams admonished us, "Posterity: you will never know how much it has cost my generation to preserve your freedom. I hope you will make good use of it." How could we explain our current state to him? Benjamin Franklin had an amusing analogy for democracy: "Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote!" By now you get the point I am trying to make. The early American patriots and founders loathed democracy and championed liberty. That is why they established a republic.

However, republics are hard to maintain. History has given us examples of this. Traditionally, a nation regresses from republic, to democracy, to imperialism, to dictatorship. That is why when asked what kind of government we had been given Benjamin Franklin replied, "A republic, if you can keep it." Prophetic words indeed. In fact I would argue that we are firmly in the imperialism phase of government. The Great American Empire has been established, but it will surely fall. Make no mistake. Empires always fall in the end. As Thomas Jefferson noted, "I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that his justice cannot sleep forever." Words more true now than ever.

The tyranny that we face in America today is more than tenfold the tyranny that sparked the American Revolution. The reasons cited in the Declaration of Independence for breaking with England, can be cited in reference to our own government today. Samuel Adams said, "If ever time should come, when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in Government, our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin." That time has come. Thomas Paine noted, "It is the duty of the patriot to protect his country from its government." From the Declaration of Independence we read, "That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it…." It is our right, even our DUTY to set things to right. Or, shall we choose to leave it to our children? I'll quote Thomas Paine again in response, "If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace."

Mark Twain observed, "In times of change, the Patriot is a scarce man; brave, hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, however, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a Patriot." Men and women with the character to be patriots are sorely lacking today. We are far too comfortable in our apathy. After all, they haven't come for us, why get involved? Make no mistake, if you attempt to hold on to even a shred of liberty, they WILL come for you. By then, there may be no one left to defend you, because you did not choose to defend those who would have come to your aid. To once again quote Mr. Franklin, "We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately."

 

Stay tuned for the next post in the series addressing God in government.