Evening Song - The Old Rugged Cross - Violin

John 19:17-18 And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha: Where they crucified him, and two other with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst.

Galatians 6:14 But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.

The Thousand Word Project - Paintbrushes

Psalm 75:1 Unto thee, O God, do we give thanks, unto thee do we give thanks: for that thy name is near thy wondrous works declare. 

Texas Paintbrush

Apple Blossoms - A Poem by Annie Johnson Flint

Peach blossoms.

Psalm 68:19 Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah. 

Apple Blossoms

God might have clothed the apple trees
In scentless brown or gray --
Such frail and fleeting blossoming,
So soon to pass away --

Instead of this fair springtime garb
Of fragrant pink and pearl,
That flutters down like rosy snow
On every breeze a-whirl.

His goodness gives the pleasant fruit
On laden boughs down-bent;
His lovingkindness adds the bloom,
Its beauty and its scent.

He loads us with His benefits
Until no want we know,
And then He sends the little more
That makes our cup o'erflow.

He opens wide His hand of love;
He gives no stingy dole;
His tender mercies crown our days:
O bless the Lord, my soul!

Annie Johnson Flint

 Psalm 103:2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: 

Hard Questions: Is the "Billy Graham Rule" Biblical?

Here is a new article I wrote over at the Home Maker's Corner. It deals with an article by a woman who does not agree with the personal rule some married Christian men have not to eat alone or be alone with any woman other than their own wives.

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Romans 12:17 Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.

Last year, I ran across this post on another blog that got me to thinking: "Billy Graham’s Rule – Misusing it to Hold Back Women and Men of God." The guest writer (Kelly Ladd Bishop) who wrote this item was talking about the standard Mike Pence has to not eat alone with any woman other than his wife and to only enter certain situations if she is with him. This has been called "The Billy Graham Rule" because Mr. Graham had a similar standard for himself during his ministry.

Kelly Bishop is mostly addressing a "tweet" by a certain man which she took exception to, but in the course of her writing about it she made some points that I wanted to address.

Ms. Bishop writes:

"While there are times when it is appropriate for a person to set up boundaries that protect his or her marriage, it is not appropriate to make blanket statements or rules regarding the opposite sex – especially when it puts one sex at a real disadvantage in business, ministry, or life in general. It also doesn’t respect either men or women. It assumes that men can’t control themselves in the presence of a women who is not their wife, and that women are temptations that must be avoided. As brothers and sisters in Christ, we can do better."

"...A straw man argument is an argument that sounds like it is refuting an opposing view, but is actually refuting an argument that was never made..."

Having rules of conduct is appropriate in certain situations. This is why we are given many of them in scripture, even in the New Testament teachings to the church. Personal standards, however, should be viewed as non-absolute. We may make a rule or boundary for ourselves, but we need to realize that there may arise some situations that will make it necessary to break it in order to obey the commands of scripture.

Examples:

When we were all still at home my mom had a personal standard that she never washed laundry on Sundays. She worked hard to make sure it was done during the rest of the week so that she (and we) could have a rest from that. But, when we had friends staying with us who had some special need to do laundry at our house on Sunday, she didn't balk at that.

Continue Reading.

Evening Song - He Will Make A Way

Psalm 23:2-3 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 

The Thousand Word Project - More Texas Blue Beauty

Links Worth Reading - Technology's Negative Effects On Children and Babies

Psalm 78:2-4 I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old: Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done. 

Some time back my husband and I were eating in a local restaurant. A mother came in with her daughter who appeared to be around 8 years old. They ordered and were waiting for their food. The girl had crayons and a coloring book or paper. The mother was glued to her smart phone. At some point the daughter after trying to communicate with her mom and being ignored or rebuffed started to cry. The mother told her in a harsh voice that was too loud for the situation that this was, "unacceptable behavior" and ordered her to stop crying. The mother was obviously highly annoyed to be interrupted in whatever she was doing on her phone by her daughter's need for attention. Dear reader, I wanted to get up and go over to that table and tell the mother that her behavior was "unacceptable." She shouldn't be loudly rebuking her daughter and that she should be paying attention to her daughter instead of being totally engrossed in the cyber world. Then maybe the girl wouldn't feel like she had to cry to get her attention! I didn't do it, but I have to admit that I was angry inside seeing that little girl be treated that way by her mother, and I am still sad for her.

This article is really worth reading. It addresses a serious problem with technology in many areas relating to childhood. I recommend it to anyone who is a parent, grandparent, aunt, sibling, or in any other way associated with children - pretty much all of us.

Excerpt: "Today’s children are being deprived of the fundamentals of a healthy childhood, such as:

• Emotionally available parents
• Clearly defined limits and guidance
• Responsibilities
• Balanced nutrition and adequate sleep
• Movement and outdoors
• Creative play, social interaction, opportunities for unstructured times and boredom"

Read it here: The Silent Tragedy Affecting Today's Children

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Is Ultrasound a safe option during pregnancy? I had heard some things in the past about the possibility that ultrasound was not as safe as it is reported to be. One man I know said that if they had children his wife was not getting any ultrasounds. Some situations may warrant one for safety purposes, but recreational, gender identification, and entertainment factor ultrasounds are highly questionable, and often repeated ultrasounds for "diagnostic purposes" should be avoided if at all possible. Some folks like to blame all the autism and various other problems on one source - often vaccines. I feel that there are multiple reasons for why children are suffering from so many disorders that were much less common in the past. One that people often don't think about, and I seldom hear mentioned is ultrasounds.

This article is informative and thought provoking, and it is written by a doctor who practices integrative medicine.

Perils of Peeking Into the Womb: Ultrasound Risks

Excerpt: "This recent study suggests that the seemingly benign practice of obstetrical ultrasonography is one practice that deserves urgent reassessment. Researchers exposed pregnant mice at 14.5 days gestation (a neurologically vulnerable window) to 30 minutes of fetal ultrasound and assessed the pups’ behavior at 3 weeks of age. They found that the exposed pups were significantly less interested in social interactions and had significant levels of behavioral hyperactivity, in the presence of an unfamiliar mouse."