Halloween - NOT in this house!

I was asked yesterday how I was going to celebrate Halloween.

The answer is: I’m NOT. As a Christian, I loathe Halloween and everything it stands for.

And “Yes” I did do trick or treat as a child, and “yes” I decorated the house as a young adult.

But then I grew up… spiritually.

I don't care about the origins of the day waaaaay back when, tho that in itself is bad enough!

What are the symbols of Halloween TODAY? What are the “decorations” you see in the stores? Devils, witches, skeletons, monsters. Scenes of murder, death, torture, blood, … "Trails of Terror", "Murder Mansion" and other such attractions. These are terrible, evil images.

Oh yes, there are the cute little costumes for the little ones. Smiling witches. Dancing skeletons. Dapper devils. And it doesn't matter if the costume is a "not scary one". If you put gold leaf on dog feces it is still feces.

And Halloween is still a holiday celebrating Satan's influence on Earth...



3 John 1:11
Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God.
1 Corinthians 13:6
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

1 Thessalonians 5:22
Avoid every kind of evil.

James 1:21
Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

KIVA - a hand up... not a hand out

I've discovered a new outlet for making a difference in the lives of others. Two magazines this month have had mentions of this group (AARP and one of my National Geographic mags). The organization is called Kiva.

Kiva's mission is to connect people through lending for the sake of alleviating poverty.

Kiva is the world's first person-to-person micro-lending website, empowering individuals to lend directly to unique entrepreneurs in the developing world.

The people you see on Kiva's site are real individuals in need of funding - not marketing material. When you browse entrepreneurs' profiles on the site, choose someone to lend to, and then make a loan, you are helping a real person make great strides towards economic independence and improve life for themselves, their family, and their community. Throughout the course of the loan (usually 6-12 months), you can receive email journal updates and track repayments. Then, when you get your loan money back, you can relend to someone else in need.

Kiva partners with existing expert microfinance institutions. In doing so, we gain access to outstanding entrepreneurs from impoverished communities world-wide. Our partners are experts in choosing qualified entrepreneurs. That said, they are usually short on funds. Through Kiva, our partners upload their entrepreneur profiles directly to the site so you can lend to them. When you do, not only do you get a unique experience connecting to a specific entrepreneur on the other side of the planet, but our microfinance partners can do more of what they do, more efficiently.

Kiva provides a data-rich, transparent lending platform. We are constantly working to make the system more transparent to show how money flows throughout the entire cycle, and what effect it has on the people and institutions lending it, borrowing it, and managing it along the way. To do this, we are using the power of the internet to facilitate one-to-one connections that were previously prohibitively expensive. Child sponsorship has always been a high overhead business. Kiva creates a similar interpersonal connection at much lower costs due to the instant, inexpensive nature of internet delivery. The individuals featured on our website are real people who need a loan and are waiting for socially-minded individuals like you to lend them money.

I made a loan to an entrepreneur named Chhin Sun in Cambodia. Mrs. Chhin Sun was born in 1974 and she lives in Samraong Village in Kampong Cham Province. She is a vegetable farmer who owns 2 hectares for cultivating. In her plantation, she faces a small problem because her field is infertile soil which affects her crop, so she decided to ask for a loan to buy fertilizer to amend her field to make her plants more productive. Her husband, Mr. Chhun Tith, helps his wife in the plantation. Mrs. Chhin Sun has two children who are both attending the local school.

Care to join me in changing the world - one loan at a time?

---------------------------------------------------------
What others are saying about http://www.kiva.org/:

'Revolutionising how donors and lenders in the US are connecting with small entrepreneurs in developing countries.'
-- BBC

'If you've got 25 bucks, a PC and a PayPal account, you've now got the wherewithal to be an international financier.'
-- CNN Money

'An inexpensive feel-good investment opportunity...All loaned funds go directly to the applicants, and most loans are repaid in full.'
-- Entrepreneur Magazine

Can a Christian vote for either Presidential candidate?

As a Christian, I’ve had a lot of people coming at me with reasons I should or should not vote for a presidential candidate from a spiritual view point.

After looking into the core beliefs and actions of both candidates, it is my opinion that if you are voting on a spiritual basis… you cannot vote for either one.

Here is just one example of why I feel that way:

McCain states he is a Christian, a member of the Baptist church. However, McCain carries around a “lucky” penny, nickel, quarter, feather (given by a Native American shaman), compass and four leaf clover. He has a “pouch of sacred stones”.

He also brags that he is superstitious. He knocks on wood and won't put a hat on the bed (bad luck). He refuses to pass a saltshaker from hand to hand. He has lucky shoes, sweater, hat and even food.

Obama states he is a Christian, a member of the Church of Christ. Obama carries around a "lucky" poker chip, eagle pin, and a statue of a Hindu god. The only superstition I could find that Obama practices is playing basketball before a primary for good luck. ??

Charms are defined as: An item worn for its supposed magical benefit, as in warding off evil; an amulet. An action or formula thought to have magical power.

Both men have stated with their words that they have placed their faith in Jesus Christ.

Both men have shown with their actions of carrying "lucky charms" and believing in superstitions that their faith in Jesus Christ is not strong enough to overcome believing they need to also have faith in a man-made object (called an idol in Biblical days) or ritual over the power of the Living God.

Isaiah 44:17
From the rest he makes a god, his idol; he bows down to it and worships. He prays to it and says, "Save me; you are my god."

1 Corinthians 5:11
But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.

MN and WI in October

Back from a quick trip to Minnesota and Wisconsin to see 5 sets of Himself’s uncles & aunts. October is a fabulous time to visit up there!



Roadside asters.

The apple orchards were at their peak, with many varieties that are not available in Tennessee. I have a new favorite apple, the Honey Crisp. It is sooo good and cooks up well too.

Beautiful autumn grasses at the home of Lorraine in Wisconsin.

It so reminded me of 2 poems I had to memorize in 5th grade (yes, Miss Rothing... I do remember them!)

SOMETHING TOLD THE WILD GEESE
By Rachel Field

Something told the wild geese
It was time to go,
Though the fields lay golden
Something whispered, "snow."

Leaves were green and stirring,
Berries, luster-glossed,
But beneath warm feathers
Something cautioned, "frost."

All the sagging orchards
Steamed with amber spices,
But each wild breast stiffened
At remembered ice.

Something told the wild geese
It was time to fly,
Summer sun was on their wings,
Winter in their cry.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

SEPTEMBER

by: Helen Hunt Jackson (1830-1885)

The golden-rod is yellow;
The corn is turning brown;
The trees in apple orchards
With fruit are bending down.

The gentian's bluest fringes
Are curling in the sun;
In dusty pods the milkweed
Its hidden silk has spun.

The sedges flaunt their harvest,
In every meadow nook;
And asters by the brook-side
Make asters in the brook.

From dewy lanes at morning
The grapes' sweet odors rise;
At noon the roads all flutter
With yellow butterflies.

By all these lovely tokens
September days are here,
With summer's best of weather,
And autumn's best of cheer.

But none of all this beauty
Which floods the earth and air
Is unto me the secret
Which makes September fair.

'T is a thing which I remember;
To name it thrills me yet:
One day of one September
I never can forget.

Juried Art show entry

I gave my first juried art show a try, entering two photos for consideration. I was a bit hesitant at first, as the idea of "trying out" to be allowed in a show was kind of scary.

I'm excited to say that one of my shots was selected to be in the competition!

This photo is called "Bering Sea Cod". I took it off of Adak Island as cod were being brought on board for processing. That's one of my favorite shots on the whole trip.

Political Saber Rattling - PLEASE STOP!

No, I'm not talking about what is going on between the Obama/Biden and McCain/Palin camps. I am talking about the non-stop bombardment of "anti" rants against one or the other Presidential hopeful sent by too many people who have my email address!

Suddenly people who haven't seen fit to contact my in a couple years are sending me forwards of political email propaganda. Truths - half truths - outright lies... it doesn't seem to matter. Just hit that forward button... don't bother checking it out.

I have actually READ both "The Audacity of Hope" and "Faith of My Fathers". I would be happy to discuss either one with you... IF you have read them too. If you haven't; I don't need your emails that pull quotes out of context.

Please stop.

I have formed my own opinion WITHOUT the daily "I hate What's-His-Name" emails. The only new opinions I am forming is about each and every person who has sent me this unsolicited garbage.

A lot of you won't be receiving my new email address when I change servers this week...

Alaskan Adventure - Emergency Steering

One point along the southern end of the passage is called the “Seymour Narrows”. I’m not sure if the cruise ships go thru it, but the smaller vessels do. And life can become exciting real fast in the narrows, from what Capt Joe said. The tide is rather strong at this point and when it changes direction the rips can be very strong…even to the point that there are whirlpools created. Joe said one ship he was on was completely spun around by one of them! Wow!

One reference says, “Seymour Narrows is a long, slender, dangerous stretch of water north of Campbell River, B.C.. Like many sites in this part of the world, vast amounts of water are forced by ocean tides through narrow passages, which creates high water currents (15 knots at times) and dangerous conditions — whirlpools, overfalls, and other boat-busting conditions.

Explorer George Vancouver described Seymour Narrows as "one of the vilest stretches of water in the world." The rapids have claimed over a hundred lives and is regarded by many sailors as the worst hazard to marine navigation on the British Columbia coast.”

We were going to go thru the narrows right at deep dusk. While we did set anchor awhile to wait for the worst of it to pass, the ride could become interesting without warning at any time.

And I wasn’t going to miss it for anything!

I bounced up to the bridge a bit after we brought the anchor up. Capt Joe was the only one up there and all the bridge lights were off but one (the glare on the windows is really bad with the lights on). I noticed he was talking a lot on the ship’s phone to engineering. And it was kinda strange that the deck hands weren’t hanging out either, but figured it was part and parcel of going thru.

So I sat down and waited for the ride to begin. Since it was pretty dark by now there wasn’t much to look at outside, so I picked up a magazine and thumbed thru it. Pretty dull stuff. Until I hear the radio crackle and the Canadian Coast Guard ask “Independence, what is your current situation?”

Hmmmm… they take going thru these narrows really serious! I flipped a couple more pages.

Then Capt Joe replies, “We are heading into Deepwater Bay on emergency steering…”

Emergency steering?!?!

No wonder he’s been in such close communication with the engineers and the deck hands are scarce (read “BUSY”)! I look up from the magazine to find Capt Joe looking directly at me. I raised an eyebrow, he smiled. Well, he was relaxed and if he’s OK with what’s going on…so am I! I nod my head towards the stairs off the bridge to see if he wanted me to leave but he shook his head “no”. He then snapped off the last light, leaving the bridge illuminated by the instruments and the dim light over the charts.

For the next 15 minutes or so, I watch as 42 years of experience maneuvered us out of the narrows and safely into the bay where anchor was dropped until it could be figured out what was wrong. It was fascinating.

They got the problem fixed and we were on our way again...8 hours later than planned.