Snowy Pre-feasts of 2007

Here's a pic taken of our church during Holy Week, April 2007

And here's one of our backyard taken a few days before Christmas, 2007. (Click pic for larger view - you can see the big fat snowflakes falling.)

Yes, we did actually have a few months without snow in between those two times.

Blessed are...

When we come to know our own hearts, our own sins and failings, we will recognize that most arguments and disagreements come from us - our own self-esteem, our pride, our irritability, our carelessness, our willfulness, and our mistrust of others. Once we see this, we will learn to be lenient towards others, to forgive their weaknesses, and to be gentle and patient with everyone.

St. John of Kronstadt

"Ten Homilies on the Beatitudes" (Fourth Homily)

Oh, how they've changed

Guess which political party said the following (hint: not Libertarian):
“Freedom of education, being an essential of civil and religious liberty . . . must not be interfered with under any pretext whatever,” the party’s national platform declared. “We are opposed to state interference with parental rights and rights of conscience in the education of children as an infringement of the fundamental . . . doctrine that the largest individual liberty consistent with the rights of others ensures the highest type of American citizenship and the best government.”

Give up?
"That ringing endorsement of parental supremacy in education was adopted by the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in 1892, which just goes to show what was possible before the Democratic Party was taken hostage by the teachers unions. (Wondrous to relate, the platform also warned that “the tendency to centralize all power at the federal capital has become a menace,” blasted barriers to free trade as “robbery of the great majority of the American people for the benefit of the few,” and pledged “relentless opposition to the Republican policy of profligate expenditure.”)"

Read the rest of this great article discussing the separation of school and state here.

Let your light so shine...

I so often want to share my faith with people, but don't really know how. Part of my problem is how turned off I was by the type of Christian evangelism that I experienced growing up and going to college in the South. Cheesy tracts left anonymously in public places, sermons delivered on the street corner, or well-meaning Bob Jones students proselytizing to Clemson students outside the Main Street bars on a Friday night - not effective.

Here's a nice way to look at it:

"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 5:16). That is, just as people are scandalized by the indifference of some of us and direct the edge of their tongue against our Lord, so [Christ is saying] when you practice virtue and people see you, they do not stop at praise of you; instead, when they see your good deeds shining and lighting up your face, they are moved to praise of your Father in heaven. When this happens in their case, we in our turn are amply rewarded, and over and above their praise the Lord bestows on us countless good things: "Those giving glory to me I myself will glorify" (I Samuel 2:30).



St. John Chrysostom

"Daily Readings from the Writings of St. John"

No Cult Here

Yesterday I heard the late 80's song "Cult of Personality" on the radio, which describes the dangers of being so taken with a leader that you just simply accept anything they say without question. Being an enthusiastic supporter of Ron Paul, I thought about the "Ron Paul Revolution" as compared to the scenario described in the song. There's a huge difference. The "Revolution" is not really about Ron Paul - it's about the idea of Liberty. He just happens to be an eloquent messenger who is at the right place and time to help deliver the message. I had the pleasure of spending an hour or so in his company the other day (see below) and can say that he is a very likable man who can express his ideas intelligently and clearly. But he doesn't have that forceful charisma that you see in a lot of other political leaders, or that some people expect to see in a presidential candidate. That's what is so exciting about the Ron Paul Revolution. Since it's more about his message of Liberty rather than him as a person, the Revolution can continue beyond this particular election, regardless of its outcome.

Here's a great quote from Anthony Gregory over at LewRockwell.com from an article discussing the appeal of this unlikely hero to a huge number of young people:
"The people of my generation, those a little younger or a little older, have been longing for an escape from politics as usual for a long time. Ron Paul offers the out. He is a cultural conservative and political radical. He is a Republican peacenik, a straight-laced Christian who wants true tolerance for all Americans, an honest and humble man offering an honest and humble foreign policy. He might not follow the latest fads, but he follows the Constitution and champions individual rights. His revolution is one of liberty, not the libertine conservatism that misses the point entirely."

Lunch with Ron Paul

Okay - back to the Ron Paul theme. My husband and I, along with our priest Father Andrew, were invited to meet with Dr. Paul and a few other guests for a lunch today. All my husband and I could say afterwards was "That was so cool!" 'Cuz it was! There wasn't a prepared speech or formal presentation - we just sat around eating lunch and having interesting conversations. It blew my mind to speak to someone who is such a kindred spirit and realize that he is a long-time Congressman who is running for President. I wish I could be more eloquent, but... it was so cool!