Excerpt From The Declaration of Independence

"...We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — 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, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States..."

Birthday Lunch

Glenn and Gale took Ed and myself to Vitos for lunch today! It was nice. We had a pizza and fries. Gale says there is supposed to be a huge icy wintery mess coming here tonight... hope it is not too bad. But! Tomorrow I am riding with Dan and when he puts a few cinder blocks in the back of his 4wd truck, there is no stopping him! I am very glad I don't have to brave the snow (assuming it comes) with my little Corolla. I have been blown off the road on a snowy day literally by wind before. Yeah, my car really is that light. Add some cheap tires and snow driving becomes near impossible.

But that has never stopped me from braving the storms before!

Harmonized Codes

The Government makes me laugh. Leave it to them to make a 3000+ page document of commodity codes for shipping items internationally. It is near impossible to find anything in there. The parts I am looking for get lost between the numbers for everything from "railway sleepers" to items "prepared for use in making wigs" to "mongolian lamb raw firskins". Wow. How do they expect people to be able to find anything in there???

Christmas Sweater

Hannah and I went and saw Glenn Beck live performance of "The Christmas Sweater" down in Philly a few nights ago and it was incredible!!! I read the book soon after it came out and got pre-sale tickets (I am a "Glenn Beck Insider") in a box right up front. We were close enough to see the tears (and there were a lot) flying from his face. It is just such a neat story. "The Christmas Sweater" is a fictional story of many true events in Glenn Beck's life. During the show there is an even where his mother knitted him a sweater for Christmas because she could not afford the bike he wanted. When he got it, he ran up to his room, threw it on the floor and cried at the window. A few moments later his mother came into the room and saw his sweater which she had worked so hard on rumpled up in a ball on the floor. She said in a hurt tone, "Is this the Christmas sweater I gave you?" During the epilogue, Glenn said, "I do not want to leave this world one day and stand before God and have Him look at His gift to me of redemption and say in the same way, 'Is this what you have done with the gift I gave you?'." Glenn then said that God's gift to man is redemption and atonement and THAT is the true meaning of Christmas. Christmas is a time of redemption, of renewing and freedom! We need to accept that gift of atonement from God and start living in the freedom He has planned for us! Christmas should be a time of renewing! But more than that, Christmas should be something we live every day of the year because once we put that gift of redemption on, the only chains we bear are ones we are holding of our own will.

Wow! What a spiritual experience! It was excellent.

Members

Church went well on Sunday and afterwords I went and talked to Pastor David. We talked about Chuck Smith and the Calvary Chapel movement and contrasted it to the market driven/seeker sensitive movement. I really enjoy talking to him. Then I told him that Hannah and I would like to become members! He told us that we are all members in the family of God whether there is an official member roll or not... and they are so small that they have not set up an official member roll yet :-). It makes sense, being that there are only between twenty and thirty adults there every week, that it is very easy to know who is part of the church and who is not. So we just have to fill out a communication sheet so the church has us on record and can contact us and we are now members! Yay! I am so excited... going to church services does not feel like a chore anymore :-).

Christmas Gifts

All my Christmas gift are bought and wrapped!!!

The Heart of Calvary Chapel

This is from:
http://www4.calvarychapel.com/what_we_believe.cfm

Calvary Chapel has been formed as a fellowship of believers in the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Our supreme desire is to know Christ and to be conformed into His image by the power of the Holy Spirit.

-We are not a denominational church, nor are we opposed to denominations as such, only their over-emphasis of the doctrinal differences that have led to the division of the Body of Christ.

-We believe that the only true basis of Christian fellowship is His (Agape) love, which is greater than any differences we possess and without which we have no right to claim ourselves Christians.

-We believe worship of God should be spiritual. Therefore, we remain flexible and yielded to the leading of the Holy Spirit to direct our worship.

-We believe worship of God should be inspirational. Therefore, we give a great place to music in our worship.

-We believe worship of God should be intelligent. Therefore, our services are designed with great emphasis upon teaching the Word of God that He might instruct us how He should be worshiped.

-We believe worship of God is fruitful. Therefore, we look for His love in our lives as the supreme manifestation that we have truly been worshiping Him.