As I Sit Here... Thinking.

About: I Blog therefore... I Blog? O.o

2012-01-16T23:57:00.000-05:00

When there are no words, music speaks.
Or in this case, I'm going to make pictures speak. Also, I'm going to make them funny pictures that speak...because I'm in a laughing mood.
(many thanks to pinterest and Bill Watterson for the following pictures.)

.....

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

About: Let's See if I Can Do Any Better...

2011-12-20T23:28:00.001-05:00

My, my. Hello blog!
Wowwy, two whole months since I've posted. Life has changed a lot since then.
Just a short summation would go as such...*ahem*
1) The family band has REALLY taken off! God has been good! You can go HERE (click on the "Stone Family Band" link) to see one of our most recent (and currently our largest) performances from a couple weeks back :)
2) We've moved. Yes, that's right. LONG story short, God provided people who wanted to rent our farm, we accepted, moved, cleaned, stored away and renovated our new home all in 3 weeks. Anna, Olivia and I all share a room now. That's quite interesting ;)
3) We have sold hundreds of CDs of both albums! Super stoked about that! (If you would like to purchase one, you can visit THIS page for purchasing details :)
4) I gave BB a haircut. Here's proof.

See? Ain't she cute? ;)
5) We've played at probably 20-25 venues since September. Not exaggerating.

6) I turned 21. My best friend, Sharon's birthday is 2 days after mine so we celebrated by going to Busch Gardens together. We had a lot of fun.

7) We celebrated Thanksgiving with my dad's family. A blast as always!
8) Anna and I were asked to be bridesmaids in our cousin's wedding. EEP! 8)
9) Mom and I have been very sick. Thinking it's from stress...*cough*
10) Olivia's still shorter than me. Just for the record ;)

All that to say... I'm going to bed since it IS 1:30 a.m.
Goodnight readers (if any of you are still out there.)

A Small Sorta Post...

2011-10-19T15:37:00.001-04:00

The Stone Family Band's One Small Child Christmas CD is FINISHED! We've ordered and the shipment should be in within the next week or so making CDs available then!

Here is a small sampling of what's coming! :)

Mamalala, I thought you and Z would like to see this ;)

2011-10-06T21:58:00.001-04:00

About: My Restless Night and Why...

2011-06-01T01:22:00.005-04:00

God was good in giving me a brother for the first sixteen, almost seventeen years of my life.
I've been thinking a lot recently on Isaac.
For those of you who don't know the story, you can read a snippet of it here...aaand my hyper linking isn't working *sigh*...
Read it here -->> http://thered eemerliveth.blogspot.com/2007_10_01_archive.html

Anyway, since Isaac's in heaven, I've found myself wondering countless times, "What would life be like if he HADN'T died..?"

*Takes break... The shuttle just came back and scared me pretty much right off the couch! O.o -pant,pant-*

Ok... BACK to my post...

So, while I've been pondering these things, I've realized all the good that has come of his passing (though it's taken me almost FOUR years to realize ANYTHING good from it.)
Counting my blessings: The Stone Family Band, Debbie's salvation... Actually, there's more. I can't think of them at the moment.

What has he been up to? Does he miss me? Any of us? What would he think of me now? Would he like our music? Would he still be riding? How many times would we have visited since then? Would his family have come and visited us? Would we have gone out there? What wacky things would he do to his hair again? How many more hugs would there have been? "I love you's?" Phone calls? Would he have facebook? ^_^ Would we text all the time? Would he have come to our graduations? Grandpa and PopPop's funerals? I KNOW he would have been at our weddings...whenever they may be.
The list... It's endless .

Nut shell: I miss my brother.

If you have a brother (or ANY sibling, for that matter)...cherish them. You really don't know how long you will have them. Try your best not to nit-pick at each other. Love each other. Do things together. Talk to them. Eat food with them! Remember everything you've done with them! Make time special together! *crying*

I'm in earnest... Once your loved one is gone, there is NO turning back. You can never talk to them again in this life. No regrets.

People forget about people like us...the siblings. When someone passes away, it's, "How is your mom?", "His wife?", "His kids?", even "Your grandma?"!
Now... I'm not saying these people's loss is any less or ANYTHING like that. People just forget the sibling of the deceased. And honestly, that hurts. I guess just losing someone in general is super painful... no matter the relation.

Four years... Going on four years! Where has the time gone?!

Well... All in all, God is good and has a plan.

I'm sorry if this seemed like a rambling rant of a blog post... I guess the point to this post was, "Love your brothers and sisters."
I know they can get annoying at times (I know because I can be one!), but try your best to appreciate them. They're human beings created in God's image as well and deserve to be treated with respect.

I pray God blesses you, dear readers.
-Emily

About: Laughing Penguins!!! ^_^

2011-05-17T09:57:00.001-04:00

So... this is about the cutest thing I've ever seen! (Well... maybe not THE cutest, but it's pretty darn adorable!)

I love penguins. I love laughing. WHAT then, could POSSIBLY be better than a laughing penguin?!? ^_^

About: Evolution.

2011-05-02T09:49:00.003-04:00

I love Evolution.
Especially when as related to the Stone Family Band!

This first piece, Rock of Ages, was the first video recording that was done of any of our performances.

This next song is a SFB original titled Maiden Voyage.

I love just watching these two videos and comparing how everyone's changed in the last 2 years! :^D

Enjoy!

Just Short and Sweet...

2011-03-08T01:38:00.003-05:00

This is just a short and sweet blurb that I posted on my facebook on Sunday... Thought I'd share it here as well... Be encouraged.

"Everything happens for a reason. God allows everything. I DO NOT believe that means, though, that God CAUSES everything to happen. People create hurt. God allowed sin into the world and to allow people to hurt others. God is perfectly holy, just and sinless, therefore; He can NOT sin. What a mighty God we serve!"

On another note... Just got back from Colorado with my sister... What FUN we had! ^_^
Check her blog for pics soon!!

About: Preparing to be a Help Meet- Pure Thoughts

2011-01-10T10:37:00.004-05:00

"Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:13-14)

Pure Thoughts

. . .

"She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness" (Proverbs 31:26)

It is human nature to climb on someone's back if you are drowning. People, especially girls who are frustrated with their lives, have a tendancy to want to bring others down. They rationalize to themselves that they are just telling what happened, just being honest, and so forth. This need to bring others down will follow you into your marriage, job and life, for there will always be those whom you will decide need "telling on." It is a death trap of Satan's. Not their death trap; yours.

Only when a girl learns to control her need to tear down, when she lets people go unmolested by her "truthful" information, will she begin to grow as a person. Every argument, evey misunderstanding, every hurt feeling--every black depression stems from someone "supposing" another meant evil toward them, used them, thought offensively toward tthem, or whatever else the mind contrives. Imagine being free from all these misapprehensions! You can be free.

"A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit" (Proverbs 15:4)

The word perverseness mans unreasonableness. Everyone thinks they are reasonable and that the one they hold in distain is unreasonable. If you have conflict with someone, chances are you are unreasonable at least half the time. If you have some irritation, scorn, or conflict with more than one person, then chances are you are the culprit in most of those relationships. No matter how sweet you think you are, it is you who lacks a wholesome tongue.

Some families, even some communities of people, seem to have a hereditary predisposition to bitterness and strife. Those raised in such an atmosphere come to accept jealousy, suspicion and evil thinking as the norm. They just assume that everyone is critical of them. Believe it or not, there is another world where people love one another and there are no feelings of bitterness toward anyone, where one never imagines that another is thinking ill of them, a world of daily peace and contentment.

"Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ" (II Corinthians 10:5)
Right now, as a single young woman, ask God to give you the wisdom to clear your soul of this plague of negative thoughts. . . Fill your soul with the beauty of a good thought-life. Expect good from people. Get busy serving others--not just your friends, but anyone who has a need. You may get treated unfairly (but probably not) and in the meantime your soul will be free to soar.

The Psalmist sung out in chapter 15, "LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart. He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbor, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbor."

By Debi Pearl

About: Disney Princesses! ^_^

2010-12-03T16:49:00.003-05:00

Last weekend I had the pleasure of going to see Tangled with several friends! To honor the occasion of a new Disney Princess movie... we obviously had a Disney Princess Party! Mind you, I don't believe there was a single female there under 12... ^_^ Yes... we had fun ;)

Anyway, we all got to choose Princesses we wanted to be, or just dressed up real pretty.

I chose Briar Rose from Sleeping Beauty... She was always my favorite!

"Once Upon A Dream"

I had a time of it, I tell ya what!!

But eventually got it!

Not exact, but close enough that people would look and say...

"You're Briar Rose!" Yeah... it was fun.

Who knew an old black tank top flipped upside down and cut up could make the perfect Briar Rose bodice?

Who knew that when I bought those shoes that match my skin almost that I would need them to have the appearance of bare feet at the mall *ick*

Who knew when mom got those little birdies from the Dollar Store that I'd need them to complete the outfit?

Not I!

All in all, it was a fabulous time had by all! The movie was great, we had a splendiferous time all together going to see a child's movie, and the cupcakes were "to die foah!"

Thank you, Amanda for hosting this wonderful evening!

Ciao y'all, till later!

-Emily

About: It Just Makes Me Giddy!

2010-11-28T20:39:00.024-05:00

Well, y'all...

Weddings are a lovely thing. They make me grin... ^_^ See?!

Anyway, like I said, "weddings" make me grin... but what makes me giddy (hence the title of the post) is when "weddings" is translated "ISAAC AND LYDIANA'S WEDDING!!!!" *ahem*

A dear friend/brother figure stepped into my and my sister's lives just a few short months ago...

We've known Isaac for a few years now, but we never had the opportunity to become as close as we have become since about January. It's amazing to me, really. God took one brother Isaac and gave me another!

NOTE: I am NOT saying that this

Isaac replaced my original brother Isaac... he just did a swell job of stepping up to the plate of "being a brother" that I really do believe he was a gift from the Lord!

Anyway... rabbit trail ^_^

So... Isaac was playing with us for a few months earlier this year. We went to Barberville... and met Lydiana.

*Yeah*

Pretty much.... the rest is history ^_^

ALL photo credit goes to my WONDERFUL photographer of a sister, Anna Grace !

About: From One Home to Another...

2010-11-08T10:54:00.005-05:00

Well, y'all...

today is a bitter-sweet day for us...

After a very full weekend from wedding to Barberville, we came home... intending to rest up.

I was awakened this morning by my mother, "Get up, Emily... no more sleeping." She had a look of extreme duress on her face... that worried me.

"Mom?...Mom?" I could feel my pulse quicken as she just stood there looking at me with anguish in her eyes.

Anna and I followed her to her room where she broke the news to us.

Poppop died this morning.

I knew it was coming... Poppop has been very, very sick and was in hospice care for about a week. We went to visit him twice last week... on Monday and Wednesday. We took our instruments the second day and got to play quite a bit for him. (I'm crying.)

Poppop was always so supportive in everything we do! He loved our music, but could never make it to any performances because in the later years of his life, he couldn't travel extensively. So we brought performances to him. He would puff up with pride every time we played for him... I'm a proud guitarist now because of the influence he and my father have had in my life!

He was very musical (in fact, he and Mimae met in church choir 58 years ago!) He played the guitar and he and Mimae sang together like two love-birds all the time! Their harmonies were beautiful... oh how sad I am to never hear his voice again...

He was drifting in and out of consciousness when we visited him on Wednesday... Apparently it was "a good day" for him, but honestly, he was looking really rough. The last thing he said to me was, "I love you too, baby." (crying again... golly)

Anyway, please be praying for my Mimae, Dad and all his siblings and the rest of us as we are dealing with the loss of this wonderful man! I know he's in Heaven how with Isaac and all the other saints that have gone before, but it's still really hard right now.

I thank God that this goodbye is not forever.

Till then, Poppop... I love you and miss you like crazy ♥

About: "Awesome Autumn Giveaway!"

2010-09-23T15:22:00.002-04:00

One of my dear friends, Lauren Brittany, is having a giveaway on her blog!
She makes all sorts of lovely bath essentials (AWESOME sugar scrubs *yaaaay!*) and other splendiferous accouterments for body care!

Head on over to her blog for YOUR chance to win!! ^_^

About: I ♥Faces: Beach Fun!

2010-08-23T15:15:00.002-04:00

This weeks photo challenge from I ♥ Faces is "Beach Fun!"
And boy, oh boy, what fun we had this day!
Little Miss. S. checkin' her diaper for sand... such a sweetheart :D

Head on over to their site for more great entries!

About: A Short and Sweet "What I've Been Up To" Kinda Post ;)

2010-08-02T09:27:00.006-04:00

Well, fellow bloggers...
I've been at it again :)
I just redecorated my room [again] and I'm quite happy with the results!

When you first enter my room... this is what you see! :)
I painted a mural based off of flowers from a pillow I got from a thrift store that I absolutely LOVE!

Here is the pillow compared to the mural... the colors aren't exact, but they're close enough! :)

This is my bed... obviously :)

And now I'm done... Hey... I said it was gonna be short and sweet ;)
Hope you enjoyed!! [cause I sure did!!]

About: My Newest Love... ;)

2010-07-24T09:37:00.002-04:00

Well... it's official... I think I'm falling in love!!!
It's the greatest feeling in the world... something new in life, fresh, lovely, dear!
I just sigh with contentedness when I think of this new and exciting adventure!

Alas, I talk not about a male, but a new hobby/pursuit I do believe that I've fallen for! ;)
I do believe that I'm really loving photography and am looking into buying a camera sometime in the near future! :D (sorry all Nikon users, I'm going with Canon. :)

I took some pictures of two precious little gals at the beach this past Sunday and I'd like to share them with you... (keep in mind that I don't have professional editing software yet, so this is a very basic edit job :)

(Also... i have NO idea how to comment on some of these pictures other than, "aaawww" , "I love this adorable little female" or "LOOKIT HOW CUTE!!" , so bear with the whole "no comments on the pictures" thing)

This one makes me laugh hysterically :)
I asked the Sparlings if it would be ok if I posted this picture...
Here's the response I got!
"S****** says it is okay so long as she remains anonymous. She says, "It's not me!!!!!!" She has talked to her lawyers and they will sue for defamation of character if you post her name with it."
Thus the reason why i struck her name out ;)

Tired little lady :)

I do believe that this one is my favorite!

Hope you enjoyed :)

About: True Friendship

2010-07-10T06:14:00.014-04:00

This is an issue that has been weighing heavily on my heart for the past few months and I thought I'd share it with you...
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
I have 276 "friends" on facebook... and that's after deleting 184 more "friends".
It's such a broad term in our culture today.
I have several acquaintances. Hundreds to be semi-exactish... eGAD!
And I have few true friends...
"A man of many companions may come to ruin,
but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother."
-Proverbs 18:24
(This info's a small rabbit trail from the point of this post, but found it interesting.)
. . . .

God places godly Christian friends in our life to encourage, love, exhort, and sometimes even chastise. Proverbs 27:5-6 says, "Open rebuke is better than secret love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful." I know it's such a hard thing to hear... especially living in our "me-pleasing" society nowadays, but just think on it: "God did give me friends to help me grow, even if that means by correcting a flaw they see in me. If they're true friends, they're not 'out to get me.'"

But... a person can have so many "friends!" How do you know which are the "true" friends? Well, have you e ver heard the expression, "Actions speak louder than words?" Most of you will say yes :) I think you know what I'm driving at here... A true friend will act like one!
"A man that has friends must show himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother." -Prov 18:24

True friends really are hard to come by. In today's shallow and superficial world, you can be "friends" with someone today and when it's not convenient for you anymore, just drop the relationship cold turkey. People can not speak to some of their dearest friends ever again and not be affected in the least. This saddens me, actually.

As sinful humans, we are offended easily, which makes the above stated actions very easy. Once people have become offended, it seems at times that there is no reasoning with them. In Proverbs 18:19a, the author writes that, "A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city." As Christians, however; we are called to be the antithesis to this. Jesus Himself said, “Moreover if your brother sins against you [offends you], go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother." Matthew 18:15

Now... I'm not saying that I'm perfect and do this all the time... infact, I do believe that I sorely lack in the area of "going to one's brother." (With God's help though, I'm learning to talk about things more freely.) What I am saying, is that this is something all Christians are called to do... I'm preaching to myself as well as all readers. :)

Merriam Webster defines "friend" as such: [italics mine]
1a: one attached to another by affection or esteem b: acquaintance
2a: one that is not hostile b: one that is of the same nation, party, or group
3: one that favors or promotes something (as a charity)
4: a favored companion

I also ran a poll-type thing on facebook and asked people:
"How would YOU describe true friendship?"
And here are the responses I got...
Cindi H said, "hmm I'd say true friendship key qualities include honesty, definitely honesty, silliness, forgiveness, and the ability to be yourselves."
Obed A said, "A true friend gives the other person what they need the most, even when they deserve it the least. Being a friend is about giving unconditionally."
Robert S said, "A friend makes a boring class fun.!!!" <-- this one made me laugh :)
Jeff G said, "I would say that friendship in it's truest sense would have the characteristics of I Cor. 13. I would even say that True friendship is rare."
John S said, "It takes two "true" friends to make a "true" friendship :) A true friend is a committed one, a caring one, and an accountable one."
Timothy B said (via gmail), "I guess a true friend would be someone who is honest first and foremost and one who is always there for you whenever they can be."

Here are quite a few "friendship" quotes that I've found:

<---- (current fb profile picture)

"Some friends come and go like a season. Others are arranged in our lives for good reason." -Sharita Gadison

"All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves. We must die to one life before we can enter another."
-Anatole France

"A true friend is someone you can disagree with and still remain friends. For if not, they weren't true friends in the first place."
-Sandy Ratliff

"True friendship is based on trust, honesty and sincere generosity of our hearts."
---Song Park

A true friend unbosoms freely, advises justly, assists readily, adventures boldly, takes all patiently, defends courageously, and continues a friend unchangeably.
-William Penn

**Also, my friend Zach Smith wrote a very helpful post on "Love and Forgiveness"... please go check it out! It was a great encouragement to me and I pray it will be to you as well :)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Now... this is all food for thought... please take the time to carefully consider this post. . .

Let me know what you think. . .
Blessings~

About: HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!

2010-07-09T08:15:00.006-04:00

"Mawwage... Mawwage is vhat bwings us togevfaaahh todayyy!
Mawwage... that bwessed awwangement!"
........... -.-

ok... seriously now ;)
Today is a landmark in our family's history.

It's amazing how people meet ;)
It's amazing how friends can become spouses and parents.

Well... twenty-two years ago today... two people did become one. Twenty-two years ago today, two people covenanted before man and God that they would be faithful one to another, in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer. Twenty-two years ago today... well, something else happened, but I can't think of it at the moment ^_^

Anyway, on July 9th, 1988, Michael Stone and Julia Fitz were joined in holy matrimony (for those of you who don't know what that is... marriage ;) These two people are my parents! *obviously* ;)

The couple of the day... hand chosen by God to live together as man and wife...

and have these three ridiculous females ;)

Dear mom and dad!
I love you both so much and pray the Lord's blessings on this, your 22nd wedding anniversary!
What a day it's been! With Lili's arrival last night and running from here to there running errands and visiting with dear friends!
22 years! That's a long time! I pray that you'll have at LEAST 22 more... (hopefully more, of course ;)
What a blessing it has been to Anna, Olivia and I to see your relationship change and bloom over our lives. Granted, you're not perfect (neither are we, apparently ;), but through it all, you have both remained faithful to one another, to us, and to our Lord!
In the years that follow, I look forward to what changes (or non-changes ;) the Lord has in store for our family and am eagerly awaiting it with y'all!

Blessings, hugs, and love from your favorite middle daughter ;) ...

About: Another Year Come and Gone...

2010-07-03T22:37:00.007-04:00

July 4th... Our Nation's birthday. A time of remembrance and great rejoicing, a time of family and friends, barbecue and watermelon. Yup, Independence day is a great day every year.

Between you and me... the fourth of July got even more special fifteen years ago :D

You wanna know why, blog land?! Well... even if you don't, I'm gonna tell you anyway cause this is my blog ;)

Fifteen years ago, a special present was injected into the world! Fifteen years ago, un bébé peu (French ;) was born.
Fifteen years ago... *chest filling with pride* my little sister, Olivia Christine, was born! :D

What a splendiferous fifteen years it has been! I'm not gonna lie though and say that our sibling relationship has been perfect... cause it isn't. I'm not gonna grin and say that we never argue... cause we do.
Let's see... WHAT can I say about Olivia...? ;)
♥Well, first off... she's going to be fifteen (duh :P)... and since she's going to be fifteen, that means that I'm not fifteen anymore. In fact, I'm four and a half years older *Emily keels over* WHICH... dear blog readers, means that I... am getting olt! o.O eGAD! *ahem... moving on* ;)

♦Aside from the fact that she is officially making me feel old as dirt, ;) It has been a wonderful blessing to see her mature into such a loverly godly young lady! Her love for the Lord is evident in her life and it's amazing to see how He's working in her life!

♣She's extremely talented with sewing, jewelery making, crafting, and any other thing she puts her mind to learning! I think I have yet to meet another female so young with so much talent... just sayin ;) (yes, I might be a tad biased :D)

♠I love her and she loves me ;)

♥Her favorite colors are blue, green and yellow and she insists that I'll have to wear those colors in her wedding... to which I always answer, "psh! You'll change your mind before then!" ;)

♦She's working on an amazing quilt!

♣We just finished an amazing week at camp where we were on the Red Team together! *hehehe*

♠She loves animals.

♥Animals love her.

♦I am now going to post pictures of her ;)

hehehehehe... I giggle at her cute-crosseyed-ness! ;)

We three sisters were all on a swim team... this was O's first year, I do believe! XD
hehehehe... I giggle at her cuteness here too ;)

Olivia and I at camp... being silly, of course ;) What we Stones are known for, apparently... It runs in the family ;)

My dear sister, Olivia!
I love you so much and pray that our LORD blesses you as you begin the fifteenth year of your life! You have been a major joy in my life and thank Him daily for you! I'm so happy that we are growing closer and closer and I pray that it will continue on and on forever... and ever! :)
As I finish this post (1:10 a.m. July 4th, 2010), I finish it with:
Let's glorify the LORD together in our relationship and let's have fun today, your birthday!

Blessings and mucho love and el hugos~
Emmy ♥

known to blog readers as...

About: Randomness when tired O.o

2010-06-06T02:06:00.003-04:00

What's better than finding your doppelganger?

Not much, I say :)

About: Asking for Prayer

2010-05-27T08:31:00.002-04:00

Dear blog readers,
Yesterday was a sad day for many. Mainly one family in particular.

One of the most godly men I know, Mr. Don Gilchrist, went home to be with the Lord yesterday unexpectedly. He has been a great encouragement to me in many aspects of my life and will greatly miss him.
Please be praying for his wife, Mrs. Judy, children and grandchildren as they grieve the loss of this dear man.

II Thessalonians 4:13-18
¹³ But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. ¹⁴ For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.
¹⁵ For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. ¹⁶ For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷ Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. ¹⁸ Therefore comfort one another with these words.

About: Sibling/Family Rivalry...

2010-05-06T23:41:00.007-04:00

This is what it looks like on facebook.
Brothers from one family versus sisters from another.
You decide for yourself who you think won ;)

Below is Anna's status from yesterday, I believe and the conversation underneath it are comments back and forth, obviously :D
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
Wow, I didn't think it was possible, but it happened. I got swiped by 10 different frisbees last night...AT ONE TIME!! >.< style="font-weight: normal;" face="Georgia">

Robert

Seidel family 1
Stone family 0

Anna

No way Robbie.
I remind you that I swiped both you AND Jeff... by myself...without Emily's help. I believe that makes the final score:
Seidel family 1
Stone family 1,000,000
(Because Stone family points are worth WAY more.) >:)

Jeff

I believe I had to risk my life by climbing on top of a building to get ya'lls frisbee back! I'd say thats an epic fail on BOTH you and Emmy/Emily/Emaleigh. My guess is thats a loss of 1,000,000 points for the Stones :)

Seidel family 1
Stone family 0

Anna

Soooooooo doesn't count. That was before the whole "swipe war" anyway...point retained. And besides, when you threw it down, you TOTALLY missed us.
Your bad aim costs you 1,000,000 points.
My brilliant memory though, earns us another million.

Seidel family -999,999
Stone family 2,000,000
>:)

Jeff

If I recall, the "swipe war" began last week! Even if the "war" began yesterday, you swiped me as I was walking in the gate! Pretty sure that was before you threw the frisbee on the roof. You lose infinity+1 points for giving yourself 1,000,000 points for a brilliant memory that was...well a lot off. My "bad aim" was a safe throw due to the ... See Moreinnocent bystanders who were in your direct area. Knowing the Stones' frisbee catching abilities and the wind factor, I figured it safer to throw the frisbee to the middle of the field :) 500,000 points for the safety consideration plus the points you tried to take from us.

Seidel family - 500,001
Stone family - Negative infinity+1

Anna

In response to that last boring comment with all those irrelevant, technical details...I can only respond with this well known fact. A fact which automatically puts us in the lead...period.
We are awesome.

Seidel family - 500,001
Stone family - A number so big you can't wrap your mind around it...then, attach 17 more zeros. We win by default. >:)
*happy dance*

Joshua

*makes mental note not to argue with Anna*

Emaleigh

BAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!
oh my gosh! i laughed SOOOO STINKIN HARD during this whole thing ^_^
so we're all in the red, right? O.o

Emaleigh

wait...

Emaleigh

ok, yeah... i'm lost :P

Jeff

In the red?

Emaleigh

minus something...
negative...
in debt.

Jeff

Way to show those smarts Emmy :)

Emaleigh

^.^
seeeeeeee? they DO exist XD

Anna

Be quiet Emily...so we can stay in the lead!! O.O

Emaleigh

-.-

Jeff

Good call big sis. Are yall coming to frisbee tonight? 5-8?

Josh I need your number again! I had to restore my phone :(

Emaleigh

i don't think so... i didn't even know there was frisbee on thursday nights!

Jeff

This is the first time we've been...we'll see how good it is :)

Emaleigh

well... lemme know how it goes! ^_^

Robert

Jeff- You of all people should know what 'in the red' means.
Anna- You're HILARIOUS!
Em- Don't take that from her!

Emaleigh

hahaha
i was thinking about inserting random comment pertaining to original thought... but didn't ^_^

Robert

Good idea.. Lull the older sibling into a false state of security, then attack! That's how I deal with Jefafa.. I also kick him when he's sleeping.. and place road signs in his bed..

Anna

I pity you your childish antics Robbie. Tsk tsk...

Robert

Whose childish, me or the person who has a profile picture of themselves with a bag over their head.. Another Point for the Seidels. :D

Anna

BAHHAHAHAAAA!!!! Good point!
IT'S A TIE!! :D

Robert

Nope, y'all lost.. You should have countered with something that had to do with my profile picture of me licking a crab.. For your lack of attention to detail, you lose.

Emaleigh

hm... you DO have a point, Robert.

Anna

Poor, confused Robbie. By conceding to a tie, I have merely upped our score by showing great virtue and humility. :)

Jeff

Don't confuse kindness for weakness. Pretty sure it's the latter of the two, older Stone sister

Anna

Never! And you would know that as an older sibling, wouldn't you Jeff?

Robert

Face it, y'all lost.. Even Emaleighereradseafjklea said I had a good point.. That's worth like a number so big you can't wrap your mind around it...then, attach 18 more zeros....

Jeff

Yes I have the responsibility to take care of Robby and make sure he makes the right choices in life. Him putting a street sign in my
Bed for me to blop on while half asleep must have been an idea he got from you. Surely I would not condone such hostile behavior

Anna

Emaleighereradseafjklea...that's awesome!
It's DEFINITELY a tie...no joke. :)

Emaleigh

hmm... older sibling/younger sibling...
is this now becoming a war of sibling rivalry? O.o

Emaleigh

and aahaaaaaaaa
you make me laugh with your confusedness about my name >:)

Anna

YES!! >:)

Emaleigh

well then >:P

Robert

okay >o.o<

Emaleigh

we need to up our game O.o

Jeff

SEIDEL - 6 letters
STONE - 5 letters

Even the alphabet suggest we're ahead by giving us one more letter :)

Anna

Yeah...it's devolving to a game of emoticons. :P

Robert

YES JEFF!!! AHAHAHAHH!!!

Anna

But today is backwards day...so less is more! >:)

Emaleigh

so...
you're guys...
we're females...
ladies first :P
ohoooo!
yeah. -.-

Robert

Backwards day? So, I'm bald, Jeff has hair and Emily is tall.. right?

Anna

Yeah! And I'm short, squatty, and terrible at being awesome. ;)

Robert

and if it is indeed backwards day as Anna as proclaimed, then Emily has just made y'all lose.. again..

Anna

I guess so...BUT JUST FOR TODAY! >:)
You bunch o' girls! :P

Jeff

Lose....and go second. Thanks Emalrufjeiwibfjdy! {=

Emaleigh

^.^
first is the worst..?

Anna

Oooooooooooooo...take that.
*MAN power*

Robert

What, are we rhyming now?

Jeff

If today is indeed backwards day then Anna can now run fast and Emily can catch a frisbee??

Anna

And Jeff is smart, I see.

Robert

Now you're getting it!

Emaleigh

Jeff... you have now officially hurt my poor little self esteem and crushed my feelings. :'(
you loose for making a girl cry :P

Robert

you LOSE for using 'loose' instead of 'lose'. Remember what Anna said earlier about not talking?? ;)

Jeff

Seeing how it's backwards day and all, I'm not falling for your tricks lil sis

Robert

So, you ARE falling for her tricks? This backwards day stuff is getting annoying..

Jeff

I was talking to anna

Anna

We need an official rule book. :-/

Anna

Rule #1:
Anna and Emily win every argument.

Anna

Rule #2:
Never try to argue that you did, in fact, win. You will lose.

Anna

Rule #3:
Anna and Emily write the Rule Book.

Anna

Rule #4:
No need for additional Rules.

Jeff

Rule #2: Honor backwards day (:

Anna

Rule #5:
If you were too late to write Rule #2...it doesn't count.

Robert

#6 Older age always wins..

Anna

Rule #3:
Anna and Emily write the Rule Book. >:)

Anna

We win, we win, WE WIN!!!!!!!!!

Robert

I'm not arguing, just disagreeing.

Emaleigh

soooooooo... is it over?
*comes out from bomb shelter*
and who won?
sibling groups or older/youngers?

Emaleigh

(actually, i was cleaning my room and the computer froze -.- *emily glares at monstrosity before her*)

Robert

Siblings won..

Lol, try hitting i a few times next time.. works for me.

Emaleigh

how on earth did we manage that?! O.o

Robert

Because we're awesome!!!

Emaleigh

backwards day, Robby :P

Robert

:( no fair :(

Emaleigh

>:)

About: As I Sit Here... Thinking and Dayspring~ Joining Forces

2010-05-04T09:01:00.004-04:00

What an exciting new venture for me!
I am now an affiliate marketer for Dayspring.
Didja see that I now have links on the sidebar to their sites?
Dayspring is the world's largest supplier of Christian cards and gifts so make sure to check them out!

Blessings~

About: Two Women I Love!

2010-04-29T23:25:00.011-04:00

I have a mother.
I love her very much!

I have a second mother.
I love her very much as well!

They're best friends. They love each other very much too! :)
This post I'm dedicating to both of these dear women.

My mom: Julia
My 2nd mom: Laura

They are many things.

{1} Dear friends...
{2} I'm convinced they're sisters that were separated and have been reunited at long last!
{3} They act alike
{4} Both sing beautifully
{5} Their faces resemble one another
{6} Godly encouragements t o me
{7} Godly encouragements to each other

Every time I observe their interaction, I pray that the Lord will give me the grace to have a friend so dear. Well, He has, I suppose (anyway... beside the point).
I can't believe it, but these two dear women have known each other just over a year.

All of these verses describe their relationship, I believe:

Proverbs 12:26 ~ The righteous should choose his friends carefully, for the way of the wicked leads astray.

Proverbs 17:17 ~ A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

Proverbs 18:34 ~ A man who has a friend must himself be friendly, but there is a friend w ho sticks closer than a brother.

Proverbs 27:6 ~ Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.

Proverbs 27:9 ~ Ointment and perfume delight the heart, and the sweetness of a man's friend gives delight by hearty counsel.

Proverbs 27: 17 ~ As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.

Ecclesiastes 4:9 ~ {The value of a friend} Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor.

Mama and Mamalala... I love you both so much and am constantly blessed by your relationship. I pray the Lord will bless you with years and years of friendship and encouragement!

Blessings, dear ladies!

About: Virtual Friendship

2010-04-28T10:06:00.005-04:00

Online social networking, while not inherently evil, runs the risk of dehumanizing others and leading, ironically, toward isolation rather than community. By John R. Muether

Let's begin with a reasonably safe prediction: you are not likely to finish this article. That is not merely because of the prose of the author (though I concede it doesn't help.) It is based on reliable statistics that indicate how attention spans have shortened.

It may be an exaggeration to suggest, as The Atlantic Monthly provocatively proposed a few months ago, that Google is making Americans stupid. But the internet giant and its co-conspirators are rendering us more restless, and, as in the title of Maggie Jackson's recent book, distracted. In our digital age, focused attention is made more difficult. Multitasking fragments of our thinking, and moments of reflection are punctured by the urgent text message. Concentration drifts after a few paragraphs, and we have lost the art of deep and thoughtful reading.

We are reasonably computer literate by now. Technologically enhanced social networking via cell phones, email, blogging, twitter, or whatever is next are unavoidable features of our electronic landscape. We have come to accept the reality of them with little reflection. Beyond our atrophied reading habits, the effect of our social networking world is at least twofold: it trivializes the notion of friendship and it erodes our sense of community.

I have a colleague who has 1,035 Facebook friends. By Facebook standards, that is probably unremarkable. At the same time, of course, it is also a lie. Friendship is humanly impossible on such a mass scale. What results is exhibitionistic too-much-information for most: your colonoscopy this morning is really not my business. Meanwhile, those who are genuinely close to you wonder why the learned of the death of your mother from your twitter that instantly informed untold masses.

However Facebook may claim to "manage" our friends, we simply cannot keep track of such volumes. I have accumulated more than I can handle, at least 400, a quarter of whom I have never met. (On at least a couple of occasions, I confirmed a friendship with a perfect stranger fully convinced the person was somebody else.) Above all, no one can assume the expense of these associations. As Maggie Jackson observed, Facebook friends do not increase the number of folk to whom one is prepared to donate a kidney.

I have fallen into the habit of closing emails to friends I have not seen in years with words to the effect that "I hope our paths cross soon." This has become a cliche that I am trying to eliminate. But it illustrates the truism that friendship demands real contact. Electronic culture separates as it disembodies. The paradox is that it links us to folk far away while it separates those from whom we are closest. We are increasingly isolated even as we make the false boast that we have overcome time and distance and "reconnected."

The superficiality of these technologies is demonstrated by the proliferation of e-conflict. Scarcely anyone who has been on email has not experienced a serious miscommunication, even with an old friend. I have made what I thought were extremely clever online jokes, only to be accused of "flaming" beause my humor lacked the non-verbal message to couch it in the proper context. Is it any wonder, therefore, taht our Lord in Matthew 18 commands reconciliation through direct, face-to-face engagement?

Even worse, social networking has transformed friendship into a commodity. We collect friends in our desire to build status. Online personalities (even to the point of multiple identities and gender-bending) are carefully constructed as we crave the attention we hope it stirs. Christine Rosen has observed that the Socratic imperative to "know thyself" is altered in cyber culture to "show thyself." Here there is little shame. (One aquaintance of mine used his Facebook status in order to chronicle his writer's block.) Even the novelty of it all sinks in the vast ocean of pointless public diarists. Rosen describes Facebook as "an overwhelmingly dull place of monotonous uniqueness, of conventional individuality, of distinct sameness."

The hours we spend on such things leaves less time to engage in thoughtful correspondence with genuine friends. Why go through the time and effort to hand write and post a letter when you can "poke" dozens of friends? And cyberflowers are a lot cheaper than the real thing. Eventually, friendship becomes a competition: when will I crack the "Fave 5" on my friend's cell phone service?

In all of these examples, friendship is cheapened when reduced to utilitarian purposes. Can we even recognize genuine friendship after all? Unlike family (including one's church family) or neighbor (whom we are commanded to love and serve), friendship is premised on distinctive grounds. It entails choice (you do not choose family or neighbor), and it demands high levels of trust, respect, and privacy. In short, friendship has to cost something to be genuine.

Last week, in the course of a work related email exchange with a young woman, I discovered that she was the niece of an old friend of mine. "I cannot wait to tell my uncle taht we connected!" she wrote back. Her expression gave me pause. Is that what we did? And what does it mean, after all, to "connect?" Are we now friends? Facebook aligns friends of friends (of friends) based on thin affinity, either real or perceived. It is a fluidity of drive-by relationships. Maybe there was a reason, after all, for your college roommate to lose contact with you over the course of the past two decades. Perhaps you were not really connected in the first place.

I do not wish to deny that there are some legitimate uses of social networking. This morning I was gladdened to learn from Facebook taht my long-suffering Tabletalk editor, Chris Donato, is the proud father of his second healthy baby boy. (Hmm, perhaps that will distract him from noticing that my submission remains overdue.) Facebook may be a means of assisting established contacts; but can it create and maintain relationships that are otherwise unsustainable? That seems to raise two more questions: are these connections really necessary, and more importantly, do they compete with your non-facebook friends? The internet giveth, and it taketh away.

Defenders of social networking eagerly promote its promise to regenerate lost community, to heal the fractures of our fast-forward paced lives. Nowhere is this claim more confidently made than in churches today, whose craving for members mirrors the individual's tally of friends. It is astonishing to consider how desperately churches are trying to get wired. "Ministers of Technology" set out to build community through the internet. One pace-setting church assures skeptics that it is not interested in replacing face-to-face connections with virtual ones. But that is exactly what it will do. Plenty of studies indicate that internet connectedness comes at the expense of non-virtual relationships. A family left my church recently complaining about its lack of fellowship opportunities. The session racked its brain over this complaint, because it seemed that the family was failing to avail itself of plenty of social opportunities in the church. Finally the mother confessed that she craved a fellowship "where I can Facebook chat all day like I do with my homschooling network."

Shane Hipps writes in his Flickering Pixels: "Digital social networking inoculates people against the desire to be physically present with others in real social networks -- networks like a church or meal at someone's home." Why the messiness of real interaction when you can login to worship? In an online church, there is no assembly required!

Robert Putnam, author of Bowling Alone, numbers among the cyberchurch skeptics. Church attendance genuinely diversifies, but the homogeneity of the virtual world is a cyberapartheid that masquerades as community. In Putnam's words, the internet is "unlikely in itself to reverse the deterioration of our socail capital."

Contrary to the inconvenience and inefficiency of genuine community, virtual communities have the advantage of allowing one to leave as easily as one joined. Disappearing can be as simple as not responding to an email. (Who among us is prepared the first cyberstone at someone who got buried under his email inbox?) Or there is a one-click means of "unfriending" a cyberpest. With these exit strategies, social networks are less communities than lifestyle enclaves. One sociologist has aptly described them as "networked individualism." Individualism and consumerism were not invented by the internet, of course. But the internet allows these dynamics to flourish and to dominate our sovial arrangements.

So our challenge is to reckon with the multitasking, split-screen, ringtone culture of the internet. Calvin College's Quentin Schulze encourages us to distinguish between good and bad "habits of the high-tech heart." Technological restraint is good for the sould, the mind and the church. We need to reshape our environment to enlarge our attention spans and deepen our commitments to friends and community.

You made a small start by finishing this article. Now read the next. Then write a letter to a friend. Texting or blogging is cheating.

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
John R. Meuther is professor of church history and librarian at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, Florida. He is also denominational historian of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.

About: The GIFT of God

2010-04-23T20:44:00.004-04:00

After having a conversation with a friend yesterday, I decided I would blog it. :)

Rom 6:23
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (KJV)

Eph 2:8-9
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. (KJV)

Salvation is God's gift to the human race.
Yet, there are people who believe that we can reject God's gift... that we have the choice to.
But honestly, when have you ever heard of someone rejecting a FREE gift?

Example that Cody posted on facebook:

Being #1: "Excuse me. Hi. Here is a free gift from me to you. :)"
Being #2: "Oh. Ummmm...yeah...I'm not gonna open it. But thanks anyway."

Sounds ridiculous, right?
A normal person would say, "right." ;)

Please let me know what you think!

Anyway, I know this is a short post... But I'm sick and I have to go practice for Barberville!

Blessings~

About: What's Coming!

2010-04-17T18:17:00.003-04:00

It's coming...

*

*

Brace yourself, world...

*

*

*screech-swoon!*

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

-.-
Okay, okay... nothing bad is happening.

BUT!!!!
Something GREAT IS happening!
It's that time of yeeeeeeeeeeear again!

*ba-ba-buuuuuuuuuum*
/\ that was dramatic music, btw ;)

BARBERVILLE IS NEXT WEEK!

The Stone Family Band (aka, my family and I) will be performing 3 times that weekend... so excited! Check the schedule here and here for both Saturday and Sunday.

And, that is all for the moment... we have company and this is the last night they're here *sad* so I am going to spend my last night with them. (I'll post on this fun week later)

Ciao y'all! ;)

About: EVERYTHING! O.o

2010-04-05T16:52:00.003-04:00

(I apologize in advance for the scatter-brainedness of this post. :)
Hey y'all! :D
Well, I must say! Today has been absolutely BEAUTIFUL!! God is good in bringing Spring back to Florida! :D As I put on my facebook status just today:

"cleaning my room! all the windows open... lookin out at our MONSTER-HUGE coral colored snap dragons, purple flower covered yard, big yellow daises and varied colored goats! I tell ya what... I was missing color and asked God to bring it back soon... wasn't expecting SOO much! When you ask Him for something, He really goes above and beyond, doesn't He?!? :D ♥"

And it's true!! *sigh* I'm very content right now :)

Today's been super productful!
I've:
☼Read God's word and had my quiet/prayer time
♫Practiced music
○Cleaned my room
♥Exercised
○House patrolled the rest of the house (Cleaned)
*Wrote a few emails
>Read some in Ishmeal (the AMAZING book that made me cry so hard... I think I'll do a review later.)

OH!
AND! Jean Marie spent the night last night and left around 12 or so... so all these things have been done between then and now (5:00)

This pic makes me think of 2 things:
1) I'm sunburned from our amazing day at the beach last week with great friends *ouch*
and
2) Barberville is coming up!

3 actually... I lied.
3) I love my dad!

EGAD! I lied again! 4 things...
4) I'm REALLY loving playing the guitar :)

Ok... enough lying for now ;)

But seriously... make sure to come on out and see The Stone Family Band perform at Barberville! Twice on Saturday and once on Sunday with a Jam tent... you can look at the schedule for more info or email me :)

I can't remember if I said this already or not, but I finished my school! :D So MUCH less of this \/

and more of this \/

oops... not that...!

THIS \/

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Anyway... Hope y'all are doing GREAT!!!
And yes... I'm in a fantabulous mood! lovin this weather and thanful for God's mercies!!
GREAT is HIS faithfulness!
Blessings~

About: TRUE SPIRITUALITY

2010-03-30T14:09:00.003-04:00

A recent Zogby/Forbes ASAP poll asked respondents, What would you like most to be know for? For being intelligent? Good looking? Having a great sense of humor? A full half of respondents checked off an unexpected answer: They said they would like a reputation for "being authentic." In a world of spin and hype, the postmodern generation is searching desperately for something real and authentic. They will not take Christians seriously unless our churches and parachurch organizations demonstrate an authentic way of life--unless they are communities that exhibit the character of God in their relationships and mode of living.

Advertising techniques that merely convey an image may bring in the money, but they are not the means to accomplishing a genuine spiritual work. The church's "manner of speaking the truth must not be aligned to the techniques of modern propaganda," writes Newbigin, "but must have the modesty, the sobriety, and the realism which are proper to a disciple of Jesus." The church is called to be a witness to the gospel through an authentic demonstration of love and unity.

In the days of the early church, the thing that most impressed their neighbors in the Roman Empire was the community of love they witnessed among believers. "Behold how they love one another," it was said. In every age. the most persuasive evidence for the gospel is not words or arguments but a living demonstration of God's character through Christians' love for one another, expressed in both their words and their actions. The gospel is not meant to be "a disembodied message," Newbigin writes. It is meant to be fleshed out in "a congregation of men and women who believe it and live by it" --who exhibit in their relationships the beauty of God's character.

-Nancy Pearcey: Total Truth

About: Falling Behind, Catching back up... Repeat!

2010-03-29T12:02:00.003-04:00

Hey y'all!
I know it's been forever since I've posted. Been busy going here and there and falling behind in school and catching back up :-/

We went to Mississippi for a week 2 weeks back. That was soooooooo fun! :)
Now...

I'm pretty much addicted to coffee... never TOUCHED the stuff before.
It was Mimi! SHE did this to me! ;)

Some people are on Spring Break...

Yup.
I've got beach on the brain. Hopefully we'll be going sometime this week :)

On a different note.

I don't remember if I've posted this before, but it's always good for a laugh :)

On another different note ;P

you've heard of CatDog I'm sure.

Well...

Meet RatDog.
Poor B.B. got another hair cut.

Sorry for the briefness of this... I must away to finish my LAST WEEK OF SCHOOL!!!!!! :D :D :D :D
Yes. I'm excited ;)

I thank my God upon every remembrance of you...
{Philippians 1:3}

About: My Life Recently

2010-03-04T22:42:00.002-05:00

This was me up until tonight. Study, study, study.... and more study. After falling behind 4 weeks in my school, I worked way hard to get it all done and caught up in 3 days! I admit it... my brain is FRIED! I've worked, relationships almost neglected like poor Hobbes... But I'm done!
God is good!

Tomorrow's gonna be fun... :)

On a different note...

GOING TO SEE JOSH TURNER ON TUESDAY!!
Oh my goodness... I'm sooo excited :)
Wonderful voice! I highly recommend him. I also hope to get pics and post them soon :)

Ok, ok... enough totally randomness.
Goodnight and blessings!

About: EVOLUTION GETS RELIGION

2010-03-02T21:56:00.003-05:00

...We could even say that Darwinism itself often functions as an alternative religion. In fact, that’s exactly what philosopher of science Michael Ruse does say. Ruse is a pugnacious and aggressive evolutionist, who testified in court against an Arkansas creationist statue back in 1982. While there, however, he had a conversation with the well-known creationist Duane Gish that brought him up short. “The trouble with you evolutionists is that you just don’t play fair,” Gish told him. You accuse us of teaching a religious view, he said, but “you evolutionists are just as religious in your way. Christianity tells us where we came from, where we’re going, and what we should do on the way. I defy you to show any difference with evolution. It tells you where you came from, where you are going, and what you should do on the way.” In short, evolution itself functions as a religion.

The comment rankled Ruse, and he couldn’t get it out of his mind. Eventually, he decided that Gish was right—that evolution really is “more than mere science,” as he put it in a recent article. “Evolution came into being as a kind of secular ideology, an explicit substitute for Christianity.” Even today, it “is promulgated as an ideology, a secular religion—a full-fledged alternative to Christianity, with meaning and morality.”

Ruse hastens to reassure his readers that he himself remains “an ardent evolutionist and an ex-Christian.” And yet, “I must admit that in this one complaint... the [biblical] literalists are absolutely right. Evolution is a religion. This was true of evolution in the beginning, and it is true of evolution still today.”

Ruse announced his new insight at the 1993 annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), where his presentation was met by stunned silence. A conference report published by an evolution advocacy group wondered, “Did Michael Ruse Give Away the Store?”

But Ruse wasn’t making wild allegations. He backed them up with solid examples, citing people like Stephen Jay Gould, who once claimed that evolution “liberates the human spirit.” For sheer excitement, Gould added, evolution “beats any myth of human origins by light years.” Since evolutionary history is entirely contingent, “in an entirely literal sense, we owe our existence, as large and reasoning mammals, to our lucky stars.”

“If this is not a rival to traditional Judaeo-Christian teaching,” Ruse comments wryly, “I don’t know what is.”

Ruse’s analysis certainly throws new light on the controversy over teaching evolution in the classroom. Critics typically accuse Intelligent Design supporters of trying to inject religion into the classroom. For example, during the Ohio controversy an editorial in a Columbus newspaper said, “The problem is that intelligent-design proponents wants to bring religion into science classes, where it doesn’t belong.”

The correct response is that religion is already in the classroom—because of naturalistic evolution is itself a religion or worldview. “The so-called warfare between science and religion,” wrote historian Jacques Barzun, should really “be seen as the warfare between two philosophies and perhaps two faiths.” The battle over evolution is merely one incident “in the dispute between the believers in consiousness and the believers in mechanical action; the believers in purpose and the believers in pure chance.” To promote one faith in the publich school system at public expense, while banning the other, is an example of viewpoint discrimination, which the Supreme Court has declared unconstitutional in a wide variety of cases.

Nancy Pearcey: Total Truth, pg. 172-173

About: CHRISTIANITY OUT OF BALANCE

2010-01-25T22:30:00.003-05:00

The task of identifying dualistic thinking can be somewhat tricky, because several different forms exist. However, the three-part grid of Creation-Fall-Redemption gives us a powerful tool of analysis. Throughout the history of the church, various groups have tended to seize upon one of these three elements, overemphasizing it to the detriment of the other two—producing a lopsided, unbalanced theology. For example, stressing the Fall too heavily tends toward pessimism and negativism, while overemphasizing Redemption can lead to triumphalism and complacency.
...Consider the typical evangelistic message: “You’re a sinner; you need to be saved.” What could be wrong with that? Of course, it’s true that we are sinners, but notice that the message starts with the Fall instead of Creation. By beginning with the theme of sin, it implies that our essential identity consists in being guilty sinners, deserving of divine punishment. Some Christian literature goes so far as to say we are nothing, completely worthless, before a holy God.

This excessively negative view is not biblical, however, and it lays Christianity open to the charge that it has a low view of human dignity. The Bible does not begin with the Fall but with Creation: Our value and dignity are rooted in the fact that we are created in the image of God, with the high calling of being His representatives on earth. In fact it is only because humans have such high value that sin is so tragic. If we were worthless to begin with, then the Fall would be a trivial event. When a cheap trinket is broken, we toss it aside with a shrug. But when a priceless masterpiece is defaced, we are horrified. It is because humans are the masterpiece of God’s creation that the destructiveness of sin produces such horror and sorrow. Far from expressing a low view of human nature, the Bible actually gives a far higher view than the dominant secular view today, which regards humans as simply complex computers made of meat—products of blind, naturalistic forces, without transcendent purpose or meaning.

If we start with a message of sin, without giving the context of Creation, then we will come across to nonbelievers as merely negative and judgmental. After an extended trip through Africa (described in Dark Star Safari), the writer Paul Theroux said one of the saddest moments in his journey was “hearing a young woman [missionary] tell me that she was heading for Mozambique and adding, ‘They’re all sinners, you know.’” Theroux concluded that missionaries only make people “despise themselves.” We need to begin our message where the Bible begins—with the dignity and high calling of all human beings because they are created in the image of God.

-Excerpt from Total Truth by Nancy Pearcy

**I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK!

About: Proverbs 31:30

2010-01-22T22:53:00.004-05:00

Dear friends and readers,
I've been thinking alot about false beauty in our culture.
Thanks to a dear friend for bringing this to my attention!

(Guys take note: this is a post mostly directed towards ladies. You can read and comment if you want, but I'm writing it from a female's perspective to other females :)

(I also can't believe I'm posting this picture! haha... x.x)

ANYWAY!

Beauty. Female.
These two words almost always go hand in hand.
We as women want to look nice. Attractive. Beautiful.
But the question I want to pose tonight is:
Is that really what matters?

We do our hair. We makeup our faces. We dress as cute (and hopefully as modestly - completely different post :D) as possible.

Sadly, in our culture today, that's the extent of all to many a female's worries.
Well, that and "climbing the social and/or business ladder".

I want to point all females to Proverbs 31:30~
Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

And I Timothy 2:9-10~
⁹likewise also, that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, ¹⁰ but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works. (italics mine)

I've been convicted of being too concerned with my looks personally. I've taken way too much time to get ready to some place. "What will people think of me?" or "How do I look?" have crossed my mind more times than necessary, I'm sad to say.

Now, I want to clarify one thing... just in case anyone out there is thinking what I think you may be thinking. :) I'm not against trying to look nice or lovely. I just don't believe it's right to focus too much on it.

God has been working in my life to concentrate more on glorifying Him... making a conscious decision to do so. He has been teaching me to live my life "with good works ", striving to live for Him and being loving to family. (Saying none of this pridefully, but thankfully!)

I've been so changed in this area that I don't even mind sharing this below picture with you (too much ;) I posted this scripture on it because I want to tie it to my daily ritual of getting ready for the day.

1st picture, before makeup: 2nd picture, after makeup
Shocking, eh? haha

I pray that the Lord will continue this new work he's begun in me! (Philippians 1:6)
God is good in that he is faithful to complete it!

What are your thoughts on this issue?
Did I make sense? :)

Hope to hear from you.
Blessings~

About: Slobbery Kissies

2010-01-21T11:58:00.002-05:00

I can only assume it happens when you're two ;)
Hope you enjoy these pics as much as I do!
Short and sweet, yes.

Alvederzane for now, y'all!

About: Praying for Haiti

2010-01-13T21:19:00.005-05:00

Lord God in Heaven!
Please help these people.
~
Help them live.
Help them work.
Help them trust.
Help them understand.
~
Give them hope.
Give them peace.
Give them courage.
Give them grace.
~
Comfort them.
Shelter them.
Guide them.
Protect them.
~
Bring them to You! Show them Your love and Your peace.

Heavenly Father, I weep for the family members they lost. The friends they can't find. The homes they've lost. The wounded they have do dig out. The dead they've had to bury.

God, I don't know what else can be said!
I have the urge to ask why?
To feel utter despair!
To feel hopeless!

HOWEVER~

..::This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promises give me life. (Ps. 119:50)::..

Lord, giver of comfort, if nothing else, if I make no other sense in this post...
LET YOUR WORD RING TRUE!

I pray these things in Your precious Son Jesus' name!
Amen.

Dear readers.
Please keep the people in Haiti in your prayers.
They suffered a horrible earthquake yesterday (1.12.10)
I believe it reached the scale of 7.0... the worst on record.

Forgive me, but my hyperlinking isn't working.
Go to~ http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/01/earthquake_in_haiti.html to see pictures. Thanks to dear Jean Marie for sharing this site.
**I also caution, just as Jean did:
"Viewer discretion advised by me, please, I'd say, if you are 16 and younger, please do not scroll through these without a parent either: viewing them first, or looking through them with you, as there is some disturbing content."

Let's brainstorm to see how we can be of service... Pray without ceasing... Do whatever we can to help!
This is a horrible thing that happened. And, though it may seem bleak, remember, dear ones... GOD IS SOVEREIGN AND RULES OVER ALL!

His faithful daughter and servant, I remain.

About: The Feminist Agenda vs. God's Design for Women

2010-01-12T15:32:00.001-05:00

THE FEMINIST AGENDA -- In their leaders’ own words:

1. "The simple fact is that every woman must be willing to be identified
as a lesbian to be fully feminist." (National NOW Times, Jan.1988).

2. "Since marriage constitutes slavery for women, it is clear that the
women's movement must concentrate on attacking this institution. Freedom
for women cannot be won without the abolition of marriage." (radial
feminist leader Sheila Cronan).

3. "Being a housewife is an illegitimate profession... The choice to
serve and be protected and plan towards being a family-maker is a choice
that shouldn't be. The heart of radical feminism is to change that."
(Vivian Gornick, feminist author, University of Illinois, "The Daily
Illini," April 25, 1981.

4. The most merciful thing a large family can do to one of its infant
members is to kill it." (Margaret Sanger, founder of Planned Parenthood,
in "Women and the New Rage," p.67.

5. "In order to raise children with equality, we must take them away from
families and communally raise them." (Dr. Mary Jo Bane, feminist and
assistant professor of education at Wellesley College and associate
director of the school's Center for Research on Woman).

6. "Marriage has existed for the benefit of men; and has been a legally
sanctioned method of control over women... We must work to destroy it.
The end of the institution of marriage is a necessary condition for the
liberation of women. Therefore it is important for us to encourage women
to leave their husbands and not to live individually with men... All of
history must be re-written in terms of oppression of women. We must go
back to ancient female religions like witchcraft." (from "The Declaration
of Feminism," November 1971).

7. "Overthrowing capitalism is too small for us. We must overthrow the
whole... patriarch!" (Gloria Steinhem, radical feminist leader, editor of
'MS' magazine).

8. In response to a question concerning China's policy of compulsory
abortion after the first child, Molly Yard responded, "I consider the
Chinese government's policy among the most intelligent in the world."
(Gary Bauer, "Abetting Coercion in China," The Washington Times", October
10, 1989).

9. "Let's forget about the mythical Jesus and look for encouragement,
solace and inspiration from real women... Two thousand years of
patriarchal rule under the shadow of the cross ought to be enough to turn
women toward the feminist 'salvation' of this world." (Annie Laurie
Gaylor, "Feminist Salvation," "The Humanist", July/August 1988, p.37.

10. "By the year 2000 we will, I hope, raise our children to believe in
human potential, not God." (Gloria Steinhem, editor of 'MS' magazine.)

Source: Center for Children's Justice in Denver, CO (Robert Muchnick -
www.childrensjustice.org )

*~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
Dear readers,
If you're like me in any way, these statements just made you heart sick.
Not only are all these statements blatantly evil, but they go totally and completely
against what God has instituted for women.
I encourage you to take a few minutes and read over these scriptures.

Titus 2:3-6
³ the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things— ⁴ that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, ⁵ to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed.
⁶ Likewise, exhort the young men to be sober-minded,

Proverbs 31:10-12
¹⁰ Who can find a virtuous^" wife?
For her worth is far above rubies.
¹¹ The heart of her husband safely trusts her;
So he will have no lack of gain.
¹² She does him good and not evil
All the days of her life.
27,28
²⁷ She watches over the ways of her household,
And does not eat the bread of idleness.
²⁸ Her children rise up and call her blessed;
Her husband also, and he praises her:
30.31
³⁰ Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing,
But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.
³¹ Give her of the fruit of her hands,
And let her own works praise her in the gates.

I Timothy 2:11-14
¹¹ Let a woman learn in silence with all submission. ¹² And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence. ¹³ For Adam was formed first, then Eve. ¹⁴ And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression.

What are your thoughts on this matter?
I hope to hear from you!
Blessings~

2010-01-10T21:15:00.000-05:00

Hey y'all!
Please pray for Olivia. She sliced an artery in her left hand between her thumb and index finger today while we were cutting apples. She had to the rushed to the ER and received 3 stitches. It hurts so bad to see my little sister in so much pain!

Vigilantly,

About: Happy Birthday to a Dear Lady! :)

2010-01-07T11:40:00.004-05:00

Happy Birthday, Mrs. Lynn (mmy2!)
You've been such an encouragement to me and "I thank my God upon every rememberance of you"! (Phil 1:3)
Thank you for your friendship you've given more than freely over this past year that we've known you... Hard to believe it's only been a year, eh? :)

We've done so many wonderful things together!
We've:
-Cooked together
-Sang together
-Had all nighters (several) together
-Gone a'thriftin' together
-Gone to church together
-Eaten together
-Talked together
-Been goofy together
-Danced together
-Prayed together
-Laughed together
-Traveled on wonderful day trips together
-Gone to Barberville together :)
-Worked on music together
-SPENT TIME together!

I want to wish you a very happy birthday today! I pray that the Lord will richly bless you today as you go about celebrating, working, relaxing, or whatever it is you're going to be doing today!

i ♥ you!

About: What My Family and I Have Been Up To :)

2010-01-05T15:12:00.002-05:00

Hey y'all.
I know it's been such a long time since I've posted, and for that I'm sorry. I've just had tons of things going on. Things that take many many hours of preparation and leave no time whatsoever for blogging. At all. Really. :)
I love Christmas! It's the season to celebrate our Savior's coming to earth in the form of a baby to die for our sins. What wondrous love! It's the most wonderful time of the year! ;) If I may use the term so loosely.

Really and truly though... our Christmas season is just like the song!
~There are kids jingle belling
~And everyone telling you "Be of good cheer"
~With those holiday greetings and gay happy meetings
When friends came to call
~There were parties for hosting
~Marshmallows for toasting (bonfire)
~And caroling out in the snow (skeeters actually since we live in Florida :)
~And tales of the glories of Christmases long, long ago (how about the first one?)
~There was much mistltoeing
~And hearts that were glowing
When loved ones were near

We did all this and more this past Christmas season! Lemme think back over the past few weeks and try to give you a brief synopsis of what's been going on.

*Que story telling music*
It aaaaaall started back the week of December 18th.... ;)

1} December 18th: Hannah and Peter's wedding! Beee-yooou-tiful! Anna has some pictures up and will be posting more soon!
2} December 19th&20th: We performed at Celtic Christmas in downtown T-town. It was SOO much fun! :)
3} December 21st: Block party for neighbors all up and down the street. Then Anna and I went to a "Princess party" and went to see the Princess and the Frog (cute movie :)
4} December 22nd: Stone family annual Christmas bash! I believe we had around 110-120 people here! :)
5} December 24th: Christmas caroling (in the skeeters) and snacks afterward with the J. and D. families and Jean. Fun night!
6} December 25th (Christmas): Late awakening, family gift exchange, C.C. for lunch, then back up here for dinner with some friends at church. We got to play around on harps! Anna and I figured out a duet for "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen"! That's my next instrument! ;)
7} December 26th: We went to my dad's brother's house (Uncle Doug) and had our annual Stone family get together. Then played some super fun dancing game on the Wii. That night we went to a Christmas jam at the W's Fuuun! :)
8} December 28th: Amazing evening spent with more friends! Thanks L. family for your hospitality! :)
9} December 29th: Friend came over for a bit. THEN! :) We sisters went to Wal*Mart and Target and bought funky socks/shirts and did a photoshoot. That night, we went to see The Princess and the Frog again :) Only with Liv this time since she didn't get to see it yet.
10} December 30th: YC started... we made it for a few sessions, but then Anna and I went to Hannah and Peter's house to help them tidy up and unpack boxes from wedding presents! :) That night, got Liv and we practiced music for playing in Cocoa Village (which didn't happen btw *sigh) THEN! Anna and I went back to our host family's home and played Wii and stayed up till 2:30 with Rachel talking! :) Had a great time doing that though we payed for it the next morning :)
11} December 31st: YC again and scavengar hunt... we left early to practice once more for the performance that didn't happen *sigh*. Anyway, that night, we went to the J. family's New Years Eve party and played games all night. We stayed till 7:30 a.m. on the 1st o.O
12} January 2nd: New Years dance at the F's house. Soooo many different types of dancing! :)
12} January 3rd: We joined our church and had 2 J. families over along with 2 other guys from church. We played games all afternoon and then went back to church for communion. We then went to frisbee with Amanda and froze to pieces while making memories! Another fun night!

Aaaaand that's what we've been up to lately *sigh* It was a very very busy time for us!

Now that you know aaaalll about my Christmas season... ;)
How was yours?

Praying blessings upon this, the new year of 2010!

About: Tomorrow's the day! :D

2009-12-17T07:45:00.003-05:00

Hey y'all!
I would be posting this tomorrow maybe, but I don't know if I'll have access to a computer so...
TOMORROW IS THE WEDDING!!!! :D :D :D :D :D
Anna and I are getting ready to head over in a few hours to begin with decorating and such!

(If I can get to a computer tomorrow... I'll post again then ;)
*haha*
Sorry if this post doesn't make much sense, I just got up and I've got things rolling in my mind what to take. :D

Ciao y'all! :D
I'm off to be a bridesmaid! XD
A bridesmaid of the wonderful Hannaaahh!
(sung to the wizard of oz tune :D)

Ok... gone now!

Less than 48 hours to go...

2009-12-16T18:53:00.002-05:00

Till you know wheeeeeeen ;)
GAH!
You's guys!
I'm SOOOOOO excited for you!
:D :D :D :D :D :D :D

2009-12-11T09:55:00.002-05:00

ONE WEEK!
:D :D :D :D :D

Hannah and Peter,
I'm SOOOO excited for y'all! :D
*hehehehehehe*
Love ya!

About: Make sure you do this ;)

2009-12-08T09:19:00.003-05:00

Hey y'all!

My sister Anna is having a photoshoot giveaway on her blog and is announcing the winner today!
Make sure to go check it out!

About: Revelation 3:18~19

2009-12-07T22:30:00.006-05:00

*Christ to the Laodiceans*
~18~
I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
~19~
As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

We read this tonight in devotions as a family.
(Actually, chapters one through three, but these two verses stuck out particularly to me :)
Aren't they encouraging?!

...A beautiful reassurance that...
~God's amazing Grace saved a wretch like me!~
~I was blind, but now I see!~
~Chastening of God's children = His Love for us!~

Speaking of God's love!
...
Isn't it amazing that Christ took the punishment for our sins?!
WOW.
I'm amazed every time I think of it!
:)

Ok, it's late y'all and I gotta take Liv to co-op tomorrow morning.
*yawn*

Till next time, I pray this (short and sweet)post blesses and encourages you :)

About: Asking for Prayer

2009-12-05T21:28:00.006-05:00

Please be praying for one of our dear friend's 35 year old sister... She had a baby a few weeks back and now she's been admitted into the ICU with sepsis, congestive heart failure, and fluid in her lungs. Her name is Debbie Ventura and she has 2 teenage children.

Please be praying for her and her family during this difficult time. Thank you!

About: Silent Monks Singing Hallelujah

2009-12-03T08:17:00.006-05:00

About: I'm DOOONE!

2009-12-02T10:20:00.004-05:00

Hey y'all!
This morning is a very special day for me!
I finally finished my class!
Yes, I know it was just one, but I had fallen woefully behind.
But with hours of rigorous studying/writing,
I was able to finish up only a little less than a week after i was supposed to.

Thanks to everyone who kept me in your prayers during this time !
God was gracious in that the last paper was relatively easy :)

~Pray you're having a blessed December 3rd :)~

(ok, ok... I've been corrected that it's the 2nd today, NOT the 3rd...
Sorry, y'all!
I'm living a day ahead I guess :P)

About: Emily's Sandwich Episode 3

2009-12-01T14:13:00.005-05:00

Thank you Joseph
I mean, Lauren...
Sorry Lauren! :)
for editing this vid for us! :)
We had a great time together that day!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-24T21:01:00.003-05:00

"Give thanks, with a grateful heart,
give thanks, to the Holy One,
Give thanks, because He's given
Jesus Christ,
His Son."

What are y'all thankful for this Thanksgiving?

About: One Month From Today!

2009-11-18T22:24:00.001-05:00

One of my dear, best friends, Hannah Marie and her Fiance, Peter James, will be uniting in Holy Matrimony!
:)
I'm so excited for both of you and pray that the Lord blesses you beyond words!
This is short and sweet because it's late and I need rest, but I didn't want this day to pass without announcing it to the world!
(or to everyone who reads my blog at least!) :)

Love you Han Dear!
And Peter! Take good care of her! (Which I know you will!)

~Praying the Lord's blessings on you both!~
Love ever,

About: The REAL GUANTANAMO BAY!!

2009-11-18T12:14:00.001-05:00

About: The Answer to O.O

2009-11-14T11:39:00.003-05:00

Thanks to all who guessed... it was fun reading your answers.
Now... the answer...

...

...

(my) Wisdom teeth :P
All of which are coming out on Tuesday.
Pray for me...
*sigh*

~Praying you have a blessed weekend~

About: O.O

2009-11-12T09:11:00.002-05:00

What's small, unnecessary to life, and white?
Wanna see y'all's answers then I'll post what's goin' on.

About: BARBERVILLE! :D

2009-11-10T10:54:00.002-05:00

Hey y'all!
We had a great weekend at Barberville!
We had several families come out to join us for this fun event!
Many thanks to the Pioneer Settlement for hosting this weekend!

Create a Free Slideshow

Hope you enjoy the pictures!

Sorry this is short and sweet, gotta get back to the day :)

~Blessings~

About: This Time Last Year...

2009-11-05T08:42:00.002-05:00

Meet Donkey!
(Actually, I don't know what his name is, I'm just calling him that :)
He is a resident at the Barberville Pioneer Settlement. :)
Yeah... you know where I'm goin' with this post XD

I met this little(BIG) cutie last year at the Fall Jamboree.
Not that the donkey has anything to do with my excitement...
o.O
Just posting one picture from Barberville last year :)
Anyway, you get my point... pretty excited.
It's this weekend :)

NOW!
I must away yet again, sorry for the lacking substance in this post...
I need to go work on school :)

See some of you there and others (not there)
Sad for those who can't come...
EXCITED for those who can :)

May our Lord bless you richly today! :)

About: Fiestaaaaaa :)

2009-11-02T22:23:00.013-05:00

Hey y'all!
The weekend before last, my family put on a fiesta party to celebrate my 19th birthday!
Many thanks to the Smith Family for these pictures! Without them, I'd have not pictures to share :)

Click HERE to see a sideshow of the pictures...
Sorry, I tried to post it here, but I'm having HTML problems :(

Thanks to everyone who came!
I'm so glad you could make it!
For more pictures you can see Jean's and Emily's posts.

~Blessings~

About: We need your Help!

2009-11-02T11:11:00.004-05:00

The Stone Family Band needs your help!
We're trying to come up with a new creative name.
Any ideas?

We're having a contest.
You suggest names... you can suggest multiple ones if you like.
We'll choose our favorite name.
Winner wins a free dinner with the Stone Family Band!
*WILD APPLAUSE* ;)

Let the naming begin! :)

~Blessings~

About: Another Birthday?! :)

2009-10-31T22:43:00.011-04:00

Today, I'd like to wish my dear friend, Hannah a very happy 19th birthday!
Hannah and I met over 3 and a half years ago.
We didn't become close friends till just a little over one year ago!

I can't explain exactly how it happened...
or when for that matter.

The farthest back I can remember right now is that night at the YC last year :)
Fun night, eh, Hannah? :)
Staying up till 4:30 in the morning talking of everything and nothing!

Rabbit trial.

Hannah, you're such a dear friend to me, we call each other "sista" :)
Amazing how the Lord has allowed us to be such kindred spirits in such a short time!

How to describe Hannah Marie...?
Love for the Lord
Love for family...
Friends...
Strangers.

Small person :)
BIG heart

ENGAGED!
*hehe*
GETTING MARRIED!
In December!
(Sorry, sudden burst of excitement :)

Hannah,
thank you for being a dear friend to me.
You've been there for me when I've needed someone to talk to about certain things.
You've been there to laugh with me...
To cry with me. (well, maybe not cry with me, but let me cry to you :)
I look forward with great anticipation to what the Lord might have in store for us in the coming years!

I so look forward to helping you more with whatever "stuff" you need help with!
Can't wait till the big day!
48 days you said today, right? :)

I pray the Lord will bless you as you serve Him to the best of your ability!
Blessings dear Hannah(Soon~to~be Blizzard ;)
Love you, Sista!

Click HERE to see the story behind the picture :)
7th picture from the top.

About: The Perils of Being an Impulsive Person...

2009-10-30T12:51:00.004-04:00

THIS is what happens when I say "change"

*haha*
Fear not, blog readers, I'm not bald!
Just multilayered ;)
No length is gone... just on top :)

OK!
Now, I away again!
Short and sweet, yes.

~Ciao y'all~

About: A New Addition to My Guitar Family

2009-10-29T22:50:00.003-04:00

Everyone...
Meet, *uhhh* my new guitar!
Haven't come up with a name yet, but hopefully I will before Barberville!
And... just a snippet of a picture :)

Been enjoying it's sound.
Though not like my other one, I still enjoy this one immensely!
AND!
It's an acoustic/electric...
PLUG IN!
So happy about that!

*sigh*
Ok, I'm done now and going to bed!
~Blessings~

About: Matters of Life and Death

2009-10-29T11:06:00.002-04:00

MATTERS OF LIFE AND DEATH
Confirmed: Skin cream contains fetal proteins
Company's anti-aging products built on cells harvested from aborted baby

Posted: October 28, 2009
10:24 pm Eastern

By Drew Zahn
© 2009 WorldNetDaily

One of Neocutis' skin products containing PSP

A pro-life organization is blasting a Switzerland-based cosmetics manufacturer

whose website openly admits some of its products were developed from the tissues of an aborted baby.

Children of God for Life is a non-profit organization focused on the bioethics of embryonic tissue use in medicine and manufacturing. One of its current campaigns includes petitioning pharmaceutical companies to produce safe, effective alternatives to vaccines derived or cultivated from aborted fetal tissue.

But the organization's attention has now turned Neocutis, a company with offices in San Francisco which has developed a line of anti-aging products that include an ingredient the company has trademarked as Processed Skin Cell Protein, or PSP, developed from skin cells harvested from an abortion.

"It is absolutely deplorable that Neocutis would resort to exploiting the remains of a deliberately slaughtered baby for nothing other than pure vanity and financial gain," said Debi Vinnedge, executive director of Children of God for Life, in a statement. "There is simply no moral justification for this."

The website for Neocutis, which is privately held with estimated annual sales of in excess of $2 million, explains that its research began years ago, when scientists discovered fetal skin's unusual ability to heal without scarring. Scientists at the University Hospital of Lausanne, Switzerland, then created a process to extract proteins from fetal cells in the attempt to obtain an optimal, naturally balanced mixture of nutrients.

The scientists then infused those nutrients into a line of cosmeceutical anti-aging products: Neocutis skin cream, Journée day cream, Lumière eye cream and Bio-Gel bio-restorative hydrogel – products Vinnedge is advising women to throw in the garbage before contacting Neocutis to voice their concerns.

"There is absolutely no reason to use aborted babies for such selfish motives," Vinnedge said. "It is anti-life, anti-woman and counter-productive, as Neocutis is about to find out!"

Children of God for Life boasts that it has been a watchdog on pharmaceutical companies using aborted fetal cell lines in medical products and has received thousands of inquiries from the public on the use of aborted fetal material in cosmetics. But this is the first time, the organization says, that any company was bold enough to put the information right on its own website and in product literature.

In fact, the Neocutis website openly explains the history of its PSP ingredient:

"A small biopsy of fetal skin was donated following a one-time medical termination," the website states, "and a dedicated cell bank was established for developing new skin treatments. Originally established for wound healing and burn treatments, today this same cell bank also provides a lasting supply of cells for producing Neocutis' proprietary skin care ingredient Processed Skin Cell Proteins."

The company adds, "No additional fetal biopsies will ever be required."

But Children of God for Life finds little consolation in the company's statement.

"You note in your literature that 'no further fetal biopsies will be needed,' as though the life of the one child you have exploited has no value," wrote the organization in a letter to Neocutis' CEO. "It is deplorable that you would attempt to mollify the public and whitewash your badly tarnished image so thoughtlessly."

Vinnedge also told WND that companies aren't required to disclose their research history to the public, so there may be facts conveniently omitted from the Neocutis story.

"What we don't know is how many other fetuses were involved before they perfected that one cell line," she surmised. "There's a possibility there were more."

WND contacted Neocutis repeatedly for comment, but phone messages

were not returned. A Businessweek web report says the company was founded in 2003 and its directors were identified as Frederic-Edouard Koehn, Patrick Hohlfeld, Diego Braguglia and Jennifer Pearson.

Children of God for Life, however, is actively calling for a boycott of all Neocutis products, beginning a campaign to contact the company's investors and even offering free publicity to companies that will certify in writing their products are free from ingredients derived from aborted babies.

"We know there are companies using moral sources for collagen and skin proteins," Vinnedge said. "We intend to publicly promote these other cosmetic companies competing with Neocutis that are willing to step forward and contact us."

About: Olivia Update

2009-10-28T11:17:00.000-04:00

GREAT NEWS!
The Dr. said Olivia's surgery went SPLENDIDLY!
It couldn't have gone better!
He's talking about taking the cast off in TWO weeks!
The doctor is pleased as punch!
So are we...
She's not awake yet :)
God is good!

About: Olivia Update

2009-10-27T00:06:00.000-04:00

Hey y'all!
Quick update...
Olivia's arm is broken just below the elbow...
Sorry, I had info mixed up.
Anyway, she is having surgery on Wednesday to insert 1-2 pins.
She'll be casted up for 6-8 weeks.
Yes, yes... that means at Barberville too.
We'll see if she can play the mandolin and bodhran...
Lord willing she can!

NOW!
I away to bed...
Still tired and not feeling well.
*sigh

~Blessings~

About: Prayer Needed...

2009-10-25T21:52:00.000-04:00

Hey y'all,
Quick note to ask for prayer...
Olivia had a bike accident tonight and broke her left arm just above her elbow.
She's been at the emergency room for a few hours now and she's going to need surgery.
Right now possibilities are being explored.
Please pray for my little sister, parents and the doctors.
I'll update when possible.

Thanks so much
Blessings,

About: Check THIS out ;)

2009-10-24T20:25:00.000-04:00

OH MY GOODNESS!

Look here to see what I'm so excited about y'all!

Scroll down to 4th place!

:D :D :D :D

I'm just SO excited right now!

Sorry for the absent~minded post...

hardly anytime right now :D

About: Barberville's Schedule

2009-10-19T16:14:00.000-04:00

Hey y'all!
The Stone Family Band will be performing at the Barberville Fall Jamboree.
We're playing Saturday at 1:30 and Sunday at 11:00
If you have any questions, feel free to email me or leave a comment!

Hope to see y'all there!

About: The Cold mornings in an old house :)

2009-10-19T11:12:00.001-04:00

Well folks, it's starting to happen...

"Winter" is on it's way!
*wild applause*

Anyway, living in the old house we do, cold air can get in...
we've had our AC off the past couple days because it's been so lovely.
However; we forget to turn the heat up at night...
leaving the house pretty cold in the morning.

I walked in my room not long after getting up and this is what I found.
(not wrapped up of course, that was my doing)
B.B. was laying on my bed trying to nuzzle her way under the covers.
She's such a little cutie! :) Poor little gal has been freezing this whole time since she's gotten all her hair shaved off! *haha* sorry B.B.

So, there she lay...
quite contentedly for about an hour or so :)

Funny little animal!

About: How my ways aren't His ways...

2009-10-14T21:37:00.000-04:00

Well, man plans his days, but God orders his steps...

I'm putting off applying for FBCH's for a while.
I got a monitoring job where I escort 4 children from the local elementary school to a local church for after school tutoring.

This is an opportunity to work with children like I've been wanting...
and I don't have to drive half way across the state to do it.
It's 4 times a week for about an hour.

Precious children!
Today is only my third day, but I love them all dearly already!
I'll be doing this for 5 weeks as of right now...
Possibly more in the future!

God is good and knows the desires of our hearts!

White House blasted for assault on Fox News: Criticism from unexpected sources, including left-leaning media

2009-10-14T10:42:00.000-04:00

By Aaron Klein
© 2009 WorldNetDaily

TEL AVIV – The White House's recent frontal assault on the Fox News Channel is drawing criticism from some unexpected sources, including members of the left-leaning media.

"Cutting off a media outlet can be a risky strategy. It can reduce the voice and effectiveness of a politician or a party," Doug Heye, a blogger for U.S. News and World Report, wrote today.

"It's not likely to work, however. The far-left may love potshots at O'Reilly and Sean Hannity, but it loves a healthcare public option, card check, and closing Gitmo even more," Heye added of the White House campaign.

David Zurawik, a media critic for the Baltimore Sun is usually harshly critical of Fox News. But Zurawik blasted the White House campaign as "dangerous to press freedom, and it should concern everyone in the press, not just Fox."

He slammed White House Communications Director Anita Dunn, who has led the charge against America's top-rated cable news network as "sounding so uninformed and blatantly biased."

"Dunn is absolutely wrong about Fox's coverage of the election last fall. I did watch it every day and wrote about it several times a week for this blog. And while I didn't like a lot of what I saw with soft interviews and only favorable coverage of Sarah Palin, it wasn't all about Bill Ayers and ACORN by a long shot," added Zurawik.

Writing at the Atlantic website, Derek Thompson sniped the White House "looks petty and pathetic" taking on Fox News.

On CNN, the network's senior political analyst David Gergen called the White House attacks "a risky strategy, and it's not one that I would advocate.

About: What to call this?

2009-10-11T16:07:00.000-04:00

Thanks Matt for this birthday wish! :D

About: My Last Day as an 18 Year Old... eek

2009-10-10T18:00:00.001-04:00

Well, y'all... this is it.
Today is my last day in the "18~year old" club!
How have I spent this momentous day?

Very laboriously! :)
Weeding, raking, arranging...
Yeah, it's been a fuuuuuull day.
But a good one!

19 used to always sound sooo old to me (lol)
Isaac got married at 19... I was 5 at the time.
I remember looking at him and thinking:
"Wow! He's super old! I don't think I'll ever live to be that old!"
*hahaha*
Still can't believe it to a certain extent!

Well, this is short and sweet... but I bid y'all adieu!

From a now 18~yr old... ;)

About: ♫Someone's Biiiiirthday Today!♪

2009-10-09T09:28:00.000-04:00

Happy birthday to one of my bestest friends!
I want the whole world to know that I ♥ this girl SO much!

Sharon and I have celebrated our birthdays together for a few years... pretty much since we've known each other! Her birthday is 2 days before mine which makes her *shhhh* TWENTY!
Sharon, I wanted to thank your for your friendship to me over the past ALMOST FOUR YEARS since we've met!
You're so special to me and I wish you many many blessings on today, your birthday!

SO!
In honor of your birthday, Dear... I'm going to post some pictures of us :D

Sharon and I, Baltimore MD. December 2007.

June 2008, Cape Canaveral FL.

May 2009.
Our Graduation!

Camp 2009.
One of the best times of the year, eh, SharShar? :)

*hehehe*
Couldn't help posting this pic!
Sharon is a die-hard Tennessee Vols fan, so to wear a UF hat...
>:)

I love you, Sharon!
♥

About: Beauty~ Who Hijacked It?!

2009-10-06T16:56:00.000-04:00

Today, Anna, Mom and I went to an oral surgeon to get our wisdom teeth checked out. While we were there, Anna and I sat down in the waiting room and decided to flip through one of the newest fashion magazines.
I tell you what... I'm continually shocked at how "beauty" is defined!

I'm curious...
who finds this look remotely attractive?
Let me know what you think.

I don't know about you, my readers, but if you have the same values I do, which I know many and pretty much all of you do, you find this style disturbing.

Have you ever wondered...

Why our culture's view of beauty is so distorted?
Who made the "experts" the experts?
Why the "experts" design things the way they do?
Why the models look like they're starving?
About the hollow look in their eyes?
The unattractive poses?
The lifestyles and why they're glorified?

I know that growing up in this, our American culture, style and fashion have been idolized.
It's been made into such a god that it's an all consuming factor in many people's lives!
People eat, breath, sleep, think, obsess over this god.

To me though...
Modern fashion is a freak show and total joke!
Outfits look like clown suits.
People look like Jokers.
Like they dressed in the dark and put their makeup on with their left hands (if their right handed, of course), standing on their heads under water!
Pleeease... don't even get me started on the hairstyles!
Seriously!

Beauty is distorted.
Just like sinful man.
Distorted.

I've heard it said before that the reason people find...

(modern art)
so attractive is because as sinful people, we are anti~God.
We fight against anything that is related to God and His plan.

Thus, true beauty is ugly and hideous is gorgeous!

"Well... what is true beauty?" some ask.

God defines beauty as such:

Psalm 96:9~NKJV
Oh, worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness! Tremble before Him, all the earth.

Proverbs 31:30~NKJV
Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.

1 Peter 3:3-5~NKJV (italics to verse four added by me)
³ Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel— ⁴ rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God. ⁵For in this manner, in former times, the holy women who trusted in God also adorned themselves, being submissive to their own husbands...

Wow.
So different from our culture, eh?

So... to answer my question in the title, "Who hijacked beauty's definition?"
I say... sinful man.
Plain and simple.

Hope this made coherent sense :)
Let me know what you think!
Comments are greatly appreciated!

Thanks for reading and God bless!

About: Minor Adjustments

2009-10-05T14:50:00.000-04:00

This past Saturday, we went to some thrift stores with some dear friends of ours!

This is what I found!It's actually a tri~fold screen that I decided to use as a headboard.
I had to turn my bed of course, but I love the results!

It cost me $9.68 to be exact!
Many thanks to Mr. Xander with an X!
He finagled the cashier down a whole $6 for me!

I got the red sheets last week when thrifting with some other dear friends!
Working on bringing in reds to accent :)

Note: this isn't a full~blown redecorating job...

Just minor changes :)

*sigh*
I love decorating :)

As I Sit Here... Thinking.

About: I Blog therefore... I Blog? O.o

About: Let's See if I Can Do Any Better...

A Small Sorta Post...

Mamalala, I thought you and Z would like to see this ;)

About: My Restless Night and Why...

About: Laughing Penguins!!! ^_^

About: Evolution.

Just Short and Sweet...

About: Preparing to be a Help Meet- Pure Thoughts

About: Disney Princesses! ^_^

About: It Just Makes Me Giddy!

About: From One Home to Another...

About: "Awesome Autumn Giveaway!"

About: I ♥Faces: Beach Fun!

About: A Short and Sweet "What I've Been Up To" Kinda Post ;)

About: My Newest Love... ;)

About: True Friendship

About: HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!

About: Another Year Come and Gone...

About: Randomness when tired O.o

About: Asking for Prayer

About: Sibling/Family Rivalry...

About: As I Sit Here... Thinking and Dayspring~ Joining Forces

About: Two Women I Love!

About: Virtual Friendship

About: The GIFT of God

About: What's Coming!

About: EVERYTHING! O.o

About: TRUE SPIRITUALITY

About: Falling Behind, Catching back up... Repeat!

About: My Life Recently

About: EVOLUTION GETS RELIGION

About: CHRISTIANITY OUT OF BALANCE

About: Proverbs 31:30

About: Slobbery Kissies

About: Praying for Haiti

About: The Feminist Agenda vs. God's Design for Women

About: Happy Birthday to a Dear Lady! :)

About: What My Family and I Have Been Up To :)

About: Tomorrow's the day! :D

Less than 48 hours to go...

About: Make sure you do this ;)

About: Revelation 3:18~19

About: Asking for Prayer

Please be praying for one of our dear friend's 35 year old sister... She had a baby a few weeks back and now she's been admitted into the ICU with sepsis, congestive heart failure, and fluid in her lungs. Her name is Debbie Ventura and she has 2 teenage children.

Please be praying for her and her family during this difficult time. Thank you!

About: Silent Monks Singing Hallelujah

About: I'm DOOONE!

About: Emily's Sandwich Episode 3

Happy Thanksgiving!

About: One Month From Today!

About: The REAL GUANTANAMO BAY!!

About: The Answer to O.O

About: O.O

About: BARBERVILLE! :D

About: This Time Last Year...

About: Fiestaaaaaa :)

About: We need your Help!

About: Another Birthday?! :)

About: The Perils of Being an Impulsive Person...

About: A New Addition to My Guitar Family

About: Matters of Life and Death

About: Olivia Update

About: Olivia Update

About: Prayer Needed...

About: Check THIS out ;)

About: Barberville's Schedule

About: The Cold mornings in an old house :)

About: How my ways aren't His ways...

White House blasted for assault on Fox News: Criticism from unexpected sources, including left-leaning media

About: What to call this?

About: My Last Day as an 18 Year Old... *eek*

About: ♫Someone's Biiiiirthday Today!♪

About: Beauty~ Who Hijacked It?!

About: Minor Adjustments

About: My Last Day as an 18 Year Old... eek