Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. I Thess 5:21

I put this book on my “to read” list some time ago. I remember Thomas Sowell recommended it in one of his columns. In some ways I’m glad I waited until just recently to read it. “The Forgotten Man” by Amity Shlaes, dispels many of the myths of the Great Depression. In school I was always taught that FDR was the savior of the country as he led us out of the Great Depression and to victory in WWII. When one looks at his policies however, the reality is that they prolonged it unnecessarily. Though I have immense respect for any man who occupies the office of the President, I have to admit that I’m dismayed at how far FDR turned this country away from free market principles. What is so surprising is that it was obvious that the hands-off, small-government philosophy of Calvin Coolidge produced a booming economy; it wasn’t until Herbert Hoover started tinkering that things headed south. Roosevelt and his “brain-trust” did exactly the opposite of what they should have done. They modeled their policies after the Soviet Union and began to “experiment.” It didn’t matter what they did or how illogical it was so long as the people saw that the government was doing something. I couldn’t help but see the parallels to the philosophy of the current administration. Though most of the book got me really depressed, I took heart that gradually the American people started to see the errors in the ways of their leaders, and began to reject them. If it wasn’t for the uncertainty regarding the U.S.’s involvement in WWII, it’s likely FDR wouldn’t have won his third term. So for me, as I get frustrated as how the American people seem to be so lost in their admiration of the current President and his Marxist policies, I do have hope that Americans can and will come to their senses and return to the principles that make this country great: freedom, free-markets, and a small government that does only what is Constitutionally called for.

Here is our family mission statement that we have been working on.

The purpose of our family is to…
• serve the Lord together. Josh 24:15
• live our lives according Scripture. 2 Tim 3:16-17
• grow spiritually as a family and as individuals. Col 2:6-7
• be good stewards of what God has entrusted to us. 1 Cor 4:1-2
• be critical thinkers. 1 Thess: 5:21
• be an example to our family and others. Matt 5:16
To accomplish these things, we acknowledge our responsibilities in the following areas and shall…
…as members of this family:
• pray for one another. James 5:16
• encourage one another. Heb 10:24
• not criticize or complain about each other to others. James 4:11
…as members of this household:
• recognize that we are all part of this family and will do our fair share to keep the household running smoothly.
• clean up after ourselves. 1 Cor 14:40
• be truthful about what happens when an accident occurs. Eph 4:25
• do any tasks or chores assigned to us without complaining. Phil 2:14
…as members of our church and ministries:
• attend all regular church services if we are present and healthy. Heb 10:25
• support ministries and charities that uphold our same beliefs and values with our time and money.
• fulfill our responsibilities in our chosen ministries. Heb 6:10
• obey those in authority over us in these areas. Rom 13:1-2
…as stewards of God’s finances:
• place value on the things of Heaven, not on the things of this Earth. Matt 6:19-21
• work towards eliminating all debt. Prov 22:7
• limit the use of credit cards. Rom 13:8
• wait 24 hours in which time we will pray over any purchases over the amount of $100. Luke 14:28-30
• set aside portions of our money for giving, saving, and spending. 2 Cor 9:7
• trust the Lord to provide for our needs. Matt 6:31-34
…as husband and wife:
• recognize that a strong marriage builds a strong family.
• set aside time to connect each day with one another.
• learn to communicate effectively with one another.
• have a date night at least once a month.
…as parents:
• learn to recognize the individual needs of our children and strive to meet them.
• teach them God’s Word. Deut 6:6-9
• strive to spend one-on-one time with each of them. Eph 5:16
• protect our children from unwise relationships. Prov 13:20, 2 Cor 6:14
• protect our children from ungodly secular media. Ps 101:3-4, Eph 5:11-12, Phil 4:8
…as educators of our children:
• be our children’s primary teachers of values whether they are schooled in the home or elsewhere. Prov 22:6
• decide the best course of education for our children. Deut 11:18-20
• strive to encourage further studies in areas of interest. Prov 15:14
• support a broad liberal arts education with a Christian worldview. Phil 1:9-10
• make our home an environment conducive to learning. Prov 24:3-4
… as trainers of our children:
• not discipline in anger. James 1:20
• incorporate Biblical training into our discipline. Eph 6:4
• be consistent in discipline so all will know what to expect. Prov 29:15
• train up our children for God’s glory, not for ours. 1 Cor 10:31
…as children in this home:
• obey our parents. Eph 6:1
• respect our parents’ property.
• honor our parents with both our words and our attitudes. Ex 20:12
…as brothers and sisters in this home:
• not raise our voices or hands to one another. Prov 16:32
• respect one another’s privacy and property. Ps 133:1
• try to resolve conflicts first before involving others. Matt 18:15-17

I never got excited about the idea of keeping a journal, especially not with pen and paper. This site will allow me to keep a journal of my thoughts, work, and anything else that comes to mind. I also hope to update pictures via Google’s Picassa. I don’t expect anyone to really be all that interested in what I write here, it’s really just for me anyway. However, if someone finds something they like, even better. Please let me know what you think. If you leave a comment, they will not appear until after I have made sure they are not spam. Thanks for reading.

I like the look of the new site. It will be much easier to update as well.

Just a few more tests. Done for now. I need to get back to some real work.

Site is established. Need to finish customizing. Then start posting.