In light of my blog “Be Ready” where I posted dcTalk’s “I Wished We’d All Been Ready” and they sing of the Rapture, I remembered yet another song on a simular subject.
The Bible talks of a time when Jesus comes again, and mentions all the signs. According to Johnny Cash, It’s Going by the Book.
Going by the Book by Johnny Cash
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Have I mentioned how much I love my new camera?
Through my forum at UniqueExposures, I learned of another feature this camera, the Canon 40D has.
I can hook up the camera to my laptop and with the software,  point my camera [on a tripod] out of the window and sit at my desk and see what the camera is aiming at right on my laptop! I can focus from where I sit at the laptop, I can change the speed and aperature settings from there too.
I think this is very useful for when I want to get a good picture of a hummingbird, or any bird really, who fly away when I go to the window to get their picture.
There are other good uses too. Often in the digital photography world there is a need for a self portrait. Seeing yourself on the laptop screen makes it rather easy to do.
Johnstox from Unique was going to use this for macro photography. Still others in my Yahoo Canon 40D group use this remote shooting for Astro photography. Still yet one more thing to do is you can set the software to shoot at timed intervals.
I was so excited to learn about these feature, I dragged my mom in my room to see my first test with it. She was rather amazed as I was with this technology, but made the remark, “I don’t think you will ever get the focus as good as when you hand hold the camera.” When she said that, I thought she could be right, but after downloading the photos, I found them to be very crisp and sharp.
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“A piece of bread could buy a bag of gold.”
This line from a once popular in church circles 70’s song has been coming back to me a lot lately. I think the economy, watching gas and food prices rise has had a lot to do with that.
I so remember the film that went out in churches, “A Thief in the Night” giving a vivid idea to young people of The Rapture.
This whole idea has been revived with The Left Behind Books, movies, and dc Talk’s version of, “You’ve Been Left Behind.”
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“A memory is what is left when something happens and does not completely unhappen.” ~Edward de Bono
 This must be my week for people in my past to contact me. If these things come in threes, this could get interesting.
It’s funny how I’ve often been told how even though we might not speak for awhile, reuniting and picking up where we left off is so easy. I am glad for that.
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“I have memories - but only a fool stores his past in the future.” ~David Gerrold
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I’ve had an interesting life so far. Looking forward to seeing what God does in my future…
Conner also enjoyed his day at the pool. He is such a happy smiley baby.
And what is more fun than a wheelbarrow ride?
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An after swim cuddle is nice too….
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We had the blessing that Linda, Roger, and Kim brought Dennis, Aiden, and Conner to come spend a day at the pool with us. It’s been good to watch these boys grow and thrive.
Aiden is like a charging bull, but he is so much fun. He enjoyed his day and I enjoyed taking pictures of him. I think I finally have a camera fast enough to keep up with Aiden.
My friend Jeff has launched a new site, Drive Free for Life. On the site he introduces the “free gas” calculator. This tool shows consumers how they can fight back against high gas prices — and even fill their tank year-round for free!
The free gas calculator is also available HERE
DriveFreeForLife is a consumer resource that teaches thousands to think differently about rising fuel prices, with tools and advice that helps people not only survive, but thrive in this era of high oil prices.
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I love to visit a nearby place called Kinder Farm Park.
I finally got a good weather day to take the near 3 mile hike around with my new Canon 40D.
It wasn’t easy with all those pounds of camera gear to carry.
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For more of the day’s photos CLICK HERE (It’s the first 14 images)
In all the complexities that make up our lives, it’s kind of hard to believe that someone can narrow it down to there are “Two Ways to Live.”
It couldn’t be that easy. Are there really two main choices for our complicated lives?
The people at Matthias Media, a ministry from Australia,  have broken it down to Two Ways to Live.
Did you know the computer mouse is 40 years old? I had no idea, and there are some experts out there predicting its demise. Perhaps in the next 5 years.
Influenced by some video games, they feel that the computer mouse is no longer needed.
Taking over will be so called gestural computer mechanisms like touch screens and facial recognition devices.
“The mouse works fine in the desktop environment but for home entertainment or working on a notebook it’s over,” declared analyst Steve Prentice.
Logitech, however, doesn’t agree. They feel that the demise theory for the mouse is greatly exaggerated. They have sold more than 500 million mice over the last 20 years.
I think I have to agree with Logitech. I even bought a mouse for my laptop, as that substitute they give you for a laptop just doesn’t agree with me.
Will the mouse disappear?
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In this election year, health care seems to have taken a back seat in the news.
I thought this list was interesting though, and very pleased to find the Hospital at the top right here in Maryland!
1. Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore
2. Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.
3. Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles
4. Cleveland Clinic
5. Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston
6. New York-Presbyterian Univ. Hosp. of Columbia and Cornell
7. University of California, San Francisco Medical Center
8. Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston (tie)
Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C.
10. Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia (tie)
University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle
12. Barnes-Jewish Hospital/Washington University, St. Louis
13. University of Michigan Hospitals and Health Centers, Ann Arbor
14. UPMC-University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
15. Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville
16. Stanford Hospital and Clinics, Stanford, Calif.
17. University of Chicago Medical Center
18. Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles
19. Yale-New Haven Hospital, New Haven, Conn.
I remember being a little girl, and hearing my mom say, “The one thing our very wise forfathers didn’t forsee, was how to keep the judicial branch of government from being too strong.”
I didn’t understand that completely then.
The Constitution establishes legislative and executive branches of government to establish policy, make laws, and govern the nation. The role of the judicial branch is to ensure fairness and justice in the application of the laws.
These days, the branch that is supposed to MAKE the laws, (Congress) doesn’t. They worry about gambling in the baseball arena, they change the menu at the government cafeteria, and they waste time and money running for president, but it seems little else. (Read here for more of their activities)
So, the judicial branch of government is doing exactly what mom said they would, instead of ensuring the application of laws, they are MAKING them.
This is dangerous, especially when it overrides the will of the majority of the people. The most recent case, just four activist judges have trashed the votes of the 61.4% of California voters who approved Proposition 22, which defined marriage as the union of one man and one woman.
Samuel Frances writes in The New American:
 ”Judicial revolution in the United States — the process by which the federal courts and especially the Supreme Court have appointed themselves the virtual dictators to determine which laws are valid and which laws are not, without reference to the wishes of voters or lawmakers or even to the text of the Constitution — consists precisely in overturning the authentic federalism of the Constitution and the states’ rights it protects. In virtually every area where the courts have intruded, their rulings have sought to strip the states and local governments of their legitimate rights and powers and to grant illegitimate powers to the federal government. And, perhaps the saddest truth of all, the courts have been able to get away with this vast usurpation of power precisely because neither our elected lawmakers nor the citizens themselves have called them to account, and we have not called them to account because we have forgotten the true nature of our Constitution and the limits it places upon centralized power.”
I’d like to say Congress should get to WORK for a change, but based on who is in there, we might be better off.
It’s up to us, the American people, to educate our children in our Constitution, because it won’t take long for all legislation to come from the bench, with lawyers and corrupt judges running everything.
“You should be happy your gas is $4.00 a gallon, some of Europe pays twice that.”
It is often said and yet there is an error in this logic. Much of Europe has an amazing connection of transport that makes cars unnecessary. Many can roam about comfortably and never own a car. In many cases, a car is pure luxury. This is not so where I live, and without the convenience of a metro or a bus route, I don’t have options other countries have.
Yesterday, President Bush lifted an executive ban on offshore drilling. This doesn’t solve our problem however, as it is now put in the hands of our lazy, do nothing, democractic Congress. (Let’s not forget their leader Pelosi’s promise that the democrats had a plan to bring down the skyrocketing price of gas). To quote something my 14 year old daughter would say, “What a loser.” Don’t you love how blunt youth can be?
 Bush says offshore drilling could yield up to 18 billion barrels of oil over time, although it would take years for production to start. Bush also says offshore drilling would take pressure off prices over time.
Well, what do you know, no sooner had Bush made the Rose Garden speech, crude-oil futures for August delivery plunged $9.26, or 6.3 percent, almost immediately as Bush was speaking, bringing the barrel price down to $136.
Have you ever observed a humming-bird moving about in an aerial dance among the flowers - a living prismatic gem…. it is a creature of such fairy-like loveliness as to mock all description. ~W.H. Hudson, Green Mansions
I have been trying now for awhile to capture a hummingbird with my new camera.
I finally had a little success!
Larger image HERE
Today, I noticed while I was vacuuming the swimming pool something was missing from the pool ladder. I went to the shed to find the parts.
This green snake was inside to greet me.
It was really small around but rather long.
I noticed the other day what a mess the roof of the house was, along with the debris staining the gutter guards. As I spent a day scrubbing it, I realized, “Wait a minute, I have two tall boys in the house.”
The next day, Miquel and Mike was given the job, and went beyond what I could do. Obviously Miquel doesn’t share my issue with heights….
“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.” Psalm 116:15
Today my son Miquel and I went to a funeral service for one of the most Godliest of men I have known, who had been ill for some time and passed away. Left behind is a very Godly and sweet family.
What made this service different is that his son Micah, preached at the funeral service. Preaching a funeral, my own son tells me, is the hardest of sermons. I can’t imagine what it would be like if it was for your own father.
Micah has the blessed assurance to know that his dad was a believer in God, a committed Christian, had a relationship with and trusted Jesus as his Savior. His life was testament to this belief.
Micah said, “My dad did not cease to exist. He just got a new address.”
I believe as Micah does. We don’t cease to exist. Death of our physical bodies is a proven certainty, but we have souls that live forever.
Our days are numbered, we should live them wisely.
Psalms 90:12 says, “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.”
Micah asked, “If your body was in that casket, where would your soul be?”
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Something to think about. Now, says the Bible.
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Obama, our little CHANGE candidate.
I think he is going too far in the following video, insisting people learn Spanish.
This is the United States of America, the English settled here, we speak the American form of English. That’s it.
Now don’t get me wrong. I like learning languages. I can in fact, speak and understand three languages. But I also recognize that this is a gift I have. I wouldn’t expect others to just be able to do it that easily. Obama saying everyone should learn Spanish is like me saying, everyone should paint with watercolors, write in blogs, make a mean potato omlette, and do photography like I do. I think that is CHANGE going too far.
I saw on FoxNews this morning that the diplomats living in New York City repeatedly refuse to pay for parking tickets that they have received from illegal parking.
Also, it goes beyond that, they buy property here in the U.S. and they also refuse to pay for their property taxes as well.
This is where Diplomatic Immunity fares well for those who refuse to pay.
No wonder NYC had to create a toll for those wanting to come into the city, it’s to cover for all these unpaid fines!
It’s no small change like a quarter in the parking meter, either.
The city is owed about $78 million in unpaid taxes–Egypt owes almost $2 million in diplomatic-related parking tickets and India owes upwards of $16 million in property taxes.
Councilman Eric Gioia of Queens said yesterday that foreign diplomats owe the city millions and it’s time for them to start paying up.
His plan? Â ”The next time that embassy gets a ticket on the car, tow the car,” he said.Â
As for the property taxes, they will shut off gas, electricity and water till the taxes are paid.
U.N. associate spokesman Farhan Haq suggested a way for delegates to avoid the problem of parking tickets altogether — walking.
How diplomatic!
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Another year, another trip to The Wilds! Our teens will go to North Carolina for a week of fun, Bible study, and cut off from the world. No cell phones, no radios, no mp3 players, no computers, nothing. Each year, no one seems to even miss their connection to the outside world. Each year the camp has a theme. One year it was the “Days of Knights” and midieval theme prevailed [Miquel came home talking like a Monty Python movie], Another year was something like the Hatfields and the McCoys [Miquel came home talking like he was born and raised in the deep south]. This year, what else? The Campaign Trail.
This is Laura’s first year without Miquel going along, but she was excited and happy to go. Usually the teens of our church try to earn money for this wonderful camp by having a car wash with sponsors. This year, they did something different. Our church promoted a Hire-A-Teen and each teen who wished to, got a chance to earn money towards their trip. Laura worked very hard and was happy for the opportunity.
Here Laura and Erin embrace in excitement.
Pastor Josh, who was as excited as any of the kids, this being his first year at The Wilds, is giving last minute instructions and van assignments.
Erin remembers no electronics are allowed and digs into her purse to give her device to her sister.
Laura rushes to get her packed sandwich, she chooses Turkey each year. Mrs Mary and Mrs Becky will go this year and drive the girls’ van.
The vans take our youth away for one week. They will be so missed but each parent knows that this is a very good and challenging place for them.
OK, I miss my baby already. Have fun, my princess.
