"Life, Love, and the Pursuit of Writing Well"
Link to NaNoWriMo!!!! (http://nanowrimo.org)
Thanks for listening!!
Talk to you soon!
(Follow me on Twitter, or keep track of my posts via RSS or email. Thanks for humoring me, dude).
HAHAHAHA … This absolutely cracked me up, and pretty much explains why I don’t have any mommy friends.
(I’m like Chandler from “Friends” when it comes to friends – she’s too picky, she’s too anal, she needs to lighten up, she needs to get serious, she believes what?? … and on and on).
Perfect moms are like … a sub-human species! It’s just creepy. 😀
Hat tip to Mommyfriend for absolutely making my day.
Every Sunday I provide videos and valuable links to the Truth or Tradition teachings. We’ve been following the Truth or Tradition teachings for many years now and they have truly blessed our family. We have found peace and happiness through our beliefs and we walk confidently for God. My hope, by passing on this information to you, is that what you find here, or on the Truth or Tradition website, will guide you to a better, more blessed and abundant life.
If you would like to read my views on religion and how we got started with the ministry, you can read this.
Let’s get started:
[This article was taken from the booklet The Death Penalty: Godly or Ungodly?]
The Bible does allow for killing in self-defense. In a sense, there are different kinds of self-defense. There is personal self-defense, self-defense of the society (“social self-defense”) and there is national self-defense, which we call “war.” In all of these cases, the taking of another human life is allowed for by God. This booklet has been dedicated to “social self-defense,” the execution of criminals who are dangerous to society. War is a national self-defense, when people are called upon to protect their nation from outside aggression, and any student of the Bible will attest to the large number of wars recorded therein. Of course, there are unjust wars of aggression for property, wealth, or slaves, and the heads of state who start those wars will be held responsible by God at the Judgment. Furthermore, not all killing in a war is justified, and almost every war has cases of what are now called “war crimes.”
As with war and the execution of criminals, personal self-defense is also allowed for in Scripture. For example, Exodus 22:2 says, “If a thief is caught breaking in and is struck so that he dies, the defender is not guilty of bloodshed.” This verse should be the law of our land today, and unfortunately in many places it is not. In many cities, a homeowner is not allowed to be readily able to defend himself against someone breaking in. Some areas do not allow homeowners to have loaded guns available, while in some other areas the homeowner must first “be sure” that the intruder has a weapon or is capable of being deadly. Biblical Law says that if someone is breaking into your home, he does so at the risk of his life, and the homeowner would never be considered a criminal for defending himself. Also, remember that on the very day of his arrest Christ said to his disciples, “If you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one” (Luke 22:36). Christ expected things to become very unsafe for his disciples after his death, and told them to prepare to defend themselves from unjust aggression.
It may help to think of killing in terms of “just or unjust” and “accidental or on purpose.”
Murder: unjust and on purpose.
Manslaughter: unjust but accidental.
Execution of criminals (social self defense): just and on purpose.
Killing in war (national self defense): just and on purpose.
Killing in personal self-defense: just and on purpose.
Self defense resulting in an accidental death: just but accidental.In the above list, we see that murder and manslaughter are unjust causes of death. In personal self-defense, the execution of criminals and in war, the cause of death is just, whether there is initial intent to kill the person or not. We can rightly conclude from Scripture that personal self-defense is something that God sanctions, even if it means the death of an unjust aggressor. The Founding Fathers of the United States were correct in asserting that God gave every person the right to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” An aggressor who tries to take from others forfeits those rights, and it should be the law of the land that each and every person have the right to defend himself from unjust aggression of all types.
Even a casual look at God’s Creation reveals that self-defense plays an important role in the self-preservation of nearly all forms of life. Perhaps human society could be profitably likened to a biological organism, every one of which has some way of warding off internal and external enemies. The more complex animal bodies dispatch white blood cells to attack germs and other toxic intruders. These white blood cells are very simple forms of life, but they are “wise” enough to act as if the wholeness and health of the organism is at stake, and without sentiment or ceremony destroy the intruder. These enemies of the body are not kept alive and cordoned off in prisons to be preserved. They are destroyed and eliminated as any future threat.
Similarly, evil persons are intruders into the “body” of decent human society, which has a right to protect and defend itself against such intrusion. A body without an immune system cannot defend itself and soon dies. Any godly society that refuses to establish and enforce God’s laws will also eventually “die,” i.e., be overcome by wickedness. People in the medical field work very hard to control “evil” in a body so that a person will not die of disease, and it is understood that harmful bacteria must be killed so the body will be healthy. So too, if we are to have a healthy society, wicked and harmful people need to be executed. This clearly teaches the value of life, because it shows that the only thing as valuable as a life is a life. No wonder God commanded, “Life for life” in Scripture, and even repeated it twice (Ex. 21:23; Deut. 19:21).
You can read the original article here.
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Thanks for reading.
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More from Write From Karen
I watch the clock.
And I wait.
The alarm clock began it’s annoying pulsing at precisely 5:00 this morning. I rolled over, shut it off and got up to get something to drink. I turned on my computer, reset the Internet and checked email.
Thirty minutes later, I woke Jazz up.
While he stirred, I sat back down at my computer and desperately tried to wake up. I had stayed up until midnight the night before (Why? Because I’m an idiot and apparently? Don’t have any sense to go to bed early on nights I know I have to be up early the next morning).
And the little sleep I got? Was terrible.
I tossed. I turned. I woke myself up to look at the clock worried that I would oversleep and Jazz would miss the bus to his first marching band competition.
When my computer clock said 5:30, I jerked myself out of my sleep-deprived stupor to check on Jazz.
He was on his computer, completely ready to go. Though he was tired, I could see his eyes sparkling with anticipation.
He lives for these competitions.
We went through the checklist:
Band shirt, shoes, black socks (he opted to wear these items so CHECK).
Band jacket, pants, gauntlets, gloves, hat. CHECK.
Duffle bag with travel pillow, blanket (it gets cold on that bus), snacks, two bottles of water. CHECK.
Cell phone, iTouch, DS, headphones. CHECK.
Money. CHECK.
Instrument. DOUBLE CHECK. (He forgot it at dress rehearsal last night and I had to make a mad dash back home to get it before his band director found out and kicked him out of the competition today. He’s strict with the kids, and believe me, it keeps the kids in line).
We were ready to go.
I drove him up to the school. The buses hadn’t arrived yet, but the sidewalk was littered with teenagers, bags, instruments and various props.
I watched Jazz walk to join his peers, his hands full of his own gear and I swallowed the lump in my throat. Though I knew he would be fine, I trust God to watch over the entire band, I felt a little apprehension.
I also felt left out. We had decided NOT to drive to the competition (which was nearly three hours away) because the competition wasn’t scheduled to end until 10:00 – the kids aren’t scheduled to get back into town until 2:30 in the morning.
Which is the time we would have gotten back into town and driving after midnight? Is never a good idea for me.
So. We didn’t go. And though we had a logical excuse not to go, still, I feel like we’re missing something.
I haven’t heard from Jazz yet on how they did. The only reason I know they made it to finals is because the band director is on Twitter and told us they made finals and that they were scheduled to perform at 8:45 – 45 minutes ago. They won’t announce the winner for another hour.
Even then, I don’t expect to hear from Jazz until around midnight – when he’s safely back on the bus, when the excitement has died down a bit and he’s settled for the long drive back.
And that’s only assuming there’s something to tell me. If I don’t hear from him at all, well, it’s probably not a good sign.
The kids will fall asleep, completely entrusting their lives to a stranger – the person driving their bus. I prayed for this person last night. I prayed that he/she would have the mental awareness to get them home safely.
About fifteen minutes out of Springfield, the chaperons will wake the kids and advise them to call their parents so that we, so that I, can drag my butt off the couch (because I won’t be able to go to bed and though I will likely be asleep, it will be a light sleep that any little sound will disturb), slip into my flip-flops, grab a jacket (because it’s supposed to get down to 39 degrees tonight – thank goodness Jazz took his band jacket) and drive the ten minutes to the school.
I will most likely beat the buses back, though I got there late one time last year and Jazz was nearly the last student to leave.
I still feel guilty about that.
He will not talk to me. I will not ask him questions. I have learned, from these trips last year, that he will be too tired, exhausted, wiped out, to want, or be capable of, a conversation. I will simply have to make due to simple yes or no answers and wait to hear the details tomorrow morning.
Though I’m THRILLED that Jazz is involved in band, that he’s making some pretty incredible memories with these trips and competitions, I’m just a teensy bit jealous of all the fun he’s having without me.
Next weekend, they will do it all again – different town, different competition, only THIS time, we will be there, too. The finals start a bit earlier, which means it’ll get over with a bit earlier and we won’t be driving home AS late.
I’m okay with that. Parenthood is full of inconveniences.
Chances are, we’ll never even get to talk to Jazz, but it won’t matter. He’ll know that we’re there, somewhere, in the crowd, praying to God, crossing our fingers and sending him positive vibes.
Because that’s what parents do.
*UPDATE: They came in third! (Out of 18 teams). Not bad!!
“Mommy, why are you buying two pumpkins?”
Stephanie looked down at her sweet daughter’s face and smiled. “Just because.”
“I wish daddy was here,” her five-year old son said.
“Yeah, me too,” Stephanie responded, though she didn’t really mean it.
They left the pumpkin patch and returned home. After she had tucked the children into bed, she grabbed the plumpest pumpkin and sat down at the kitchen table. She calmly took the picture she had blown up of her ex-husband, taped it carefully to the pumpkin and grabbing a large, sharp butcher knife, she cheerfully gouged his eyes out.
.
.
.
Write up to 100 words, fact or fiction….
This is a themed writing meme hosted by Jenny Matlock. The goal is to write something that does not exceed 100 words (not including said prompt). The prompt this week is the picture.
Ugh.
My brain is t…t…tired.
I ended up studying ALL DAY today.
No really. I took a shower, read. Ate lunch, read. Dodged Direct TV technicians (they had to come back – some sort of sound issue on TV #2), studied. Picked up boys, studied. Fixed dinner (I boiled ravioli, heated up some spaghetti sauce *BOOM* dinner), finished lesson two and got my answers into the forum before it expired. (The teacher gives us two weeks to complete an assignment before the forum closes).
And yes, you read that correctly, I finished lesson TWO.
I’m about four lessons behind now.
*SIGH*
You know, it never fails. I purposefully scheduled this class to start in the middle of September because I thought my regular work would slow down and I’d have the time.
Well, my work slowed down (sort of, one high school emailed their syllabi to me which was no less than 40 emails with about ten attachments a piece, and I so wish I were kidding), but we got a wild hair up our butts and decided to rip the carpets out of our living/dining room and put in hardwood floors. Kevin also decided that it was time we simplified our lives RIGHT NOW, so we spent a good two weeks going through junk and having a garage sale that I think was successful, overall. (We did put out a bunch of junk today for the Disabled Veteran’s of America to pick up, which really helped clean out our garage – Kevin can finally park his truck in the garage again.)
Not to mention, the excitement of running ALL over town to try and find cool pieces to decorate our new rooms with.
(I know, WAH. In fact, I went to Bed, Bath and Beyond today to buy a pumpkin-scented Yankee candle and while there, saw some pillows that would be perfect for our sofas – also? A shower curtain, which distracted me enough that now I think I want to redo our bathroom, too. Just a new paint job and artwork, nothing major).
I’m not complaining though, it’s been fun (actually, purging our junk, including our camper, was sort of therapeutic), I just wish it wasn’t happening right now.
October won’t be much better. Jazz has a competition scheduled every weekend this month (except for the very last weekend) and we are planning on driving to Tulsa next weekend to watch one of them, and there’s an overnight trip to St. Louis the weekend after that. In addition, I have another site to design, a NaNoWriMo project to outline, and the Fall library book sale is in a few weeks (which I absolutely want to go to so I can add some more books to my Amazon book store).
And let’s not forget this paralegal class. Which doesn’t sound like it? But really IS at the top of my priority list.
November will be even worse. Not only will the first class of this course be over (which means a final exam and there are five more courses to take before I complete it) and I’ll be starting the second course, I’ll also be busy writing my NaNoWriMo book (because there is no way I’m NOT doing NaNo this year), and it’s our turn to host Thanksgiving dinner for Kevin’s family this year, which means a thorough house cleaning and of course, baking.
And then December – CHRISTMAS and all that that entails. 😀
But you know? I’m okay with being this busy – it keeps me out of trouble. Truly. It’s when I get bored that I get myself into trouble.
But anyway, back to the paralegal course …
I was reading “Paralegal Career for Dummies” tonight, and was glad to read the following:
Ways to Train:
Certificate Program – If you’re interested in a paralegal career and have an associate’s or bachelor’s degree in any field … a certificate program is perfect for you.
The paralegal personality:
You need the ability to reason. (Are you getting me? I over analyze how much toilet paper to use – sorry, too much information?)
You need to be reliable. I’m like a bug on poo – once I clamp onto something, it takes the jaws of life to pry it from my death grip.
Your work should be thorough. If anything, I’ll OVER research just so I don’t get myself, or the attorney I’m working for, into trouble.
You must be trustworthy and discrete. It’s hard to convey just HOW trustworthy I am, but the discrete part? Uh oh, no blogging about the work stuff, I’m afraid. Sorry Charlie.
Paralegal know how:
Writing Skills – one of the most important skills for a paralegal is good writing ability, including a strong command of grammar and sentence structure.
Research Skills – basic research skills are essential to a successful paralegal career. Just point me in the right direction, load me up on coffee and I’ll take up residence.
Communication Skills – paralegal positions require lots of contact with other people. Uh oh. Though that’s not an aspect I’m particularly excited about, trust me when I say, I’m like a chameleon, when I set my mind to it? I can get along with everybody – just don’t read my thoughts, mmkay?
So after reading all of this? I’m encouraged. And I feel good about this career challenge. I think I can do this. I KNOW I can do this.
I just hope I’m not too old to START it, you know?
P.S. I just went back and re-read this post and honestly? I don’t even remember writing it, like five minutes ago. I have a feeling there are going to be quite a few incoherent posts published in the next two months – please bear with me.
And send coffee. I’ll put in a good word for you if I ever see you in court.
*giggle*
Do paralegals giggle? I must research that.
(Hey man, I’m playing peek-a-boo with my blog. Follow me on Twitter, or keep track of my posts via RSS or email. Thanks for humoring me, dude).
Write From Karen 