Saying the Pledge of Allegiance

When I was in the car going shopping with my family today, my mom who is a teacher told me a story about her day yesterday. She mentioned how they were saying the pledge. I thought that they didn't say that anymore.  Noah has never mentioned it. I thought surely he would have by now. He sang and recited stuff from school all the time. I was surprised to find out that it is Florida Law to say it at school. Most states have a law that it's to be said in school. Not that I mind of course. I am all about God. I think for me growing up it was routine to say the pledge. It didn't bother me that it said under God. I am not sure I even noticed and it surely was never a big deal to anyone I knew. There were kids from India, and other countries who were different religions and none of them made a big stink about it. The Pledge  of Allegiance is a way to show that you are American and that you are proud of it. I personally think that not saying the pledge is disrespectful to America and even the people who serve and sacrifice their lives for our freedom. When I was in Girl Scouts, the pledge talked about serving God. Our money says In God We Trust, God Bless America the list goes on and on. Our nation was founded on religious beliefs, our forefathers were mostly religious. Why take that from our history? Why remove it from our nation? I am all for the right to believe in what you want. It's a personal choice but why? By saying the pledge it doesn't mean you are giving your self to God or by spending money you are doing the same. All of our money says In God We Trust. Maybe you should stop spending money because it talks about God. That's a little ridiculous. I feel that certain atheists and the ACLU is trying to take away something our nation was founded on. When you go to court you swear on a bible. Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help me God.

But what about the separation of church and state? Well, that means you can't really force someone to pray or worship. Back in the day I am sure they probably started the day with The Lord's Prayer. The Lord's Prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance are no where near the same thing. You aren't praying to God when you put your hand on your heart. You are merely honoring your country. There is a huge difference. Children aren't being forced to pray to God. Mentioning God isn't the same as worshiping him. If it were there would be a lot more people that believe in God. That's something certain people and groups do not understand. When did this country become so hell bent on removing everything we were founded on? Saying the Pledge of Allegiance is completely constitutional.  

Honestly, I don't mind if they would pray to God in schools. I know not everyone feels that way but that is my personal feelings. I think it would do our country some good. 

Do your children say the Pledge of Allegiance?

Twitter Convo about God

I was having a conversation with a friend on Twitter about God.  We were talking about churches and God and religion.  She and I have both had bad church experiences.  I went to a Wesleyan church when I was 17 and it was a total nightmare.  I felt so alone, the people were really mean, and it just wasn’t what I thought that church was.  It was not a good environment. It was like if you didn’t fit their exact image and thought the exact same way you were a leper.  I was always taught that you are supposed to love someone as Christ loves us.  I am not going to say I was perfect, because that would be a lie, no one is.  I am still not perfect because I am human, but I was lost.  I was a 17 year old girl lost, trying to seek out God.  I have always believed in God but I wasn’t sure of the answers I was seeking.  I was raised Catholic.  I went to a church looking for guidance and I was totally metaphorically stoned.  I know that I messed up some, but I owned up to it. 

What really bothered me was this youth group I joined would judge me for things and turn around and do the same things.  It was a very upsetting thing to go through.  I wasn’t acting like a maniac or anything; I was just different, trying to find where I belonged.  I had serious issues with the youth pastor sharing my confidential information like it was the weather.   I would go to church and the youth group meetings and I was invisible.  I could have been on fire and no one would have cared.  It was just a horrible thing.  I am so glad that I didn’t decide to base my opinions of God and Christians from this group of people.  If I had, I would be so lost and so wrong.  I have a really strong faith.  I guess I could kind of credit it to what I once referred to as a cult, to my relationship with God. It definitely made me realize that there are bad people in every religion and also good.

After that experience, I taught Sunday school at a Methodist Church.  It was a lot of fun.  I decided somewhere between after those experiences that I should be non-denominational Christian.  I think that there should only be God’s laws and not man’s. I loved the church I went to when I was married because it was totally God driven.  The Lord was totally in charge of the sermons and the things we took part in. It was an awesome thing.  I miss it so much still to this day.

My friend and I were talking about how sometimes churches are similar to MLM or Multi-Level Marketing. I totally agree because when I was at the church I went to when I was married and actually married in was totally not about donations. It was about God, and helping the community.  The church was really small as I know I have said before.  Money didn’t matter at all at this church was awesome.  It was just that we all knew God would provide.  The burden was placed in God’s hands and he provided what the church needed every time.  You have to surrender things and let God handle it.  It is hard to do  I know. I struggle with it daily. 

Something my friend and I talked about is people being preachy. There is a fine line between being excited and cramming it down someone’s throat.  I don’t usually bring up God to my friends. I am not ashamed of God or anything I just don’t want them to feel forced in to believing the same thing as me.  I am firm believer in the fact that it is a choice only you can make. I don’t think that God loves someone any less if they decide it is not right for them.  If my friends bring it up. I love talking about it.  I have never read the whole Bible so I can’t quote scripture but  I am pretty good at saying the right thing so my friends say.

I came up with an awesome analogy on Twitter the night we were talking about this.

I believe in planting seeds, watering them, waiting for them to grow, vs throwing a plant in a pot and having them not flourish.

That basically means you need to take the time to answer questions, pray for and really spend time talking about God with someone who is interested in learning more.

You have to give some TLC as you would to a newly planted seed.  Noah and I planted some zinnias last year from seeds, and they grew to be taller than he was.  Sure it took longer but they were flourishing like crazy. 

If you take a plant and throw it in a pot, the plant will not flourish, you can’t force it to grow and it doesn’t really wanna be in the pot any way.  It feels trapped in the pot.  It can’t spread or grow properly.    You can’t make someone believe in God, no matter how hard you try or want it for them.

You have to start from scratch and it has to be something someone wants you can water the plant as much as you want but it is up to the flower to blossom.

Faith and Relationships

I am kind of nervous writing this post.  I am not too sure how it will be received.

I asked on Twitter one day, if it was wrong that I want to have a relationship with a man who has the same faith I do? I mean we don’t have to be exactly on the same page about absolutely everything, but I would want someone who has the same fundamental beliefs I do.  I hope that doesn’t seem judgmental or anything but God is a huge part of my life and I want to be able to share it with my someday husband.   I want to be able to pray with him, read the Bible together, have discussions, and worship together. I personally believe that people with different beliefs in a relationship can strain the relationship.   I think a solid relationship is based on a foundation and you have to have similar belief systems.  When I think about this subject two things come to mind.  The first one is a bible verse.  A cord of three strands is not quickly broken, if you are both wrapped around God your relationship is stronger.  Three is stronger than two strings that are just wrapped around each other.  This could be whatever you believe but for me it is God.

 The other thing I think of is an episode of Trading Spouses.  I think it is the only one I have ever watched and I have seen it twice.  The families are a Christian family and the other family is Orthodox Jewish, which means they are completely Kosher, they are very strict about dress and very old school with their beliefs.  When the Jewish mom is having dinner with the other family, she says it is important that her children marry someone who is also Orthodox Jewish. One of the family members said something along the lines of that’s judgmental.  The mother of the family agreed with the new mom and said it is important to have the same beliefs.   I have noticed people struggling with their relationships because they want to talk about their faith and the other person is not interested or even disrespectful about it.  It is ok that they don’t believe the same thing but I think that it is important to have that support system.

I have dated guys that don’t believe in God. I had some be rude about it and insult my faith. I never sat them down and tried to get them to believe in him. I respected their beliefs. I think it is easier when you have someone holding your hand and encouraging you to believe in your faith of choice and nurture it.  You definitely notice it more when you’re struggling in your faith without that support system.  It is in my opinion easier to get off the path you are on and be led astray.  I guess it is an accountability thing,  someone to keep you on track.

 Someone on Twitter responded it is important especially if you want kids down the road.  I totally agree. I am teaching Noah about God and Jesus.  His first DVD was God made Christmas. I love the God Made series. They are really cute DVDS.  I am not cramming it down his throat, he can make the choice when he is old enough to do so, but I want him to know about God.  We talk about God  together, pray together, he calls them God Blesses. It is important to me that he does. I want all my children to know about God.  I don’t want my future husband to derail my family’s beliefs.  I don’t want my children to hear that God isn’t real because he is.  I think that it becomes confusing for a child when they have parents that believe totally different things.  It becomes a struggle for the family and the child.  Things come together better when you are all together in faith and are able to grow in God (or whatever you believe in) as a family.

God Bumps vs Goose Bumps

I am sure everyone has had goose bumps.  It is a normal thing that happens to you when you are cold or someone sneaks up on you. I am not sure exactly what causes goose bumps. It is just a weird reaction your body gives to cold and your hair stands up and your skin is covered in tiny bumps. I don’t like the feeling of goose bumps usually because that means I am really cold, which I don’t like what so ever or someone or something scared me, and I am a baby when it comes to getting scared.  The only time I like when my skin is bumpy and my hair stands up on end is when I have what I call God Bumps.   The name came from my ex’s aunt and I totally made it my own. 

What are God Bumps you are wondering? It is one of the most amazing feelings ever! It is when the Holy Spirit has filled you and you can feel God’s presence.  You are in awe and at the same time so calm and at peace with everything that your body just gives you that same goose bump feeling.  It is weird that something that you get from being cold and scared can also happen when you are so happy and in awe.   I think that when I feel God’s presence my heart is about to burst from God’s Love.  I have had God Bumps many times, usually when I am praying or talking to God.  Talking to God and praying is something I do often.   Other times I have been talking to others or just thinking about something and bam I just get a wave of the Holy Spirit and God Bumps.  I believe that you can definitely feel the Holy Spirit come in your body. It is really one of the best feelings, if you are stressed, worried, scared, in pain or whatever is on your mind just melts away in your mind and you are at ease.  It can be referred as being drunk in the Holy Spirit because you just feel that same way. You just feel happy and giddy and you aren’t feeling this way because you are consuming alcohol, you are consuming The Holy Spirit and God’s Love.

Have you ever had God Bumps?

The Secret Things of God is Amazing!!!

I have had many people tell me about “The Secret”, they told me about all the great things that happened to them and I was interested in learning more. I remember going to Borders and looking for the book. I didn’t find it and I remember thinking, I don’t know if this book is right for me.  A little voice inside me was saying don’t read this book.  I just felt like I shouldn’t read it. I wasn’t sure where this secret came from. I am a Christian and although I am not someone who only reads Christian books or very many for that matter, I just felt like I needed to research it more. I wasn’t able to really find a source of where the Secret came from, I looked on CBN’s website because I figured Pat Robertson would know.  I didn’t find anything either way so I stopped looking.

I started wanting to know more about The Secret again. I still couldn’t find the source of the secret so I decided to download the audio book. I listened to the first 45 minutes and was falling asleep. The book was like 4 and half hours long.  I decided I would listen to it later.  I knew there was a DVD version and if you know me at all, you know I love to watch movies. I remember someone saying it was on Netflix. I wanted to get Netflix anyways so when I did, I found out that The Secret wasn’t on Netflix any more.  I even called Netflix and I asked them because it was showing on the site before I signed up.  I guess it was only available on DVD. I didn’t really want to deal with signing up for DVDS too.  So, I let it go.  I knew I would have to start the audio recording again and that wasn’t an option.  I kept feeling like I shouldn’t watch it.

My best friend watched The Secret, and she had already figured out the secret before watching the movie. She found it on Amazon Prime, I wasn’t a member and I wasn’t going to sign up for it.  I thought maybe I would look On Demand, you never know what you will find on there.  I started looking and I couldn’t find it.  I did find something called “The Secret Things of God”.  I read the description and found out it is a faith based version of The Secret.  I wasn’t sure about this either, so I was able to find something on CBN’s website and a short video of Dr. Henry Cloud. I watched it a couple times.  My favorite part was when he was talking about being on an airplane with this woman and she was talking about how angry her boyfriend always was and how they always break up and get back together.  Dr. Cloud said something like you know there is an old proverb that says “If you rescue an angry man you will have to do it again tomorrow”.  She was like that’s amazing where did you learn that?  He said it’s in the Bible, Proverbs 19:19. That just rang through me; I knew that I needed to watch The Secret Things of God. 

I know that doubt creeped in and I decided to read other peoples reviews, many people put it down, called it cheesy and talked about the audience being fake and mindless. I didn’t focus on the audience, I was so focused on the message and the secrets of God.  I hesitated for a few moments to order it, I know that everyone is a critic and some people go to seek out to be negative. Those leaving the negative reviews about it and calling it a cheap knock off of The Secret, aren’t practicing their positive thinking skills.  They were instead of focusing on the point of the seminar; they were looking for what was wrong with it. I guess I don’t understand why they can discredit something because it came from God but sit there and believe some kind of magical mystical thing like “The Universe”.  I think that there is a whole stigma when it comes to God, but will put their faith in other things, that they believe to be true.  I am not trying to say what you believe in is wrong, we all have the choice in what we believe in.

While watching The Secret Things of God, it opened my eyes and my heart.  I have been a Christian for a long time and it helped implement my faith.  It wasn’t a sermon by any means and it was actually really awesome. It wasn’t like a seminar about why you should believe in God and if you didn’t your life would be miserable.  It was more about how God works in our lives through different keys or secrets.  I learned so much about things I didn’t even know.  Dr. Cloud is a psychologist so he also included his clinical views along with his personal views.  All of the things he shared are backed by psychology and science. There were also other people sharing information  and personal stories like Dr. Drew and a Rabbi to name a few.  I learned that my relationship problems are due to my patterns and that I attract a certain type of person and I have to figure out what kind of person that is, by exploring past relationships and realizing who I am attracted to.  I will have to spend some time thinking about it, but I will definitely blog about it. 

I love The Secret Things of God so much that I watched it twice in a row.  I was tired after the first time, not because it was boring but because it was getting late. I put it on again and I watched the whole thing and when it was over I was wide awake.   I was unable to sleep because I was so excited about what I learned.  Needless to say it was 3 AM at this point.  After watching it I wanted to blog about it. I opened my laptop up and decided to wait until morning.  I am so excited about The Secret Things of God and using the keys and secrets that God designed me to use.  I highly recommend it to anyone.  Especially people who have faith in God, or are searching to learn more about God.

One of My Favorie Quotes

I wanted to share with you guys one of my favorite quotes. It is from the movie The Prophecy with Christopher Walken. The Prophecy is one of my favorite movies. There are three Prophecy movies and the first is my favorite of them. This quote has a special meaning to me. I guess it sums up everything happens for a reason which I used to hate that saying and why does it happen. Especially after I miscarried my baby in 2003, I wanted to punch anyone in the face that said that to me. I also spent a lot of time wondering why. Why did this happen to me? I went to church and prayed and live a good life. I realized that it happened for a reason. I may never know the reason but there is one.

Here is the quote:
And in the end, I think it must be about faith, and if faith is a choice, then it can be lost - for a man, an angel, or the devil himself. And if faith means never completely understanding God's plan, then maybe understanding just a part of it - our part - is what it is to have a soul. And maybe in the end, that's what being human is, after all.

I think that it means, we can lose our faith and it is our choice, sometimes happen that make us want to stop trusting God, we might not know why something happened, but there is a reason. When we lose our faith we can always find it again, and we can know that God is always here for us, no matter what we say or do. I honestly think that God does not leave us, we leave God. We have to trust God in everything we do and what happens to us. You have to surrender everything to God and trust him completely. I know how hard that is to do.

I Belive in Miracles...Do you?

Miracles happen every day. I am a firm believer of miracles, not because I have heard about them on the news or from a friend of a friend but because I have witnessed them with my own eyes. I want to tell you about a couple miracles in hopes that you will believe in them too.

My ex-husband’s aunt, who was like another mother to me, is an amazing woman. I would talk to her for hours on the phone with, she always had a hug waiting for me. She was truly inspirational. She and her husband Mike had a houseboat. We spent part of our honeymoon on the houseboat with them. A couple months later was the annual family houseboat trip and we all had a great time until my ex’s cousins decided to go water skiing. We stayed on the houseboat because we didn’t really have the desire to go. The weather started to turn nasty. We were playing cards with his cousin and his cousins girl friend, all the sudden his uncle showed up and was yelling where is my cell phone someone call 911. My ex’s aunt was struck by lightning while on the speed boat. We had no idea what was going to happen. We didn’t know if she was going to make it. She was transported to a hospital by helicopter and stayed in the hospital for two weeks. She lived through being struck by lightning. The only damage to her was a spot of burnt hair where the lightning exited her body. If that is not a miracle, I don’t know what is.

When I had my miscarriage I had to have a d and c because my body thought I was still pregnant, even though my baby had passed away from the septum. The doctor noticed that I had a septum in my uterus. The doctor made the decision to try and remove it during my d and c. I started bleeding really bad so he stopped and my blood pressure was really low. They were talking about blood transfusion and everyone was really scared. It was supposed to be a couple hour hospital stay turned in to a 36 hour stay. I was really out of it. I remember my pastor John anointing me and my blood pressure started rising and the bleeding stopped. I remember only a few things from that night, that being one of them.

I do believe in miracles, I do believe that God can perform miracles. I think a miracle can happen to anyone who believes.

It's begining to look a lot like Christmas!

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, there’s magic in the air! Today, we brought in our Christmas tree and got out some of our Christmas decorations. We bought our tree yesterday and had it out side in a bucket of water. Yesterday we hung the lighted garland and the wreath. Noah oohed and ahhed over the lights and kept commenting on how beautiful the lights were. Today, he got really excited about having a tree in the house. We have this toy where Santa comes down the chimney. We got it when I was younger. I can’t remember how old I was but I remember playing with it. It was really cool to think about me playing with it as he spent an hour making Santa come down the chimney. He laughed and smiled the whole time as he played.

I showed him a snow globe that plays music and he thought it was really cool. He had me pick him up so he could get a better look at the mantle and the decorations on the entertainment center. He is really excited about Christmas. It is so much fun. He is adorable when he gets excited. He knows that Christmas is Jesus’ birthday too. He will tell you all about it. Well as much as he can. For his first Christmas he got the dvd God made Christmas. We started watching it before Christmas and it was his first dvd. I remember him being a few months old sitting in his bouncer being mesmerized at the sights. We love all of the Baby Faith DVD’s. It tells the story of Baby Jesus. I was going to let him watch it today, but I can’t find it. I want him to know the real meaning of Christmas. I hope I find it soon. I know he will enjoy it still.

We also made a craft. Noah is learning about patience and waiting for Christmas. I thought we should make a chain that counts the days till Christmas. Every day we tear off one of the links and count how many more days. Noah did a great job with the glue stick and had a lot of fun. I bought the stuff to make candy cane reindeer. I must say candy canes have gotten expensive. They were two dollars a box. I thought things were supposed to get cheaper. I guess not. The pipe cleaners I got were striped. They didn’t have any solid brown ones so I figured it would be the closest thing. I have come up with a few other fun Christmas crafts and decorations we can do together.

What are some fun holiday crafts do you do with your children? Maybe I will get some more ideas. Please feel free to share them with me.