Arkanbloggers

Writer's Block

2008-08-29T20:55:00.006-05:00

I love to write and for the last several months, I've started several posts and not finished them, which for me is very frustrating. I feel like I'm being forced to procrastinate and I do that well enough of my own free will. Or is it predestined??? {smirk} So, rather than wait until I finish each post, I'll just do this in bullet form. Here goes......

We're slowly working away on our own website, which is targeted to roll out before Christmas....of this year!

As all 3 of our readers know, we fired the cable company many months ago, after having basic cable for several years. Then we gave our TV to my little sister and ended up with a dinky little thing to watch movies on. A Viewmaster would have a better picture than this thing. So lately, I've found myself standing in the big screen TV aisle at Best Buy and dreaming of larger screens. I may have to break down and get one.....for movies only! No cable.

Elizaabeth continued the Arkanblogger tradition and took 1st place in the Arkansas State 4H Fine Arts Competition at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. Grace will be up for the title next year. If she takes it the first time out, we're going to try and get some official document that says the Arkanblogger sisters are the first to ever take any state 4H title for 4 consecutive years in a row. Can you say Guiness Book??? I say this with all humility of course.

If live in Central Arkansas or ever find yourself in the greater Little Rock area, you must try this eatery....The New Green Mill Cafe in Little Rock---there's nothing really new about the place but you get meat and 2 plus cornbread, cake and enough sweet tea to kill a person....all for about 6 bucks. My personal favorite......the meatloaf, white beans and cabbage. If you're feeling especially risky, try Todd's hot sauce. Get there before noon or you'll be sharing a table with new found friends or eating in your car. Todd takes cash only and is open for lunch from 10:30-2:30, M-Sat.

Mrs. Arkanblogger and I went and saw The Dark Knight on our 22nd anniversary. Yes, she really did want to go. I've been a Batman fan, since about 5 year of age and I just turned 46, so...well...it's been a very long time. I have in my posession many, many Batman comic books from the 60's, 70, 80's and into the early 90's. My opinion was that the movie is good...really good in parts, but not something I'd want to see a second time. The Joker is more like Al-Queida Joker, maybe worse, which keeps me from taking my 9 year old son. That alone is rather disappointing for both of us.
On my birthday last Saturday, I got to work on the yard....in the rain. I cannot describe how refreshing it is to stand outside in a driving rain. It made me feel so alive and even closer to God. I was reminded of exactly why little boys love to play in the water and I hope to do that again very soon.
I am convinced that for the most part, Facebook and the like are LARGE time bandits.
Decided a week ago to take the backroads home from a business trip to Tupelo. Now there's something that you don't hear every day. I'm really glad I did it, even though it took me an extra hour and a half to make the trip back to central Arkansas. The interstate gets old, as does driving through Memphis.
If you like southern non-fiction, go buy the latest book by Rick Bragg. It's called The Prince of Frogtown. Rick is an Alabama boy and a Pulitzer prize winning author. He and I are very close in age and I can relate to his story. He seems like someone from my own family and I can say that because I've met and talked with him in person.
I really, really, really need to get in great physical shape by Thanksgiving. That's approx. 12 weeks from now. Game On!
Tattoos......are heathenistic, a misunderstanding of truth and are a focus on self. If you have become a Christian after getting one of these things, please set some money aside to get it removed. You should be ashamed of it and it sends a confusing message to the younger generation.
To all you marketing geniuses...Sex or the idea of it may sell, but it will never ever sustain.

More later.....time for sleep.

The Arkanblogger

Greetings From Columbia, Missouri!

2007-12-28T22:35:00.000-06:00

It's been a while since our last post and the year 2007 is fast coming to a close, so I wanted to slide in one more paragraph or two under the wire before the clock strikes midnight on Monday.

Exactly one year ago, we had taken the mother of all North American winter road trips from Central Arkansas to Southwest Montana for Mrs. Arkanblogger's parents' 50th anniversary celebration and to snow ski for a week. This year we've managed to make it to Rogers, AR for a quick overnight at Mimi and Popsey's (not even 24 hours), then to Harrison, AR for a couple of days at Peepaw and Nana's and then on to Columbia, MO for a few more days. Lots of packing and unpacking with the 7 of us. Argh!!! Next year, the plan is, Lord Willing, that we'll be staying home for Christmas and the New Year.

It's a balmy 20 degrees outside this evening and thankfully, I'm in bed tucked under an electric blanket (with dual controls I might add). We are in the home of my brother-in-law and his sweet wife, who are not only OUR hosts, but are also housing and feeding my mother and father-in-law and beginning tomorrow, my sister-in-law, her husband and their 3 children. It's a virtual hotel around here.

This year has brought with it, several noteable events of both sadness and great joy. The troubling times include but are not limited to, the untimely death of a friend of our family, the passing of my last living Grandmother, a car accident resulting in life threatening injuries to a friend of my children and my father-in-law suffrering a series of strokes that have left him with some challenges to face and overcome and Mrs. A's auto accident which has left her with lingering neck problem.......on the other hand, our oldest daughter started her college program and is progressing nicely with all A's and one B so far, our 2nd oldest won 1st Place in the state 4-H Fine Arts Competion, all of my family except me were part of the cast of "The Gospel According to Scrooge" at Cornerstone Bible Fellowship (which drew around 1700 people to 4 evening performances), Mrs. A and I went to Baylor as sponsors with the Cornerstone Celebration Singers to watch them perform in Youth Cue (at which our oldest daughter got asked to participate in the National Youth Cue Tour to Canada), Mrs. A and I got to fly to Dallas the week before Christmas for an evening out with my regional office counterparts and their spouses, I got to visit Chicago for the first time and attend the national Greenbuild Conference, one of my childhood friends and his wife moved back to Arkansas from Texas and Mrs. A, Grace and myself have changed our lives by changing the type and portions of food we intake and by making excercise a part of our daily routine..........resulting in reduced clothing sizes by all involved. We plan to meet our goals on fitness and weight reduction by the end of March and are well on our way. When appropriate, we'll post before and after pictures. You'll be amazed and hopefully some of you will even be inspired to do it yourselves.

Speaking of goals, we're setting a few for 2008, which I'll list here over the next few days. I encourage you to do the same....keeping the list realistic, challenging and manageable.

I hope that all of you will take the time to reflect on the past 12 months and reflect on those things that need changing in your life and be thankful for your blessings. Make a list of them and pray that others might specifically receive them. If you can be the messenger of a blessing, then go and do it.

God's Blessings in 2008!!!

The Arkanblogger

Summer!

2007-09-30T19:40:00.000-05:00

Here are some pictures of Caitlin and I with Kayleigh the artist, and two of our other dear friends. These were taken at a really neat coffee shop where we got together as a sort of end of Summer get together. More pictures to come!

Paige

And more...

2007-09-30T18:53:00.000-05:00

Continued from Below

2007-09-30T18:52:00.000-05:00

Here are some more pictures from the Hardy trip!

2007-09-30T18:49:00.000-05:00

Greetings everyone! I hope that all of you have had a wonderful Summer and start of this GLORIOUS Fall season. I know that we have not posted on this blog in such a very long time, but I thought I would try and get us back up to date. There will probably be quite a few pictures for you all, and I will try to put a few normal posts up as I try to keep maidenology updated as well (along with piano, school, choir, cheer, co-op, etc...). Here are some pictures of us with our cousins on a weekend trip to Hardy, Arkansas. Enjoy!

Paige Arkanblogger

Home Away From Home

2007-07-23T20:47:00.000-05:00

Tonight, I find myself and young Christopher tucked away in a beautiful historic bed and breakfast (http://jonesborobandb.com/)found in the thriving community of Jonesboro, Arkansas. This lovely old home, which is owned by one of my customers and is run by his sister and her husband, is a favorite overnighter of mine.....and it is an extra treat to bring young master C with me this time around. The weather is unseasonably cool and we had the opportunity visit out on the expansive porch and enjoy the quiet of the early evening, while swinging in the big wicker swing and drinking homemade lemonade. I didn't want to come inside and I treasure times like these with my children.

May God bless all of you...........

The Arkanblogger

Father's Day Blessing

2007-06-17T22:40:00.000-05:00

First of all, HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!! Today was absolutely amazing. Such a wonderful way to spend Father's Day. I don't have much time, so I am limited to telling you about the main event of today.

Ever since last fall, our choir has been working hard on a repertoire to sing at a choir festival perform at the end of the year with the members of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra at a gorgeous church. This is tradition with our choir every other year. But this year, it was a little different. Not only did we have the first group of seniors graduating from the choir who had been in it for as long as possible, or the group of alumni (including some of the original 13 of the choir...we are now at over 80 at least) who came back to sing a few songs with us, but this year, we were doing our concert as a benefit for the Hope 4 Hannah project. This made it all the more special, helping to take the focus of off us, and to put it on the Lord.

This year, our concert was held at a beautiful church that had great acoustics for a choir to sing in. After the hours of practicing on Monday night, the hard work from all of our sectionals coaches, and the time and major of our choir director, Pastor Eddie, it was so wonderful to get to go and sing in a place like that with a real orchestra. This concert was an experience that I will never forget. At first, I did not realize just how big of a deal this concert was (just like Pastor Eddie said...). But once the orchestra started playing, it hit me.

One thing that our choir director really does that makes our choir more than just any old youth choir is that he really tries to get us to sing each sing from our hearts, truly praising God. I would love to tell you about singing each song in particular, hearing our seniors sing the solos, and crying at the end because it was so amazing and such a blessing, but as I said, I am limited on time. But below you can see two pictures from tonight. One of them is a group picture of my sisters and I with Pastor Eddie, and the other is a picture of four of our seniors singing. Caitlin is the one with the microphone (she did wonderfully!). I am sorry the post is so short. Perhaps when we have our computer fixed, I will get to really tell you all about it! I hope that all of you had a truly blessed Father's Day!

Paige

PS: remember that you can click on the pics to make them bigger!

To Tell You The Truth

2007-01-21T16:47:00.000-06:00

Looking back at the news of the last couple of weeks, I am reminded of the recovery of the 2 young boys that had been abducted in Missouri. One had been missing for several days, another for a few years. Something that's impossible to grasp, unless it has happened to you or yours. A terrifying experience at the very least for one family and purely devastating for another that lived years without knowing the whereabouts of their son...or if he was dead or alive. They have had years stolen from them.

When discussing these events with my very close friend, who lives near the area where the last young boy was abducted, he made memtion of a comment by one of the local churches. The comment was, "the recovery of these boys is proof that God still answers prayer".

My friend, when describing this very common train of thought among many Christians as "vile" and "vulgar", was moved to anger. "What about", he asked, "the prayers for the children who haven't come home? Some of those children most assuredly have parents who are more righteous and prayed more fervently than the parents of these boys and their children are gone, probably forever. Others, are certainly not as righteous as the parents of the boys in the news and their children have been brought back to them...or moreover have never been taken at all". Statements such as the one made by that church, prove nothing but the lack of understanding, stupidity and/or arrogance of the people who make such comments. One cannot possibly say with any certainty, that whether God answers prayer or not, has anything to do with the recovery of these boys. We haven't even discussed the harm that more probably than possibly came to these young ones while being held captive. The extent of that damage has yet to be determined. Did the prayers not work until after a certain period of time? Or until after a certain amount of suffering was endured by the boys or their parents? Was all this to happen in God's own time? To be a proponent of such ideas as truth is vile and vulgar indeed.

God is God and there is only one.
God is truth...He created it.
God is the Lawgiver.
We as a people, society and nation, are to abide by the Laws.
People can and do break these Laws, causing at times, untold harm to themselves and many times, others that were just simply in their path.
Christ redeems us when we confess, believe, repent and change our lives. He provides a "bridge back to God...or to righteousness. Personally, I don't think we have a complete understanding of the extent of what this means.
On that note, we who identify ourselves Christian people, nor anyone else, have not arrived at "all knowledge" or "complete understanding".
If we don't have understanding on an issue, then we have the opportunity and at times the responsibility to go on a quest for the truth. To pursue the answers as doggedly as finding out if the earth was flat or round. And remember that vocal proponents of a "round world" were at times murdered by the firm "flat world" believers for doing what? Telling the truth.

-The Arkanblogger

I Missed the Sign

2007-01-02T21:08:00.001-06:00

Have you ever taken a wrong turn, then had to re-trace your steps because you didn't follow a sign? Well, I experienced this on the slopes as we were skiing down the mountain. It started just fine smooth. Nobody was falling, there was no snow falling, and it was a beautiful day. Until we went straight, instead of right. I was with Marie, Elizabeth and Emma Joy. As we were skiing, we all of a sudden came to a hill. But not just any hill, we were looking almost straight down. We had come to the black diamond hill properly named "Northern Lights" (perhaps this is what you see as you are going down?) Now I am not a professional skier, and I was not about to even attempt to ski down this thing. None of us were. So we took off our skis, put them on our shoulders, and hiked up the hill from whence we came. I guess you could call it our one adventure (that is what I kept on saying to everyone as we were hiking up). Marie and I made it to the top first, so I decided to take some video to have as a memory of our wrong turn. It really was not funny at the moment, but we can all laugh at it now. More pictures are coming soon (when I get them all sorted out...)

\

Paige ;)

Real Twin Fiddling

2007-01-02T19:21:00.000-06:00

You have heard me talk about the great music, so I thought I would give you a small taste of some of it. I wish I had some of all of it for you to hear, but this will have to do for now. On the fiddles are my cousin, and a good friend. The guitar player is the good friend's Mom. They played quite a few songs, but I personally think this one was one of their best. I hope you enjoy it!

Playing Cards...

2007-01-02T18:50:00.000-06:00

Here I learned how to play the wonderful game called "Aww Shucks". It was a bit like spades, but at the end there is a twist (it was a good one). At the other table people were playing "Wizard". This is a game that is also similar to spades and played like hearts. I recommend both of them, especially after a hard day of skiing. Ah, and Uncle Mad has a blog of his own. I am sure he would love for you to stop by!

Round One of the Photos from our Trip

2007-01-02T12:08:00.000-06:00

Here are some of the pictures from our trip. These particular ones are from the night of the party. It was my Grandparents 50th anniversary. There were many other pictures taken, but here are some of them. There is one pictures that is not from the party that I will explain. Oh, due to loading issues, they are in no particular order. Hmmm.

This picture is behind the house where we stayed before heading to the cabins. Christopher was quite overwhelmed by its size.

This is Renee playing her beautiful harp. It sounded so lovely!

Here is the whole group playing Pachelbels Canon together. Caitlin is at the piano, our cousin on the violin, and Renee on the harp.

Here is the head chef and chief dishwasher, (both of them my uncles). They did a ton of work trying to get ready for this, as you can see.

This is our wonderful Grandma Caroline. We were at the house at that moment and most of us were busy making the food for the next day.

Oh, the cake was so pretty! Mother Arkanblogger made it.

This is the piano that Grandfather rented for all of us to play on. The touch was so nice!

Mmm...that chocolate fountain was good! There was not much food left by the end of the night.

Here is some more of the wonderful food that was made by the amazing chefs. Thank you so much!

The very creative presentation of the delicious smoked salmon, courtesy of Grandfather and Uncle Dean.

Our dear cousin playing the piano. She did so good!

Observation of the chocolate fountain.

Here are some people talking. Grandfather is among them on the far right.

Here are some more people talking. The one on the left is Bryce, and I am not sure about the one on the right...

More great fellowship going on here.

Here I am with Ms. Anne. It was so wonderful to see them again!

Mr. Roger, Ms. Laura, and Renee. We had such a great time!

Here is the band that played. Our cousin is the one with the fiddle. All of the music was wonderful.

That is round one of the pictures. There are some more to come along with a few videos and posts. Until then, Happy New Year!

Paige and Caitlin

Happy New Year From...Omaha

2006-12-31T21:25:00.001-06:00

Yes, Omaha, NE...or Council Bluffs, Iowa, depending on which side of the river that you're on. We left Rapid City SD this morning at 8:00 and got into some nasty winter weather or road conditions, as it were. Finally inched our way into town a couple of hours ago. Got the last room at our hotel too. We'll start again in the morning.

My computer crashed in Montana, so the vids that we have to post will be done when we return. Hope you like them. Our trip was a blast. We enjoyed and were blessed to witness and even get to help set up and cater (that was a riot) the 50th wedding anniversary celebration of Mrs. A's parents and got to see, visit and even stay (thanks Roger and Ann for your hospitality!) many of our Montana friends as well, along with snowskiing for 5 days and enjoying the hot springs at Fairmont. We were treated to lots of great food, hot off of the "Green Egg", singing, fiddle, harp and piano playing and even did some dancing...the Montana Waltz and the Virginia Reel. Lots of fun. Did I mention that ALL the little Arkanbloggers learned to ski with the girls following in their mother's graceful ways and Christopher was pronounced a "Hot Dog" on ski's. Also, we recommend the chocolate chip cookies at the cafeteria at Discovery Ski Lodge. There's so much more to come...

Happy New Year To You All and We Wish You God's Blessings In 2007!!!

Here is our cabin...

2006-12-25T00:34:00.000-06:00

On the Road

2006-12-22T19:06:00.001-06:00

These are some pictures ranging from Mitchell, South Dakota to Rapid City, South Dakota. Enjoy!

Here are some pictures...

2006-12-22T19:00:00.000-06:00

Here are some pictures from the beginning of the trip. There are more to come...

Hello From Mitchell!

2006-12-22T15:01:00.000-06:00

Greetings from MONTANA!!

2006-12-22T14:34:00.000-06:00

Greetings everyone! I hope that all of you are having a lovely holiday season. We just arrived in Montana last night at around 12:30. I was SO glad to see snow again! I believe that our first site of it was in Iowa, which is where we made our first video post that I will be posting after this one.

We left Council Bluffs early on Thursday morning, planning on going the entire way to Bozeman MT. I think it was about 17 hours of driving, with a few stops for gas, lunch, and dinner. The drive was not as miserable as we thought it would be. On the road, we watched plenty of movies in our DVD player ( I am VERY thankful for that) which helped to keep Christopher occupied. The views (though dull in some places) were beautiful! It was so amazing to see parts of the Badlands, snowy hills, and all of the little towns covered in snow all in one trip.

I am now going to attempt to post a video blog above this one. It should be pretty self explanatory. We should be blogging more detailed posts shortly. I hope that all of you are having a lovely (and safe) holiday season!

In Christ,

Paige

The Day After Yesterday...or...The Night Before

2006-12-17T19:13:00.000-06:00

Tick...tock...tick...tock. We are leaving in the morning and are currently running, let us say, a little behind schedule. I'm trying to wrap up some work that has to be done on the computer/printer, Mrs. A is at the store running errands and the troops are downstairs doing their chores. Packing to commence in about an hour. "Oy Vey", as my maternal great-grandmother might have said.

With a little luck, some discipline and a nod or two from the Good Lord (faith AND works you know), we'll get on the road before noon tomorrow. It is strange to leave our home this time of year and we even decided to forgo putting up the tree. But, it's all for a good cause, as we get to witness the 50th wedding anniversary of my Montana in-laws, which is the real reason for this trip to Big Sky country. The bonus is seeing other family and our Montana friends, along with having the children learn to ski. We're looking forward to it...even the 45 hours or so in the car for the total trip. That's some serious family togetherness right? More to come!

-The Arkanblogger

When Worlds Collide...Or Do They?

2006-12-14T01:01:00.000-06:00

Of late, I'm wondering why people of the Christian faith don't (for the most part) seem to look upon and discuss "religious" matters and situations in life, just as they would any other matter. I think we've gotten confused/brainwashed into thinking that there is this "church" life that exists whenever we are in the confines of the "church" building and then there is "the world" that exists outside of that. And from that logic, we think that there are two sets of truths that exist. Isn't that double mindedness?

That mentality reminds me of folks that claim to have a "work life" and a separate "home life". These people are compelled to act one way at work and then make a 180 degree turn upon leaving their place of employment. Sort of a Jekyll and Hyde syndrome, as it were.

It's all one life. There is no separation between work, family, "church", here and there. We should be the same wherever we are and no matter who we're with.

After all, faith isn't something that's manifested only when one is in the "church" building. It is only a building after all. It's not the temple. The church is the body of believers or those who profess God and make an effort to live according to the standards set forth in God's word/laws, while recognizing and accepting the gift of God's grace through Christ. In other words, they strive to be obedient to God, rather that their own sole desires.

When we are walking the path of truth, we should be able to discuss how to get a particular stain our of our clothes, using the same reason and logic, based on the same truth, law and good principle that we would use when discussing any biblical matter. I submit that, to abandon truth on any issue (all of which belongs to God) is to abandon sound reason and ultimately God.

In summation, "biblical" truth should be congruent with all other truth. If not, then we have a fly in the ointment that needs to be plucked out. More later.

-The Arkanblogger

Employed...

2006-11-28T21:32:00.000-06:00

About a month ago I embarked on the journey of finding a job. We searched around a bit, considered a few positions, and then...one came up.

For those of you who don't know, I was a competitive gymnast for about nine years. So I have experience in the area. It just so happened that a newer gym had opened up about five minutes from our home. New gyms generally need new coaches. So we called in to see if they could use me there.

To make a long story short, I ended up getting the job without an interview because of connections I have. So I now am a gymnastics coach. And what an interesting job it is. Everyday at work I get a worldview lesson, being as my fellow employees are not all the most Godly people. I get a workout lifting little girls so that they can get over the bar...or the mat, it all depends. I also get experience working with children. The well behaved and the not so well behaved. All of them are there. I do love working with the children, seeing the smiles on their little faces when they get a new skill (and are quite pleased with themselves, might I add). This job also gives me a reason to get back some of my old skills :) The only down: my face when I see how much tax is taken from my paycheck.

I learn something new everyday. This is for certain. Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Paige

Oh Give Me A Church...

2006-11-25T04:19:00.000-06:00

"Laaaaate is the hour", as Grima Wormtounge once said in a deep English accent(for your LOTRingers out there). I'm sitting at the little "nook" in the kitchen, surrounded by the dark and writing on the girls' laptop. Mine's in the bedroom where Mrs. A is experiencing deep REM stage sleep right about now. Something I'll be back to doing momentarily, just after I rid my mind of this little conundrum.

For the life of me, I haven't decided where to settle into a "church home" with my family. We've pretty much pulled away from the Church of Christ congregation where we'd attended for the past 3.5 years, due to unresolved youth ministry issues and other things having to do with our incompatibilities. Sad in a sense, but we did manage to make a few good friends while attending there.

We've since attended services with another Church of Christ, the Baptists, the Hyper-Calvinists and have held home worship (which we all enjoyed). I even sat in with the local "Church Of England" when I was traveling out of town on a Wednesday evening. In a few short weeks, we've been privy to Predestination, procrastination, singing with musical instruments or without (note...a pitch pipe is still a musical instrument), communion every week or quarterly, preachers being called "pastor" or just "brother so and so". Women doing nothing at all in worship, except sitting there quietly...or not. Having a choir or only congregational singing, separate classes segregated by age or family integrated worship? Prayer books or extemporaneous prayer? Doctrine abounds.

What ever happened to meeting with the saints/sinners on Sunday morning for an actual "worship" time, where that's what we actually do. Just worship. You know, plain old singing, prayer, communion and scripture being read by different men (possibly within the framework of a weekly theme, but not shackled to that). The worship is the centerpiece and not the preaching. Those who desire sitting through a lectureship, may stay for such an event to be held after worship. Others who desire to study alone or with a smaller group or go and eat or rest or go about their lives, may leave and not be chastised for doing so. Why are we bound to evening services on Sunday and Wednesday, which in my opinion are there as a way to make us feel pious toward our brothers and sisters, who do not attend these "extra-credit" services. My work takes me away from my family at times and I have no desire to get in my car and drive to a building, only to be separated from them for another hour or 2 on Sunday and Wednesday evening. Nor should I or my family be held accountable for not holding to such a schedule.

Isn't "church", the collective body of believers...no matter where they meet? It's not a building, for the love of Pete. When I hear the term "the Lords house" my Catholic Radar goes into overload. It's one of those descriptions that sound holy but need some defining before being thrown around loosely.

In retrospect, some of us hold our doctrines/traditions a little too close to the vest...in idolatry. A doctrine or tradition may or may not be based in truth. And what is relevant or even true at one point in history, may not be relevant or true in current times. We need to realize that 2 roads from 2 different starting places can and do lead to the exact same destination. That is a truth. There are common laws that must be adhered to on both roads but both roads offer different scenery and a different experience than than the other. Some of us get the scenery that we experience on our journey, confused with the destination itself. We can even become convinced that our particular journey is the ONLY way to the destination. No others will do. This is a lie. For although there are common laws that apply to every journey, many roads can and do lead to the same destination.

More on "the journey" later. For now, the sandman has crept up behind me and daylight is fast approaching. I need a warm blanket and a bit of sleep. Good morning to you all.

-The Arkanblogger

Speaking of Arkansas and Things Southern...

2006-11-11T19:05:00.000-06:00

Mrs. Arkanblogger "mugging" for me at one of the childrens' birthday parties.

Photo taken by Mrs. A. Taken at Silver Dollar City in the Ozarks.

Aunt Phyliss and Mrs. A preparing for the Thanksgiving feed in the den.

The first morning of last years' hunt. We did leave the neighborhood. Photo by Mrs. A.

The White River at Gastons' Resort. Photo taken from the top of the Dam.

Closeup of the White River and lodging at Gastons'.

I've been noticing a little dialogue of late, which concern the good and bad traits of our fair state of Arkansas. So, being myself a 4th generation Arkansan and more specifically of Arkansas county itself, I thought I'd take a couple of minutes to weigh in on the subject.

It is true that Arkansas is widely known a place where broods of mostly toothless hillbillies reside deep in the woods, stilling their moonshine and searching for spouses at their family reunions. It is also the general belief of the rest of the country that Arkansas women walk around in public sporting both bare feet and the condition of being pregnant. The town of Harrison has in the past been known as home to the national headquarters of the KKK and we shan't forget that there is still a place called "Hope", which spawned the likes of our former president William Jefferson Clinton. Our current Governor Mike Huckabee lived in a triple wide trailer while having the gov's mansion renovated, which prompted a quest spot on the Jay Leno show and made for fodder at the office water cooler for months on end. This is also the birthplace of Wal-Mart (which many good folks have held in favor and contempt over the years), although it's founder, Sam Walton, was born in our neighboring state of Oklahoma, just to the west of us. We're even home to the Arkansas Razorbacks, whose many fans will very proudly and spontaneously offer up the "hog call", consisting of a long and loud, "WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO....PIG...SOUIXEE!!!", to complete strangers in airports, grocery stores and in church (I've been there when it happened), should the spirit so move them. Bearing in mind those little highlights, we have somewhat of a history of being maligned...and sometimes painfully and truthfully so.

Now there is another side to the story, as the man once said. Let me say that I have lived in Oklahoma and Colorado and then had extensive dealings with customers as I traveled the states of Mississippi, Tennessee, Louisiana, Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota and Nebraska. I have also spent time, some of it considerable, in Florida, Washington, California, Nevada, Montana, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, Georgia, Alabama, Texas, New Mexico, Utah, Arizona, Pennsylvania, North and South Carolina, Maryland, along with Washington D.C., the Bahamas, Cabo San Lucas and The Florida Keys. So we can safely say that I've been around the "block" a time or two....not as much as some...but I also know folks that have never left the state. Bearing all this in mind, I can say that Arkansas has some of the nicest people and prettiest countryside in the U.S. Yes, the Rockies and the Tetons are majestic and the Smokies are green and luscious. Our domestic coastlines offer captivating views and even the "plains" states have their vast beauty and cleanliness. I'll admit being quite taken with such places as Key West, FL, Bozeman, MT, Sheridan, WY, San Francisco, San Diego and Sonoma Valley, CA But as much as a cliche' as it is, for me, there is simply no place like home. Some people spend their adult lives escaping from their place of birth for one reason or another. Others embrace it. I've done a bit of both.

Let me share with you some of the places I love and things I love about Arkansas...

The Boston, Quachita and Ozark mountains must certainly they look as if they are mere foothills, if set aside the rugged mountain ranges of the west, but their colorful peaks and rolling beauty is quite engaging....and I've stood atop Mount Evans, Colorado on many occasions, which at it's peak is over 14,000 feet, so I have a pretty good frame of reference, as mountainous beauty is concerned. Arkansas' notable mountains include, Mount Magazine (often called the highest point between the Alleghenies and the Rockies at 2,753 ft.), Mt. Nebo and Mt. Petit Jean State Park. Another beautiful spot is Gaston's Resort, which is located on the White River just a few miles south of the Missouri border near Flippin, Arkansas. Gaston's sports world class trout fishing (with or without guides) , lodging and a fantastic restaurant located on the bank of the White River. I've been twice and I highly recommend it. There is Blanchard Springs Caverns, which is a 3-level cave system and is the only cave currently administered by the United States Forrest Service. Also the Ozark Highlands Trail roams some 180 miles around north west Arkansas and will eventually link to the Ozark Trail in Missouri. The future combination of the two trails will result in approximately 700 miles of trail in the Ozark mountain range.

Some towns worth a visit are Eureka Springs, which is a Victorian village with a European flavor with steep winding streets, lined with cottages and manors. It is the only city in the United States where none of the streets meet at right angles. The city is dominated by a 7-story 2 million pound white statue of Jesus, which sits across the valley from the downtown area. I'll admit that I could do without that one...but Thorncrown Chapel is most certainly worth a visit. This chapel in the woods was designed by E. Fay Jones, a student of Frank Lloyd Wright. A retired schoolteacher purchased the land for his retirement home but felt that the land was too beautiful not to share and commissioned Mr. Jones to design a structure where folks could feel welcome and close to God. Take the highway east out of town and follow it for a couple of hours and you'll find Mountain View, host of the annual Ozark Folk Festival. This celebration, along with the Arkansas Bean Fest and Great Championship Outhouse Race, causes the population of the city to swell from it's 2,800 folks to 100,000. It's not uncommon to find musicians playing and "jamming" together on the downtown square at all times of the year...weather permitting.

There is much more to say regarding the north part of the state but I am a child of the "Grand Prairie", which borders the delta region of the eastern part of the state, which has it's own beauty. The delta, running north and south, along the Mississippi River, variates between massive rice, soybean and cotton farms and thick hardwood forests. Stuttgart, my hometown, is in the heart of the Prairie and is known as the "Rice and Duck Capital of The World". The city is home to Riceland Foods, the world's biggest rice miller and is named after Stuttgart, Germany, which is also a leading rice producer. There are world class waterfowl hunting facilities throughout the Delta region and the "Cabelas of Waterfowl", known as Mack's' Prairie Wings and Rich N' Tone Duck Calls are both headquartered in Stuttgart. Dividing the northern and southern regions of Arkansas is our state capitol, Little Rock, which has become a vibrant city that's highlighted by The Clinton Presidential Library and is the headquarters of Alltel, Axciom, Heifer International, Family Life, TCBY and Stephens Investments. The opening of our River Market District was part of a very successful revitalization program for the downtown area of Little Rock and just last month The Big Dam Bridge was opened to the public. The bridge runs parallel to a lock and dam on the Arkansas River and spans 3,463 feet, making it the world's longest specifically bicycle and pedestrian bridge. Little Rock is also now home to a Peabody Hotel...where every day at 11:00 a.m. the Peabody ducks are escorted from their penthouse to the lobby via elevator. The ducks, accompainied by a Sousa march, proceed across a red carpet to the hotel fountain. Then at 5:00 p.m., the ducks are ceremoniously led back to their penthouse.

Now I don't have a southern accent, nor does my wife or our children...maybe our son has a "tad" of a twang...never the less, I love the many eccentricities about Arkansas' Southern Culture. Such as the fact that farmers and country folk wave at you when you meet them on the highway. You need to wave back. Grandpa's pass down pocketknives and shotguns to their grandsons...and granddaughters. In fact, a man without a pocketknife is probably a yankee or "one of those Californians". This is a place where many grandmothers still hand down family recipes and teach the younger generations how to cook such delicacies as fried green tomatoes, smothered steak and fried chocolate pies. Food is very important here. Much of our gathering and socializing takes place around a meal, laid out buffet style. Sweet tea is a staple for us...like folks having milk in the fridge. When we meet a hearse on the road and it becomes obvious to us that there is a funeral procession approaching, we pull over out of respect for the families and friends of the departed. I love that. Deer hunting season is such a part of the culture here, that school districts have recognized it and have at times, closed their doors, so the students can participate in the sport with their families. Camo clothing is always in style. If we're doing our jobs, we teach our children to say "yes sir", "no ma'am", "please" and "thank you". Another part of doing our job is to write thank you notes. The good southern men open doors for women, children and older folks. If someone treats us poorly, we call it "being ugly to us". When grandpa dies, unless one of the family moves in and takes over the property, we don't tear down his old country home. We'd rather let it sit...as sort of a conduit to the past. That explains the old houses, sheds and barns that you see littering the landscapes of the south, particularly in rural Arkansas. This is also a place where, though they are few, old country stores still exist. You can stop in have a homemade bologna (beef and sliced thick please on white bread only) and cheese sandwich, a doubledecker Moon Pie and Soda Pop. These establishments also generally offer a smattering of fishing and hunting gear, fuel, a selection of canned goods and frozen foods, a bit of hardware and tools, along with some local conversation. If you see one of these little "mom and poppers"...stop in a make a purchase, so they don't disappear from the landscape altogether.

We like for our friends to come on up, down or over, as it were and depending on the season, sit in front of the fire, the wood stove, at the kitchen table, on the porch or in lawn chairs under the shade of the big pin oak in the backyard and talk about politics, religion, northerners or whatever comes to mind. We want to connect with you here....just at our own pace. We want to know who your people are and where you're from. Not to size you up...but to have some empathy with you and find some common ground for discussion. So, we'll see you soon and you be sure to give your mama a big hug around her neck and tell your daddy hello for us.

p.s. Deer season (guns) started last week.

-The Arkanblogger

Look Below this post for Film Festival pics! (This one is "The End is Near???")

2006-11-03T11:25:00.001-06:00

The head Arkanblogger posted a short paragraph on the rapture awhile ago. Since there were no comments and it was so short, I wanted to furthur this discussion.

Have you ever seen on of those people standing on the side of the road holding a sign that says something like "Be Prepared, the end is near"? Or "Repent, the end is coming"? A message much like the one that Jon the Baptist gave in Matthew? Well, it occured to me that the message on the sign might just be the best advice we can find on that other than the Bible. If you disregard the "end is near" part, that is. The Rapture is becoming one of the biggest topics in the world of Christianity. I don't think I'll ever forget pulling up to Mardels and seeing a big poster advertising the latest rapture book. As I skimmed it over I stopped at the date. Guess when it was scheduled to come out? 6/6/06. I know people who pour over rapture books, love the "Left Behind" series, etc. I have one question, where does it say some people will be left behind? If it is there, please tell me. I seem to have missed it. Back to the message on the sign...you see, I don't really know how our Savior will return, when, or the circumstances. I do know that He will come like a theif in the night. Not on the date that a "rapture countdown clock"is set to. Or perhaps by chance He might. I really don't know. But as long as I am living my life in a way that is pleasing to my Lord and Savior, it really doesn't matter. He may come today, tomorrow, or long after I am gone. But I will be focusing on here and now, and living a life that is glorifying the Lord. It doesn't matter to me in the long run how He comes. Just as long as does.

Paige :)

Film Festival 2006 (yes, it's finally here)

2006-11-01T14:46:00.000-06:00

After much frustration (uploading photos, writing numbers of photos, etc) we are finally posting about the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival. These are 18 of the around 200 photos taken. Enjoy! This photo was taken the morning we left just before we pulled out of the drive way. We later stopped before we were even out of Little Rock to get Marie's phone. (long story) You can't see, but we filled the trunk to about 6'' below the brim I don't know what happened to the text here... Below we did a commentary by us Arkanblogger sisters. I will try and get Emma Joy and Marie's on here soon. (If you are reading it, could you please send them to me?)

Caitlin says: Oh what a beautiful mornin'!

Paige says: Lovely.

Elizabeth says: I love penguins.

Grace says: It's freezing!

Welcome to The Gristmill! The chicken fried steak was wonderful, and the mashed potato's were fit to die for. We are all a bit blue, being as it was rather chilly. We must mention the scrumptious strawberry shortcake. Mmm.
Caitlin says: The food was wonderful! (you guys, remember your manners!)

Paige says: Brrrrr.

Elizabeth says: I want my jacket back!

Grace says: No way.

This is the cabin where we stayed. The inside was very nice. And most certainly big enough. Oh, we were on the right hand side of it. When we got there, we all thought that we were barging in to someones home.

Caitlin says: It does look like a barn, doesn't it?

Paige says: The Christmas lights were so pretty at night!

Elizabeth says: I loved the kitchen.

Grace says: Howdy y'all!

We took a break after our first session for some Tazo tea and planning. We were all still a little sleepy after the rush that morning to leave on time. We were an hour away from the convention center. Yes, comfort does sometimes require sacrifice.

Caitlin says: Ahh...the sweet taste of intellectual stimulation in the morning!

Paige says: I think I was looking for "The Oath" times...

Elizabeth says: Oh what a loverly morning!

Grace says:Hey, I took this one!

Caitlin says: Oh dear!

Paige says: I don't see anything wrong with this picture.

Elizabeth says: I'm not even in this picture!

Grace says: I took this one too!

A lovely picture of the program, featuring the logo of the film festival. Such memories that are awakened! We might have taken a picture of something a little bigger though...

Caitlin says: How inspiring.

Paige says: I kept mine. (it has autographs and markings)

Elizabeth says: You have no idea what this means to me!

Grace says: Thank you Caitlin, I took it.

This is the Dugger family playing the their violins. I don't think that is all of them though. Seeing them all up there and hearing them speak was a wonderful experience.
Caitlin says: (undecided)

Paige says: What an inspiring experience!

Elizabeth says: I thought my family was big...

Grace says: It sounded so pleasant.

The River walk was just down there. This was taken on the bridge that goes from one part of the convention center to the next. We got to walk by the water later. It was so pretty!

Caitlin says: The florescent green color of the water was quite lovely.

Paige says: Someone had a wedding on one of those boats!

Elizabeth says: I feel like I am in Italy.

Grace says: That's one picture I didn't take.

This is our picture with the famous authors of The Rebelution blog. They were there as press members, I believe. It was so wonderful finally meeting them after reading their blog and seeing them online for so long. (If you want more on the festival you can see their blog at therebelution.com/blog)

Caitlin says: Sigh...at least you can't see my braces.

Paige says: I don't think the tallest should be in the middle...

Elizabeth says: Hey, some of us are matching!
Grace says: Did I miss something?

Sweet Joy, the lovely Grandma Sue, and me, Paige. This is just before we left for the convention center on the second day. We were thankful that the temperature had finally warmed up, though it doesn't look like it did, being as we are all a bit pale. (we were also wearing walking shoes that day, we had learned our lesson from the day before)
Caitlin says: I see that look in your eye Paige...

Paige says: I know...it's TEXAS.

Elizabeth says: Lovely.

Grace says: What gloomy weather.

I believe that Caitlin took this one. We had just seen a wonderful documentary on biology (where we learned about roots and fungi) and were trying to pick a film to see next. We had to be quick too, our time in between films was very short. I tried to capture the moment on film.
Caitlin says:

Paige says: I should have been looking at the video camera...

Elizabeth says: Decisions, decisions...

Grace says: Hmm...

It's Grace and Joy waving their fake Iraq money for the camera. I believe the money was used as an advertisement. Oh, they are in one of the rooms that were used for showing films. All of them were very nice.
Caitlin says:

Paige says: If only they weren't shaking it...

Elizabeth:

Grace says: You just wish you knew how much it was :)

This is the upstairs part of one of the buildings that was being used to show films.There is a very interesting mosaic over there along with some people we met. There in the blue dress is cousin Joy.

Here we all are dressed up for the Jubillee Awards. This was the last night of the festival. :( But the award ceremony was wonderful! It was so awesome seeing all of those people dedicating their talents to God, and giving him all the glory.

This is the wonderful moment when "The Oath" won the Jubilee Award. (YAY!!!) Up on the screen is the director/producer, to his right is his wife (who acted brother to the man on the directors left) I hope you got that. If you get the chance to see this film I HIGHLY suggest it. Oh, this film also got the audience choice award. (it was wonderful!) I think I'll stop now before Caitlin stops me...

There you have Grandma Sue, Caitlin, Marie, and other random hands cheering for one of the films. I don't think it is "The Oath" though, we would be standing up (at least I was) All of the films deserved applause for sure.
On the forbidden staircase (thank you Grandfather...). This is the last picture that was taken after the award ceremony. Grandfather found the best staircase (which just happened to be roped off) and took our picture there. I believe our moods are reflected through our faces. Our last memory of the festival. Parting was so sad! But we do have next year to look forward to :)

I will try and get the rest of the comments up there if possible. Sorry about the short report. There you have it, a pictorial review of the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival. We hope that you enjoyed it!

Caitlin, Paige, Elizabeth, and Grace.

Good Morning!

2006-10-26T13:05:00.000-05:00

Good morning! I am going to throw out a quick post here just to let everyone know that I, Caitlin, have not dropped off the face of the earth or run away to Brighton (as I wish I could).The weather today from Little Rock up to Branson tops out in the late 70s, which I find slightly depressing. How is the weather down in Florida Lexi? I wish you guys were up here with us. I found this quote the other day and I thought I would like to share it with everyone:

"Be courteous to all, but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence. True friendship is a plant of slow growth, and must undergo and withstand the shocks of adversity before it is entitled to the appellation."
George Washington First president of US (1732 - 1799)

Well, as soon as I figured out that it wasn't a mountain range, I looked up the word appellation, which means name or title in case you were wondering (or am I the only one who didn't know?). I found this quote to be very helpful with something I have been struggling with lately; the fact that I really only have three true friends, one of whom is related to me, made me wonder if I was doing something wrong. You know, questions like, "Am I not nice?"and "Do people not like me?" plus my personal favorite "Do I spend too much time in my cave where I read all day? "It cannot be!" I cried, and ran to my parents, who proceeded to remind me, like Mr. Washington, that those three friends I have are tried and true, ones whom I can count on to be there in my walk with Christ, worth more than a dozen acquaintances put together (they did tell me I could work on that cave thing a little bit though;~).

I must say farewell as we are dashing off to meet my aunt and uncle in Branson, Missouri for the Great Cousin Exchange in which my sister Elizabeth went to stay with Marie and Joy, who has been a delight, came to stay with us. I hope all of you have a blessed week with wonderful weather,

In Christ,

Caitlin :~)

Your Uniform

2006-10-25T14:25:00.000-05:00

This is an essay that I wrote a bit ago for my literature class. The subject could be expanded on more if desired. I will try and get a post out on the film festival soon. Grandfather has the whole 200 something pictures that we all took though. Maybe we can get some of those up soon. I look forward to your comments!

"Clothing can suggest, persuade, connote, or indeed lie and apply subtle pressure while their wearer is speaking of other matters." A quote by Anne Holander. I do not know Anne Holander, but I do know that she was very right when she said this. In this paper, I'll go a little deeper than just the issue of clothing, for it is not just what you wear, it is your entire countenance from which people will form their opinion of you. From cell phone rings, to the brand of your shirt, you are reflecting something. Your uniform in manner and attire show who you represent; and are major factors in people's general reaction to you.

Let us begin with the clothing you wear. Imagine this: you are walking through the mall one day and you see a group of young people. Their attire and accessories are all of the latest "in" items, from hair to toe-nail polish. What do you think of them? I will tell you what my thoughts would be. "My, I bet the read the latest magazine", or "it's just another group of preppy glamour girls". In only a matter of seconds, I formed an opinion of them in my mind and should I get to know these parties better, I will build on that original opinion. Now, could I have just walked past and ignored the fact that these people are self-stereotyped? (more on that later) Yes. But I did just what society frowns upon. I started to form an opinion of them, or "labeled"them. This group of people was wearing a "uniform", and that is what I identified them by. People say "you can't judge a book by it's cover". I will disagree with them for the most part. A cover does not just carry a picture. In fact there may be no picture at all. Maybe just a background color that may appear offensive or not. But a book will always have a title. My point is that what you wear shows what you represent. For instance, even if you just dress like a "skater", but do not skate, you appear as a skater representative. So generally, your allegiance appears to lie with the skater crowd. In this case, it is not necessarily your manner (though representing something can over time mold you to it) but your appearance.

The way that we carry ourselves and our manners that we use are a big factor in how we will be judged.It is the same principal as the clothing we wear. Some people may dress respectfully, but their actions are less than good, according to the Biblical standards. Another interesting thing is that the world generally knows when a Christian gets caught in a mess. Look at all of the attention that conservative and respectable people get when they make a mistake. It would appear that they are held to a "higher" standard...even by those who do not use those same standards for their own behavior. Do you not think the world is watching you just as much? I submit that they are. People look to other people for examples. Someone is always watching you. They look to the things you do as a model, good or bad. Someone to mold their actions after. That is just a fact. But as Christians, how should we act? A smile full of joy, and not deceit, is a beautiful thing. As followers of God, we should reflect the joy that we have in Christ. I believe that is one of the first steps to having a Christian manner. As long as our manner is reflecting Christ, we are representing our God correctly. But since we are human, and human nature is to sin, we are not perfect. So repentance becomes a key action in our "uniform" that we wear. If we go around sinning, and act as if we did nothing, we give out fellow Christians a bad name. We are labeled "hypocrites". But if we repent, we can redeem ourselves. I do not believe anymore is needed here, being as the Bible gives us all the insight we need on this subject.

Earlier in my paper, I mentioned "self-stereotyping". In our current culture, stereotyping is a bad thing to do. We aren't supposed to judge people by the things they wear, or even by certain characteristics that they carry. But when large groups of people get together, they start to separate into other groups that they prefer, creating semi-cultures within cultures. Certain groups were "popular" and other were not. It seems to me that people started seeing benefits of being labeled with a certain name, so they would imitate what they wanted to be. Altering their entire uniform just so that they could be labeled what they wanted and receive the benefits. Such as being popular, getting that boyfriend that they wanted, etc. Thus, my generation becomes a "self-stereotyped" generation. I personally think that it is wrong to pretend to be something you are not (and should not be) just to get attention. It is not God's way at all. Now, as Christians, what should our stereotype be? Or, is it even worth being stereotyped Christian anymore? In John 15, verse 19 it says this: "If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you." That should sum things up for the Christian. We should not be of the world. People should not be able to call us things of the world and be telling the truth. If anything, we should be called radical Christians who have hearts for the Lord. Because anything but radical might be lukewarm, and God wants our best.

Non-Christian people look to other people for answers. That is just a fact. They are unlike Christians in the fact that we look to God and His word first and foremost for answers, yet we also value the wisdom of other people. Christians might see this as a dis-advantage, because the non-Christian people looking only to other people will find weakness, frailty and sin, because it is human nature. But we can use this to our advantage, because if we put ourselves forward in such a way that our light's shine (Matt. 5:16) they will look to the Light. We need only to be there so that they can look to us, and not the world. But when they look to us, we need to make sure that we are representing out Father in a way that is honoring to Him. If the crowds see anything else, they might doubt our faith. Now that I have reassured you that the world is watching, what uniform are you wearing? Remember, we all wear one. Your uniform in manner and attire show who you represent, and are major factors in people's general reaction to you. In closing, your uniform can bring someone closer to God, or just as easily push them away.

Paige

Continued from below...

2006-10-13T21:25:00.001-05:00

After posting, I didn't think it fair if I just left you hanging like that, so I will now give you a bit more information about the link I gave you. A rumor went around saying that the Aussie's didn't want Muslims in Australia and that they were telling them to get out. Only the radical Muslims that were planning on living out the Muslim way of life though. If they chose to live the Australian way, they were fine. This article gives you the real story, and some great quotes. I think the Australians were being rational. I also received something different when I got the email. This is what I received:

Muslims who want to live under Islamic Sharia law were told on Wednesday to
get out of Australia, as the government targeted radicals in a bid to head off
potential terror attacks. A day after a group of mainstream Muslim leaders
pledged loyalty to Australia and her Queen at a special meeting with Prime
Minister John Howard, he and his Ministers made it clear that extremists would
face a crack down. Treasurer Peter Costello, seen as heir apparent to Howard,
hinted that some radical clerics could be asked to leave the country if they did
not accept that Australia was a secular state, and its laws were made by
parliament. "If those are not your values, if you want a country which has Sharia
law or a theocratic state, then Australia is not for you", he said on national
television. "I'd be saying to clerics who are teaching that there are two laws
governing people in Australia: one the Australian law and another the Islamic
law, that is false. If you can't agree with parliamentary law, independent
courts, democracy, and would prefer Sharia law and have the opportunity to go to
another country,which practices it, perhaps, then, that's a better option",
Costello said. Asked whether he meant radical clerics would be forced to leave,
he said those with dual citizenship could possibly asked to move to the other
country. Education Minister Brendan Nelson later told reporters that Muslims who
did not want to accept local values should "clear off". Basically people who
don't want to be Australians, and who don't want to live by Australian values
and understand them, well then, they can basically clear off", he said.
Separately, Howard angered some Australian Muslims on Wednesday by saying he
supported spy agencies monitoring the nation's mosques Quote: "IMMIGRANTS, NOT AUSTRALIANS, MUST ADAPT. Take It Or Leave It. I am tired of this nation worrying about whether we are offending some individual or their culture. Since
the terrorist attacks on Bali, we have experienced a surge in patriotism by the
majority of Australians." "However, the dust from the attacks had barely settled
when the 'politically correct' crowd began complaining about the possibility that
our patriotism was offending others. I am not against immigration, nor do I hold
a grudge against anyone who is seeking a better life by coming to Australia,
However, there are a few things that those who have recently come to our country,
and apparently some born here, need to understand." "This idea of Australia
being a multi-cultural community has served only to dilute our sovereignty and
our national identity. As Australians, we have our own culture, our own society,
our own language and our own lifestyle."

"This culture has been developed over two centuries of struggles, trials
and victories by millions of men and women who have sought freedom"

"We speak mainly ENGLISH, not Spanish,Lebanese, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, or any other language. Therefore, if you wish to become part of our society,
learn our language!"

"Most Australians believe in God. This is not some
Christian, right wing, political push, but a fact, because Christian men and
women founded this nation on Christian principles, and this is clearly
documented. It is certainly appropriate to display it on the walls of our
schools. If God offends you, then I suggest you consider another part of the
world as your new home, because God is part of our culture."

"We will accept your beliefs, and will not question why. All we ask is that you accept
ours, and live in harmony and peaceful enjoyment with us." "If the Southern Cross
offends you, or you don't like " A Fair Go", then you should seriously consider a
move to another part of this planet. We are happy with our culture and have
no desire to change, and we really don't care how you did things where you came
from. By all means, keep your culture, but do not force it another's.

"This is OUR COUNTRY, OUR LAND, and OUR LIFESTYLE, and we will allow you
every opportunity to enjoy all this. But once you are done complaining, whining,
and griping about Our Flag,Our Pledge, Our Christian beliefs, or Our Way of
Life, I highly encourage you take advantage of one other great Australian
freedom, 'THE RIGHT TO LEAVE'."

"If you aren't happy here then LEAVE.
We didn't force you to come here. You asked to be here. So accept the country YOU
accepted."

(some editing was done, but nothing to effect what was really said)

Now, is this too radical, or is it how we should be. Perhaps some more Biblical principals should be added too. I am not sure that I would be so harsh. It is a wonderful ministry opportunity. But if the people are close minded and biased, it really would be better for them to leave. I know right now The United States main issue with immigrants is from Mexico. Many people are complaining that "we shouldn't have to learn Spanish, make them learn English". Is this right? I think it might be. But we should not be so close minded and not be open to learning other languages. I would preferably learn French, not Spanish. But nonetheless I am interested in learning one. Another thing that was said above is that their country was founded on God, and if the people didn't like that, they should leave. I thought about that, then thought about how much America might shrink if we applied all the things above. We would lose all of the "politically correct" people too. I am sorry for the confusion below. At first I just posted a link, but then quickly realized that the link was not exactly what I received. Also, I am not claiming that the above is 100% accurate. I just thought that it might be a good conversation provoker. I am checking my source a bit more, and will try to give you the link that I was given soon. I think that this is longest post I have ever done. I won't try and make it harder for me to break this record so I will end here. I look forward to your responses.

Paige :)

Have the Australians Got it Right?

2006-10-13T19:14:00.000-05:00

I recently received an email from a friend that I found quite interesting. It contained a link to a site that debugs rumors to see if they are true or not. I had no clue this existed until now. The rumor that she sent me was true. The link will be posted below. I think that the Australians are on to something...But that is just me. Is what they are doing Biblical? What do you think? I will do a further post on this later. For now, tell me what you think.

Please bear with me as I review my sources a few more times. Thank you very much!

Paige ;)

The Performance

2006-09-29T14:58:00.000-05:00

Recently I performed along with all of my siblings in "Something Old, Something New, a musical and drama review" by our co-op drama group. I thought that I would share a few of my most memorable experiences in this post :)

We started rehearsals in August, I believe. That is the shortest amount of time our group has ever had to get a show together. We could not change the time either, due to people moving, and other things. So we were rehearsing often and long. I remember at the dress rehearsal how panicked/worried some of the parents and performers were. People were having line trouble, cues were being missed in songs, and just about anything else you can imagine that wasn't very good. Including a main character starting to feel ill. I will admit to being a bit worried myself too. You see, I was singing "Part of Your World" from The Little Mermaid, without a fin, or anything like it. So I wore a green formal dress, hoping that the green might hint at a fin. That night at the performance things started looking up. The girl who was feeling ill earlier was doing better, people were a bit more calm (except our opening act) and the parents seemed a bit more calm too. The lights went out, the performers were ready, so, in the words of our narrator, we "let the music begin".

The opening act (as mentioned earlier) was my Sister Caitlin. She was Maria, from The Sound of Music. The first song was her solo, "Confidence", which she did quite well with :) Then, most of the rest of the cast went out on stage to happily sing "Doe, a Deer". The last number was "edelweiss". (I am not sure of the spelling) That was sung by a sweet girl who has performed with us before. On the first night she had almost no voice, so singing was quite hard. Christina helped her a bit on stage to get throughout it. After the applause, the Oklahoma crew came on. We began with "Oh What a Beautiful Morning" then ended with the "Oklahoma" song. I won't repeat the entire show for you, being as you would get pretty bored. But I will tell you that it went well. Much MUCH smoother than we thought it would. It was a success.

If there is something I learned from this performance, it is that you can't please every member of the audience. Especially when it comes to something like a song. When I sang the song from The Little Mermaid, I didn't know who I was going to be singing to. The first night I felt no energy from the audience. It was very depressing. Except for the few little girls in the front row singing along. On the second night I was ready to go all out and put everything plus some that I had into it (or as much as I could being congested) Before I went on, a few little girls came up to me, and asked me when I was going to sing the mermaid song. I talked to them for a little bit about their favorite princesses, and the songs they enjoyed. They loved the song that I was singing, and wanted to hear it. That meant a lot to me. So I went out for that last performance to give it my all. My perfuming was better, I preferred my singing the night before though. When I finished and walked off the stage, I felt two tiny arms around me. It was a little girl who had been listening. She looked up at me and said "you did SO good!". Her smile was enough to make me happy for the rest of the performance. Despite all the downs, it all became very worth it. It is something I will never forget.

I am sorry for the post being a bit out of order, I have been working on it for quite some time. I am thinking about posting some of my essays that I have written for our literature class. Until then, have a blessed weekend!

Paige :)

Just Type Right

2006-09-12T21:02:00.000-05:00

Have you ever read an email, and because of the way it was typed, found yourself unable to fully comprehend what it meant? I have. Now, this may be with people more my generation, but it might be older too. I am finding that one of my newest most irksome things on my list is that little "lol" thing. (argh) Following that is one that I don't see as often with the people I speak with, OMG. Oh my gosh. Or whatever else they may say or imply. You can't really tell. I also find that the appearance it gives is not the most smart one in the book. Emails that are littered with mis-spellings, horrible grammar, and "lol"s give the impression of something very worldly. Part of my signature on my emails that I send out is an encouragement to stop living down to the expectations society expects and higher them. I use the words "Just type right", because really that is all it is. The way I look at it, typing with horrible grammar, awful spelling, lol's and the like, (and not caring at all) is a type of conforming. It relates to saying "like" to much. If there is one thing that makes my stomach knot up is hearing a sentence a bit like this : "And he was like, oh my gosh, and I was like, that's not cool, ya know?" Now, I will admit to saying "like" out of context some too. I am working on that currently.

Tell me what you think about this. If I started blogging with "lol"s and "OMG"s or whatever else, would you view it as conforming? I know that "lol" does not say "laugh out loud" to me. What does it say to you? Just curious. I look forward to hearing your responses. Have a blessed weekend all!

Paige ;)

Reflections On Turning 44...

2006-08-24T18:43:00.000-05:00

My recent 44th birthday was one of a little introspection, thankfullness and a certain amount of contemplation and contentedness. I wanted to list some things that came to mind and happened on that day, in no particular order.

I'm happy to be here
My wife and children cooked a great southern meal for dinner "supper", consisting of salmon croquettes, boiled okra, boiled small potatoes, black eyed peas, squash, squash casserole, cornbread, fresh garden tomatoes and double layer chocolate cake with oreo topping. I had two pieces. Fasted from the change in diet for the day in order to partake.
My little sister took me to lunch at the Starving Artist's Cafe. Had the chicken crepes and little roasted potatoes. MMM. Thank you sis for the treat and the company.
Got calls from Dad, Mom, Roger, Dubya, Connie, Brother K, The Montana Inlaws and Cousin Gwyn. Even talked to "Uncle Daren" right before I hit the hay.
Received new guitar picks, a guitar strap and....my own "manly" cooking apron from my wife and children. Mrs. Arkanblogger must have gotten tired of my wearing her "prints".
I'm half of 88 and twice 22. Simple math skills still work.
Hair on my head is getting increasingly grey. Fine by me. I wouldn't dye one strand, even if you paid for it.
Hair on my head is getting a "skosh" thinner on the crown. I can't see it. Also find by me. Note...no videotaping me from behind....and if you dare, don't show it to me. "with knowledge comes much sorrow."
Hair appearing on ears is a little disturbing. Must procure a device to easily rid myself of these things.
Hair in nose gets trimmed more frequently than hair on head.
Mutant "mad scientist" eyebrow hairs are also disconcerting and in need of constant vigilance.
Enough about hair.
Most of the time, I still feel like I'm in my early 20's.
Have plenty of friends on both sides of 44.
Our home is "central" for me...due to the live occupants. Certainly not the inanimate ones.
I still like the cat.
Sometimes...I kind of miss the dog. A little. Kind of. Barely. Eehhh.
Family is great.
You can keep the metro Denver area but I still miss the West. States of Colorado, Montana, South Dakota. Even western Nebrasksa and most of Wyoming. Probably always will. The sky. The mountains. The air. 'Sigh'
My daughters are all getting older, smarter and prettier. Ditto for my son, but handsome.
I love having been married to Mrs. Arkanblogger for over 20 years.
I have seen all but 1 of my grandparents pass but was fortunate enough to have them all a part of my life.
I even knew my great grandfather and 2 great grandmothers.
Was given lots of history of my family/heritage, which I hold dear.
My understanding of the Christian faith is a constant work in progress. A certified journey.
Still have a coffee with one of my childhood friends (Daren) about once a month or so.
We live a block from where we were married.
I love it when our children have their friends over. Bonus. The activity makes it a home.
I'll probably buy another fixer-upper. That's what I do.
I'll probably never buy a new car. That's what I don't do. Thanks Dad. GRRR.
I have a few sun-spots on my face from driving in my car (according to the skin dentist)for so many years. Bugs me a little bit. Kind of blends in with the freckles though.
I'll drop that 25 lbs. in a month or 2 and be in shape for December in Montana.
The flooring industry has been my work home for 19 years. YIKES!!! Floors!!! Floors???
I'm still happy to be here.

-The Arkanblogger AKA "Bruce"

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAIGE!!!

2006-08-11T18:53:00.000-05:00

First of all, Happy Birthday to H. Paige "Arkanblogger", our 2nd eldest daughter. Born 17 years ago today in a hospital in south Oklahoma City, Oooooooooooooklahoma, where the wind goes sweepin' cross the plains", or however it goes. Dr. Pablo Pinzon was the attending physician. I remember his gentle encouragement to Mrs. Arkanblogger in his native accent...puuuuuuuuuuush pushpushpushpushpush! Moments later...Paige appeared. Tonight, She, Caitlin and three of their friends are on the way (courtesy of Mrs. Arkanblogger) to a Princess Party at Wingfield Castle, where unbeknownst to Paige, a cake will be presented to her, which her sisters and Andrea (in the blue dress and red hair) prepared in secret. The picture was taken moments before their departure. I'll take the Arkanblogger family chariot and retrieve them later tonight. Happy Birthday H.P.T.!!!

In the picture...left to right...Paige, "the twins" Jennifer & April, Andrea and Caitlin...The Princesses.

It's Finally Here!!!

2006-08-08T09:18:00.000-05:00

After several weeks of waiting, the little guy finally got his new bed. The guys at "Poggy's Kids" made it to have 6 drawers under both sides for plenty of storage. This should take him on for several years and allow us to free up some much needed space in his little bedroom.

Other goings on around the house...a little new furniture for the older girls, kitchen almost complete, older girls' closet repainted and reworked, patio poured w/ongoing saga, windows being rescreened. Things yet to be done...both upstairs baths to be repainted with new faucets to go in master bath and a little sod here and there in the yard. I'm leaving some things off. Too many to list really. We're just trying to enjoy the journey. More Later.

-The Arkanblogger

Left Behind

2006-08-01T20:21:00.000-05:00

I recently saw Tim LaHaye and Jim Jenkins, authors of "Left Behind" and subsequent novels. They were being interviewed on Good Morning America, regarding their thoughts on the war.

After hearing some of their comments and considering their explanation for the war, I came to the same conclusion I made after purchasing their first book many years ago, reading the initial 3 pages of chapter 1 and throwing it in the trash, for the defiled thing it is.

I hope they both get "left behind".

-The Arkanblogger

I Can't Believe I'm Writing About Mel Gibson

2006-08-01T20:03:00.000-05:00

We'll really I'm not...for the most part. I'm only commenting about the comments of Abraham Foxman of the ADL (Anti Defamation League) in reference to the alleged anti-semitic comments made by Mel Gibson, after being arrested for DUI in California recently. That's alot of comments.

Mr. Foxman, ADL National Director, issued the following statement:
"Mel Gibson's apology is unremorseful and insufficient. It's not a proper apology because it does not go to the essence of his bigotry and his anti-Semitism.
His tirade finally reveals his true self and shows that his protestations during the debate over his film "The Passion of the Christ," that he is such a tolerant, loving person, were a sham. It may well be that the bigotry has been passed from the father to the son. It is unfortunate that it took an excess of booze and an encounter with a police officer to reveal what was really in his heart and mind.
We would hope that Hollywood now would realize the bigot in their midst and that they will distance themselves from this anti-Semite."

Well Mr. Foxman, He was drinking right? Legally drunk right? Heck, maybe we should have a law that forces excessive drinking 24/7. We'll get the truth out by your logic, by golly. Right? Would you want justice measured out on you according to your standards?

By the way, a big thank you (applause lights please) for having the courage, strength and forthrightness to stand up for that pillar of virture and character that we all know around the globe, as "Hollywood".

To Mr. Gibson, that's twice you mystical knucklehead. Stop being an idiot. You know what happens on the third time don't you? "Apocalypto"???

-The Arkanblogger

Some Points of Clarification

2006-07-27T21:19:00.000-05:00

1. I enjoy and appreciate those people, both young and old, that do not engage in the practice of gossip. If you want to know something about soneone...ask that person...not a third party. Otherwise, please know enough to realize that all you'll ever get is someone else's version of the person you are inquiring about.
2. I believe that the sinner is the one who commits the sin. I've done it. I am what I do. The person who uses a gun to kill someone is a murderer. The one who commits adultry is an adulterer. The teller of a lie is a liar. Any philosophy that says otherwise is simply a "wrong" philsophy. Accept responsibility for your actions. If you have sinned against someone, then only you can repent for it. No one else should or can do that for you. Ask for forgiveness and change. You'll gain humility and truth. That's why we need Christ even more.
3. I believe that everyone absolutely should not get married at a young age. We do not all mature at the same rate of speed. Just as some will never come to the knowledge of the truth, some will never come to a full maturity.
4. I believe that men should act like men and women should act like women. Quit trying to be something you were not created to be. If only leads to strife and confusion. After all, it's a lie.
5. I believe that God and His Son both taught us how to LIVE...not how to DIE. Quit looking for things YOU want to see and look for the truth. Don't be distracted, quit reading tripe and take dominion over the things that God gave you to take care of. Rapture Schmapture.
6. I believe that adults should debate with adults and children should listen and learn obedience, so that they can teach their children the same. Perpetuation of stupidity is a bad thing and it's hard work. Truth is perpetual whether we want it to be or not.
7. I believe that God tells us what to do and that we should do it and stop whining about it and making excuses. A brother gave me this example...If I leave my children in charge of the house while I'm gone and tell them specifically what I want done and they don't do it, that's when I get mad. I believe that by God's own actions, he is the same in that regard.
8. I believe that if I am hungry and want a meal placed before me, that I absolutely should not go in the den and pray for God to bring me that meal out of thin air. I live in a house with 7 people and we can all fix a bowl of cereal or cut a piece of bread. He put me in charge of feeding myself.
9. I believe that there is no right way to debate a "wrong" principal or theory.
10. I believe that no amount of lying can change the truth...no matter how long you lie and no matter how many lies you tell. You cannot mock God. He IS truth.
11. I believe that people don't simply need to "have a personal relationship with Christ" or don't just "need Jesus". To tell someone that, is like telling a starving man that he just needs to eat and be fed. He will quickly find himself starving again. Many significant events led up to Christ and all of those events are a part of history...HIStory.
12. I believe that many Christians are guilty and have become blinded by their idolatry...of the Bible. If you thing that the Bible is the source of all knowledge and truth, then throw away all of your other books and other publications, unplug your phone and don't leave your closet. You see, I can be as ridiculous as they can.
13. I believe that God's laws are forever...just as He is. They don't go away, just because we don't want to see or believe in them. If the speed limit in a certain area is 75 mph. and there are signs to indicate that that is the law, then we can choose to ignore that and deal with the consequences...from simply knowing that we were disobedient, to obtaining a ticket, to a possible accident which damages property, causes injury or death to you or another. The law is in place, whether we want to recognize it or not and the consequences of disobedience still exist...whether we want to admit it or not. Maybe we should be exploring law instead of spending our time worrying about when and how Jesus will come back to earth. His return and presence will be triumphant, whether he comes on a cloud or a 1972 Buick. Meantime, we have things to take care of. How about we focus on those things?
14. I believe that no matter how many times we ask, the person who sneezes in front of us is not blessed by God. If you believe in that, then go hang all the bottles you can find in your trees (the more colorful, the better) to scare away the "hants" (pronounced "hain'ts") outside of your house. Quit believing in superstition. God is not a phantom.

Male Character

2006-07-10T18:11:00.000-05:00

After reading a very good post on the subject of chivalry at http://www.onewaypurpose.com/2006/07/05/chivalry-in-a-modern-world/
I wanted to share an observation or two regarding the subject...first hand.

For the most part, I was raised to practice the simpler things of chivalry, such as door holding and plodding out in the rain to get the umbrella, while the females waited under cover. I'm from the South, had a decent Christian upbringing and would really be ashamed for not doing the things that a man should do. I have lived in a house with five females for thirteen years, until my son arrived seven years ago, which raised the odds a little...but we're still quite outnumbered. I make it a point to tell Mrs. Arkanblogger that her meals are delicious and do the same when my daughters, my mother, my mother-in-law and any other females in our out of our family, have put forth an effort to produce a meal, whether it may be one of my favorites, or a strange dish to me. My son, with my encouragement and explanations, now follows suit; even jumping the gun on me from time to time.

As the father of four daughters, ages eleven to eighteen, I have had cause to observe the behavior of young males, interacting with my girls in different settings. What I have seen is for the most part, disappointing. So many of these young fellows, who are mostly homeschooled and from "Christian" homes, don't do so much as hold a door at church for my children, much less any other female, young or old...unless they are trying to get the attention of a specific young lady. I have also observed these same boys doing no such thing for other females present.

On another hand, I have personally held the door many times in public for complete strangers and what I recieve about half the time is silence. The older generation of women (40 plus)seems to recognize these traits and will generally make it a point to thank me. The younger crowd has their head in the clouds...or the world...generally speaking.

Now, I want to point out that I don't do these things for the thank you. I do them because they should be done. But just as there should be an obligation on the part of men to engage in Chivalry, I believe that there should be a simple reciprocation of appreciativeness from the part of the reciever of the "blessing" of said Chivalry. Just as when someone recieves a a bit of unexpected good news and tells the giver of the news, "thank you". This I believe, could simply fall under the law of loving your neighbor as yourself. I also hold the door for older gentlemen, when I recognize that they might not have the strength to do it themselves. Let's engage in Chivalry, shall we?

-The Arkanblogger

Salutations!

2006-07-09T21:00:00.000-05:00

Salutations all! I hope you have been having a blessed Summer. So far mine has been quite well. Oh, here's something I didn't know, "salutations" is actually French for "greetings". I had hoped for something I hadn't ever heard of when I went in search of a new greeting. At least it is not Spanish. Ugh. For those of you who don't know, Spanish is one of my least favorite languages. I have had two teachers, both of them tried to get me to roll my "rr"s. I have never been able to. Even after a certain exercise where we had to put pencils in our mouths and bite down. Therefore since I do not possess that certain skill, I shall never be able to really speak spanish. Even the teacher said so. I can do the French "r" though. But alas, I am in for another year of Spanish. Maybe I could learn them both...

These past few days have been lovely. I got to go to lunch with some of my dear friends from choir and church. They are such sweet young ladies and such a blessing to be around. I love spending time with them. I look foward to getting to spend a week with them on choir tour. More on that later. On Friday morning I was part of a car wash. The purpose being to raise money for the choir tour. My first job which lasted most of the time I was there was holding a sigh by the turn in to the car wash. I did a lot of waving and jumping up and down. If the people were nice they would wave and honk. Then there were those who changed lanes once they saw us. It was a fun job if you ignored the sun beating down on you or brought sunscreen. My second and not so fun job was cleaning up what the car washers missed. Which mostly consisted of bug mush on the front of the cars. The outcome was good. I gained a few more freckles (they come and go) and no sunburn! (that took some work) The last event was another one of my dear friends birthday. She turned 16. Happy Birthday sister! Caitlin and I got to spend time with her family having a wonderful time. The best part was when she opened the door to her room to find Caitlin and I there to surprise her. She screamed rather loudly and nearly through her book at Caitlin. Oh what I would have given to have a camera at that moment ;)

This post has turned out much longer and unstructured than I planned. Please forgive my messiness. I will try and post on things of more substance in the future. I hope that you all have a blessed Monday and rest of the week. The Lord has truly blessed me. Now I must go and see to the "mighty" Aslan.

Paige ;)

Happy Birthday Popsey!

2006-07-08T20:43:00.000-05:00

Our "Popsey" is 70 years old today. Happy Birthday Popsey!!!

We got together and came up with a few things you should know about him...

He can fix just about anything and when he doesn't have the right tool or part needed to repair it, he just makes it himself.
He was in the Marines AND the Air Force.
He's written a book. We're just waiting on him to publish it.
He has a very jolly laugh.
He told us how deer lose their antlers and we didn't forget it.
He can tear the inside of a new jet airplane apart in about 60 seconds, when the interior wiring catches on fire at 33,000 feet.
He flies an American flag in his front yard.
He draws faces that make you laugh.
He gives very good directions.
He prays for our soldiers.
Most of the time he still feels like he's in his 30's.
He would like more horizontal space in his house. Most of it is covered up with our Mimi's ceramic roosters and rabbits.
He says that his head has worn out three bodies but we don't believe him.
He knows ALOT about antiques...except for ivory scrimshaw ;-)
He likes to learn new things.
He does not recognize the term "step" family.
He has a gift with words and writing.
He offers his counsel and confidence freely.
He likes to hunt and fish...mostly hunting in the wintertime we think.
He comes from a large family.
He's traveled all over the world and even arranged the purchase of airplanes from foreign governments as part of one of his jobs.
He is a patient man.
He appreciates hard work and honesty in a person.
He's very encouraging and affectionate.
You can count on him in the "clutch".
He is not stingy nor bashful with his hugs and "I love you's".

Some quotes for Popsey to remember...

To be 70 years young, is sometimes far more cheerful and hopeful than to be 40 years old.~ Oliver Wendel Holmes Jr. ~

The aging process has you firmly in it's grasp, if you never get the urge to throw a snowball.~ Doug Larson~

Forget your age and live your life. ~Norman Vincent Peale

The old age of an eagle is better than the youth of a sparrow. ~Proverbs~

Happy Birthday Popsey...We Love You,

Bruce, Janice and Family

How are you?

2006-07-04T22:53:00.000-05:00

I'm doing lovely, and if you like you can answer my question up there. A couple of things are happening down here, I had the joy of turning 18 years old last month on the 10th and am now the first child in our household who can officially vote, with my parent's permission of course;) Paige and I finally went and took the written exam to get our driving permits. Our father has already had experiences driving with each of us, in which he's usually telling Paige to "Stay in your lane!'' and myself to "Stay away from the curb!" but really my father is a good driving teacher, and I am thankful to have him as mine (especially since he's very good at reaching across the car to grab the wheel when I veer towards a pretty brick mailbox on my right;) . Paige and I are also house-sitting for some dear friends of ours who are on a 16 day excursion to Alaska. Oh, to be there with them, the air is so thick here you could spoon it up and serve it for dinner, pre-cooked! The house we are watching includes a dog on it's list of responsibilities . But not just any dog, this dog is the great and mighty Aslan. Who just happens to be about a foot tall, and looks like a fox crossed with a lion that was hit with a shrink ray. It is actually a very pleasing affect, and he is one of the best dogs I have ever known (by the way, I believe he's really a Pomeranian but I love dramatic descriptions) . Well, it is getting late so I must say farewell.

May the Lord bless and keep you,

Caitlin :~)

Childhood Friends

2006-06-26T22:48:00.000-05:00

About once a year or so, I'm able to get together with with 2 of my childhood friends and we have dinner together. One of the guys, Daren, is still in the town where we all grew up in southeast Arkansas and the other, Kent, is in Killeen, TX. I actually get to see Daren quite often, when he comes to "the big city", as he calls it, for shopping, doctor visits, etc. or on the occasion when I go back "home" to see family that still live there. Kent, on the other hand, makes it here maybe twice a year to see his parents, who live in a small farming town off of Interstate 30, heading toward Memphis.

For some reason, I don't exactly remember when we all met. I believe that Kent and I got together first, maybe in grade school. Daren joined up a couple of years later. I'll let him clarify on that one. There were other members of our little band but the three of us have really made it a point to stay in touch through the years. We shared getting our first cars, our first jobs (Daren and I worked together at the local Wal-Mart for a while) and several other life experiences. We're all now 43 years old and only a few days apart in that. Tonight we had dinner at Lonestar Steakhouse and then headed over to Sufficient Grounds for coffee and dessert. Our conversation went in and out of Kent's recent stint in Iraq as a consultant for a defense contractor with the Army, to Daren's wife finishing up her cancer treatments to his taking up biking and riding 43 miles a couple of days ago, to my still hating to fly after years of having to do so in my job. We all inquire about each other's parents and I even called my mom on the cell during dinner to let Kent say hello to her. I even tried to get my little sister on the phone and invite her to let us treat her to an after dinner treat. Kent hadn't seen her since he "still had hair". His quote, not mine. But she wasn't home. We cover the same old ground, asking what's new with the other folks we grew up with and Daren catches us up on any local news around town.

After dinner, we came back to my house and my girls played piano for them and then they were on their way back to drop Kent at his folks before Daren made the final drive back home. When they came to the door to pick me up earlier this evening, I was on the phone with Kerry, my brother-in-law and I had to cut our conversation short. I called him back after they pulled out of the driveway and he asked, "how was the visit?" My reply was, "I don't know how many guys still get together with their childhood best friends and are even able to tolerate each other, much less have a genuine visit and interest in each other, despite any differences they may have, and that in itself has to be worth something." He replied, "It's worth alot." I agree.

-The Arkanblogger

My Brother's Birthday

2006-06-24T17:12:00.000-05:00

Although I never had the experience of growing up with a brother, I met one just a little over 20 years ago. He became my brother-in-law (we married sisters) Kerry and he is celebrating his 45th birthday today. Over the years, Kerry and I have walked many roads together and it was and is still comforting to have the company of my brother, whether it be in person, as it has been many times, or to hear that familiar voice on the other end of the phone.

Today, on his birthday, I'd like to pay tribute to Kerry with a couple of poems that remind me of him and of the quality of our friendship. And then finally, I want to share a couple of letters between two men, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, who in their old age had been close friends for some 50 years. It's my wish that our "brotherhood" will last as long as we do and that it will bear God's good fruit for our generations.

A Time To Talk

by Robert Frost

When a friend calls to me from the road
And slows his horse to a meaning walk,
I don't stand still and look around
On all the hills I haven't hoed,
And shout from where I am, "What is it?"
No, not as there is a time to talk.
I thrust my hoe in the mellow ground,
Blade-end up and five feet tall,
And plod: I go up to the stone wall
For a friendly visit.

The Busy Man

Author Unknown

If you want to get a favor done
by some obliging friend,
And want a promise, safe and sure,
On which you may depend,
Don't go to him who always has
Much leisure time to plan,
But if you want your favor done,
Just ask the busy man.

The man with leisure never has
A moment he can spare,
He's always "putting off" until
His friends are in despair.
But he whose every waking hour
Is crowded full of work
Forgets the art of wasting time,
He cannot stop to shirk.

So, when you want a favor done,
And want it right away,
Go to the man who constantly
Works twenty hours a day.
He'll find a moment, sure, somewhere,
That has no other use.
And help you while the idle man
Is framing an excuse.

From Thomas Jefferson (some four months before his death) to James Madison

The friendship which has subsisted between us now half a century and the harmony of our political principals and pursuits have been sources of constant happiness to me through that long period. It has also been a great solace to me to believe that you are engaged in vindicating to posterity the course we have pursued for preserving to them in all their purity, the blessings of self-government, which we had assisted in acquiring for them. If the earth has beheld a system of administration conducted with a single and steadfast eye, with a general interest and happiness of those committed to it, one which protected by truth can never know reproach, it is that to which our lives have been devoted. To myself, you have been a pillar of support through life. Take care of me when dead and be assured that I shall leave you with my last affections.

A Week Later Madison Replied...

You cannot look back to the long period of our private friendship and political harmony with more affecting recollections than I do. If they are a source of pleasure to you, what ought they not to be to me? We cannot be deprived of the happy consciousness of the pure devotion to the public good with which we discharged the trust committed to us. And I indulge a confidence that sufficient evidence will find it's way to another generation to insure, after we are gone, whatever of justice may be withheld whilst we are here.

Cheers And Happy Birthday Kerry, May You Have At Least 45 More!

Your Brother and Friend,

Bruce

A Tuesday Night In Memphis

2006-06-20T22:03:00.000-05:00

As the title suggests, I am in Memphis (for the 2nd night in a row), it is Tuesday evening and I am ready to get back home tomorrow night. Spent all of the morning traveling south to Fulton, MS with a counterpart of mine and it was some kind of hot outside. Did I tell you it was hot? If you're ever in that part of the world, I recommend Comer's Family Restaurant, where they offer homecooked "country style" food that's meant to fill you up and that it did. It's the kind of place where you can actually eat lunch every day and not get tired of the menu. Come to think of it, I've eaten there 4 times now and have never seen a menu. I always opt for the "special" of the day. Today it was Pork Tenderloin (2 large pieces), a large helping of black eyed peas, new potatoes, covered with white gravy, a hunk of white onion on the side, cornbread, salad from the bar and peach cobbler. Our customers that we took to lunch, spend their noon hour there 5 days a week and if I lived anywhere close by, I'd be tempted to do the same. If that's not a testimony to great food and service, I don't know what is. If you've passed through Tupelo, headed south on Hwy. 78, take the exit for Highway 178 at Mantachie. They're at #1733 on the left side of the road. The nice lady at the cash register told me that she was originally from northwestern Oklahoma...the town of Buffalo, if memory serves. We struck up a conversation because I knew of the little town and had actually traveled through there a few times when I covered the state of Oklahoma in a previous job. I don't remember her name, but she was very kind. When you stop in, aske for the lady from Buffalo and say "hi" to her for me and whatever else you do, be sure and order the sweet tea with your meal. If you make the mistake of choosing the unsweet, they'll think you're a Yankee, no matter how slow you talk. But despite that, chances are, they'll probably treat you good and let you eat there anyway. Did I mention that it was hot there today?

p.s. for those of you that know me and are picking your chins up off the floor and mumbling "hypocrite", after reading that I consumed pork, when I am adamantly against it (per Leviticus), I claim the scriptures of not wanting do something to cause my brothers to stumble, when they don't understand. I don't see these folks that often and for them to take me to this place for a meal is akin to them inviting me into their home. So, I thought it better not to offend than to cause them possible misundertanding...for now. I may be wrong there, but if so, it's on me. Plus, I didn't know what "tenderloin" was and assumed it was some kind of chicken or beef patty. For supper, it was soup, salad and unsweet tea at Jason's Deli. Shalom.

-The Arkanblogger

Happy Father's Day

2006-06-18T22:07:00.000-05:00

We are busy...Really we are.

2006-06-13T22:32:00.000-05:00

Some of you have asked if we've stopped blogging altogether. The answer is, as evidenced by this little post..."NO". We have had family in from Montana, homeschool graduation ceremony and talent show, friends moving back from San Antonio, our oldest daughter's 18th birthday, state homeschool convention, my regular travels, 3 piano recitals (2 were held in our home for Mrs. Arkanblogger's students), a college graduation for a cousin and a mishap with our home laptop that requires us to replace the LCD screen (OUCH!). So, blogtime is limited to my laptop until that last item is taken care of.

We have so many things to write about and we'll continue. Bear with us.

I forgot to mention that we had a great visit with my wife's cousin and her husband, along with their 8 wonderful children. They've started a new blog. We'll be linking to it as soon as I can get Paige to set it up for me.

-The Arkanblogger

The Business of Life-UPDATED PIC...SORT OF

2006-05-13T00:38:00.000-05:00

This is an update, showing the cake as described below...from last year. I'm looking for the "7 year" cake and will post when found. They were both very good but in the end, probably not very good for you. That's Collin's friend, Jared on the right. Both a year younger.

It is 12:36 a.m. and I am looking forward to about 5 good hours of undisturbed sleep. I have actually been helping Mrs. Arkanblogger in the kitchen this evening, making a rice krispie rocket, whilst Mrs. A. made chocolate cupcakes for the cake purists at the party tomorrow. The rocket will be about 2 feet tall with a nose cone and 3, maybe 4 fins. It's made completely from kosher marshmallows and rice krispies. Fun stuff. 7 is a good year for the young master and we're looking forward to celebrating at his party.

This week was busy. I flew to San Diego early Monday morning for 3 days of business meetings. I connected through Phoenix on the way out and back and was amazed that the return trip from Phoenix to Little Rock took only 2 hrs. 5 mins. We were at 39K ft. going approx. 550 mph. I looked up from my book from time to time, to glance out the window, thinking to myself, "this is just not right". Although I do not really enjoy it, air travel is certainly fascinating.

Tomorrow is also my 2nd cousin's (he's more like a nephew) graduation from Harding University. So, up at 5:30 to finish trimming bushes, mow the front lawn, weed eat, sweep up, clean garage and be ready to hit the highway for the 45 minute trip north at around 7:30. Ahh, nothing like sitting in bleachers in the heat with strangers for 2 + hours. But, the young lad is worth every drop of sweat that will be produced in that gymnasium. Then...back to the house to help Mrs. Arkanblogger to get ready for all the little boys and girls that are coming over. After that, we plan on collapsing for a nap. Sunday will bring Church and then Mother's Day events which will include a nice picnic at an undisclosed location and more napping.

My manager presented us with copies of a book that I'm just finishing reading..."Secrets of Great Rainmakers" by Jeffery Fox. Pretty good basic information on selling tips. The only parts I really don't like are the acknowledgements in the back. He gives a quick profile of each "rainmaker" who contributed to the book and it mentions only their business accomplishments. I am very interested in a man who has managed to accumulate and manage a solid godly family, along with his business accumen. That is the man at who's feet I long to sit at and learn from.

I have been involved in learning about several things of late. Making new friends and overcoming adversity to have that friendship continue. Finding out once again that the blood of Christ is more powerful and overcomes familial blood. The Brotherhood. Patience. Just because someone wears a uniform (of faith) of a certain kind, does not equate to their holding of the knowledge that goes with the position that the uniform represents. Humility with my wife and children. I am so blessed.

-The Arkanblogger

The Laws of God...Or The Age of Grace?

2006-04-06T18:21:00.000-05:00

I cannot count the number of times I've heard it said, "we're living in the age of grace now brother" or "we're New Testament Christians", with the implication that God's Laws are now thrown to the wind. If that it true, then what is our guide to life itself? Stop... and think about this for a moment. Which Laws? All Laws? The 10 commandments? Remember that there was differentiation between clean and unclean animals when God instructed Noah how to load the Ark. So, there were obviously Laws given before that time. How else would Noah have known what God was talking about? What about the sacrificial laws? Does God still require a sacrifice for sin? The Laws of cleanliness? The Laws of Theft and Restitution? I'm not even scratching the surface here... The food Laws? What about Peter's dream? Was that really an indication that "God declared all food clean?" Or was it hyperbolic? Given to Peter as an overstatement to make a much larger point to him? Did the physical characteristics that made a pig (I'm be picking on pigs for a moment here) bad for you, (according to a perfect Law given by a perfect God) change, the instant that Christ died on the cross. Did it happen when He was resurrected? Maybe when He ascended into heaven? Maybe not at all? Maybe a pig is still a pig. And maybe a pig is still not put here for you to eat, but for another purpose. God's purpose. Is everything that crawls, walks, flies, hops, slithers or swims now meant for human consumption by God's people? God's people who are to set themselves apart from the world. If God is the same, yesterday, today and forever, then how exactly is, what was many times declared perfect in the operating manual for God's set apart people, tossed out the door, under the guise of the law of Grace through Christ? Is grace a New Testament phenom? Was King David telling the truth when he wrote in Psalms 19:7, The Law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul." Maybe he was just lucky. Maybe the stars just lined up in the right direction for Noah and his family. How do we live as "Christians?" Some will say, "live as Christ did and follow his example". If Christ submitted to The Father's will on earth, does He still submit to Him, while sitting at His side? Is God still the Father here or is Christ now over God?

Maybe we're as stiff necked, rebellious, hard headed and blind to the truth as the Israelites of old. Maybe even more so. Maybe we have scales in our eyes twice as thick as Paul did and still we think we can see. I believe that we need to dust off and re-visit that foundation that trains us in obedience to our Father through Christ. That foundation is the bright lamppost of Gods Perfect Laws.

"See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you today, by loving the Lord your God, by walking in His ways and by keeping His commandments, His statutes and His rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take posession of it. But if your hearts turn away, and you will not hear but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them, I declare to you today that you shall surely perish."
-Deuteronomy 30:15-18 ESV

much more to come...plus your comments please

-The Arkanblogger

Recent Happenings

2006-04-04T19:31:00.000-05:00

It has been awhile since I last posted, actually, it has been awhile since anyone posted. So I thought that I would sit down and change the view on the blog a little bit. One small thing, you will (or should) note that the tool bar up on top is no longer the traditional blue, but black. I am not sure if anyone else will like that though. We also have a new link on our blog. It is to one of my dear friends blog who is new to the blogging network.

A lot of things have happened since I last posted. One of them being the play. First of all I will say that it was good experience. I missed not one line or cue (only a small number did) and only had one mishap. Luckily it was backstage where the only people to see it were two other fellow actors. I got a little too exited because it was closing night, and I had just said my last line. Who wouldn't be exited? Well, I briskly went to put my script up that I had been following along in, and as I went I tripped and did a lovely swan dive onto the ground. I made a loud crash and everyone came running. When I fell it didn't really hurt. Not even my pride. (I was too busy trying not to laugh very loud) So, over all it went well. I am glad that one is finally over and am really looking forward to the next one. I don't know what it is yet though. Hopefully a musical.

Another thing that happened was our choir trip. Caitlin, Elizabeth, myself, and 67 other choir members plus numerous adult sponsors and parents all went to Birmingham, Alabama, for a weekend of almost non-stop singing. We left early in the morning and rode on a big bus all the way. It was only around 4:30 when we pulled into the hotel parking lot. Before we walked in to the huge Baptist Church our choir director really stressed a few facts. He always says that you only get one chance to make a good first impression, so you should always be at your best. I think that is something that you can also apply to everyday life, just like the self-discipline that you gain from choir. Back on subject, I think we did a pretty good job of making a good impression. We had the second biggest choir there, the home being the largest. I believe that our choir was also the most prepared in more than one way. We owe that to our wonderful director. He does more than just teach us the music. He tells us to look at the words to what we are singing, so that we can sing them better from our hearts. Colossians 3:23 "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not men" is our guiding verse for our choir. Another thing that can and should be applied in everyday life. It reminded me this weekend to really push harder than ever to do my best. Especially when I got almost no sleep, and was losing my voice. So, before the grand concert, after a long weekend of rehearsal after long rehearsal, our choir director said to pray that the God fills us again, and helps us go on when we can't go it alone. I did, and when it came time to sing, I was able to sing with everything I had. Not for me, but for the Lord. It was an amazing experience. I am so blessed to know all of those people that went along with me. I know this is a little cliche', but it was one trip I don't think I will ever forget.

I have been noticing how there has been conversation on a few different theological subjects. I am anxious to join in to this especially since lately I have been researching one of those main topics. I apologize if this post was a bit too long and jumbled, I only had time for a spell check, and I really needed to do this in around three sittings. Thank you for your patience.

-Paige ;)

Pride and Prejudice

2006-03-24T08:51:00.001-06:00

UPDATE 3/25/06-From left to right, Mr. Darcy-played by Michael B., Mary Bennett-played by Paige, Mr. Bingley-played by Justin C., Hill (the Bennett's maidservant)-played by Elizabeth, Grace Long-played by Grace and Jane Bennett-played by Caitlin. All four of the girls are "Arkanblogettes". Both shows went off without a "hitch", except some of the guys were a little soft on their words the first night but MUCH better this afternoon. I never realized how much work goes into these productions until today. I stand amazed. Caitlin (Jane Bennett) got a beautiful bouquet of flowers and a nice plaque for being "Assistant Student Director". Grandfather J. has better pictures and we'll post some of those when he gets them to us. Click on the photo to make it larger. More later...

No, this is not a post on the pitfalls of being pridefull and prejudiced. The Arkanblogger household has been a whirlwind of activity this week in preparation for the stage play of Pride and Prejudice, which opens tonight at 7:00 and concludes with a second production, tomorrow at 2:30. All of our daughters have parts in the play and Mrs. Arkanblogger will be playing the wedding march on the piano (in fact, I can hear her now, practicing it downstairs). We have grandparents in from Montana to see the show and we hope to see the local contingent of other grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles and friends at the theatre this evening. I'll update this post with pictures and try giving a review of the play later on this evening.

See you at the show!

-The Arkanblogger

What Do We Believe...Pt. 2

2006-03-17T00:14:00.001-06:00

Well, I think I have it. Something basic that I have recited many times in my life, especially in my youth and is something that should I get confounded for some reason, I can easily come back to.

I also believe that we as a people tend to ignore most of God's Laws, which were written to give us instruction on how to live our lives and experience the fullness of God's order and blessings here on earth. I also believe that the Laws and the Prophets give meaning to the Lordship of Christ, as He was with us from the beginning. So many want to jump into New Testamentism without giving credence to the foundation established in the Laws and Prophets. I believe that my children need to nurture their foundation while continuing to search for the truth. So, The Apostles' Creed is an excellent foundational summation of what I believe. A little more in my next post.

The Apostles' Creed vs. Gnosticism
By James Kiefer, L-Soft list server at ASUACAD
CREED generally emphasizes the beliefs opposing those errors that the compilers of the creed think most dangerous at the time. The Nicene Creed, drawn up in the fourth century, is emphatic in affirming the Deity of Christ, since it is directed against the Arians, who denied that Christ was fully God. The Apostles' Creed, drawn up in the first or second century, emphasizes the true Humanity, including the material body, of Jesus, since that is the point that the heretics of the time (Gnostics, Marcionites, and later Manicheans) denied. (See 1 John 4:1-3)

The Apostles' Creed is as follows:
* I believe in God the Father Almighty,* Maker of Heaven and Earth,
The Gnostics held that the physical universe is evil and that God did not make it.
* And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, Our Lord,* Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,* Born of the Virgin Mary,
The Gnostics were agreed that the orthodox Christians were wrong in supposing that God had taken human nature or a human body. Some of them distinguished between Christ, whom they acknowledged to be in some sense divine, and the man Jesus, who was at most an instrument through whom the Christ spoke. They held that the man Jesus did not become the bearer or instrument of the Christ until the Spirit descended upon him at his baptism, and that the Spirit left him before the crucifixion, so that the Spirit had only a brief and tenuous association with matter and humanity. Others affirmed that there was never a man Jesus at all, but only the appearance of a man, through which appearance wise teachings were given to the first disciples. Against this the orthodox Christians affirmed that Jesus was conceived through the action of the Holy Spirit (thus denying the Gnostic position that the Spirit had nothing to do with Jesus until his Baptism), that he was born (which meant that he had a real physical body, and not just an appearance) of a virgin (which implied that he had been special from the first moment of his life, and not just from the baptism on.
* He Suffered under Pontius Pilate,
There were many stories then current about gods who died and were resurrected, but they were offered quite frankly as myths, as non-historical stories symbolic of the renewal of the vegetation every spring after the seeming death of winter. If you asked, "When did Adonis die, you would be told either, "Long ago and far away," or else, "His death is not an event in earthly time." Jesus, on the other hand, died at a particular time and place in history, under the jurisdiction of Pontius Pilate, Procurator of Judea from 26 to 36 CE, or during the last ten years of the reign of the Emperor Tiberius.
* was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into Hades.
Here the creed hammers home the point that he was really dead. He was not an illusion. He was nailed to a post. He died. He had a real body, a corpse, that was placed in a tomb. He was not merely unconscious — his spirit left his body and went to the realm of the dead. It is a common belief among Christians that on this occasion he took the souls of those who had died trusting in the promises made under the Old Covenant — Abraham, Moses, David, Elijah, Isaiah, and many others — and brought them out of the realm of the dead and into heavenly glory. But the creed is not concerned with this point. The reference to the descent into Hades (or Hell, or Sheol) is here to make it clear that the death of Jesus was not just a swoon or a coma, but death in every sense of the word.
* The third day he rose from the dead, he ascended into heaven,* and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.* From thence he shall come to judge the living and the dead.
* I believe in the Holy Ghost,* the holy catholic church,
The Gnostics believed that the most important Christian doctrines were reserved for a select few. The orthodox belief was that the fullness of the Gospel was to be preached to the entire human race. Hence the term "catholic," or universal, which distinguished them from the Gnostics.
* the communion of saints,* the forgiveness of sins,
The Gnostics considered that what men needed was not forgiveness, but enlightenment. Ignorance, not sin, was the problem. Some of them, believing the body to be a snare and delusion, led lives of great asceticism. Others, believing the body to be quite separate from the soul, held that it did not matter what the body did, since it was completely foul anyway, and its actions had no effect on the soul. They accordingly led lives that were not ascetic at all. Either way, the notion of forgiveness was alien to them.
* the resurrection of the body,
The chief goal of the Gnostics was to become free forever from the taint of matter and the shackles of the body, and to return to the heavenly realm as Pure Spirit. They totally rejected any idea of the resurrection of the body.
* and the life everlasting.

2006-03-16T22:38:00.000-06:00

Good evening everyone. Remeber that little green button that I encouraged you to click? Well, take a look at it now. It is a link (or at least it's supposed to be) to the newly launched web magazine called "Regenerate Our Culture" I highly recommend looking at it. Once more I am trying to get you to click that button. Not only is it something good to support, it is also great reading material. It is so important to support things that can help change our Un-Godly culture to something more Biblical! The reason that our culture is the way it is in the areas that need improvement is because Christains decide to sit back and let someone else do it. Well, I don't want to go on a rant on that topic. (I'll save that for another post where I ask your oppinion on a few things) Once more, please click on the link. Please?

Thank you :)

-Paige

Regenerate Our Culture

2006-03-13T22:06:00.000-06:00

Finally! After much frustration and messing with the template (I am not fond of HTML) we got the "Regenerate Our Culture" countdown button. We came upon this through the Rebelution blog of Alex and Brett Harris. I highly recommend it. Regenerate our culture is basically about exactly what it says it is. Agent Tim and Spunky jr. (two very good blogs) and two other awesome bloggers started it to "Regenerate Our Culture". We strongly encourage you to click on that little green button and read more about it (since I am at a loss for words at this moment). Really though, you the readers should get involved in this. It is a great opportunity to support something and make a difference. A good difference. So, click the button if you haven't already and get involved!

-Paige (moral support and some wording provided by Caitlin) :)

What Do We Believe?

2006-03-11T08:08:00.000-06:00

As we have become introduced to the blogosphere, I have paid particular attention to blogs done by young men and women (and some parents) who find it meaningful to include their position statement of faith on their site. I think that is admirable. It's like hanging it on your doorpost, so to speak. The paternal side of my family has a crest, which hangs on my father's wall. I plan to get a copy of it and put it on mine. This caused me to ask myself why I don't assign the same status to our family position of faith. So, as a family exercise, we'll be developing that position statement to hang on our wall at home and on our blog.

We know that at this point, with a little exception, only some of our family and friends make purposeful visits to our site and most of them...or should I say...most of YOU ;-) don't even really know what we believe. Maybe you don't see it as an issue or it could be that you're hesitant to ask, because you fear that the answer is not in line with your own set of beliefs. I'll just say for now that OUR faith is central to all that we do in our family. We do get sidetracked sometimes. It's called sin. But praise God for grace through Christ. We can see our error according to His laws. We repent, and come back inside the fences of God's truth and love.

So, once we post our statement, if you have questions, then please let us know. Let's discuss them carefully and not fall into blindly moving on without sound Godly reason. Remember the young newlywed, who' s husband asked her why she cut the ends off of the ham (obviously not an Israelite...maybe a wayward one) before she put it in the oven? She said it was because her mother had always done it. When the mother was asked, she said she was following grandmother's example. The young girl finally asked her elderly grandmother, who admitted that she could never fit the whole ham in the oven. Habit/Tradition/Circumstances.

Let there be Godly foundation to our reasoning. Let us not hold on to the traditions of men but rather search out these matters in the spirit of truth and rightousness in our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 3:9-KJV

"And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ"

-The Arkanblogger

Far From Home

2006-03-10T20:25:00.000-06:00

As mentioned in my last post, I recently had the displeasure and enlightenment of being in the Las Vegas area for 3 days and 3 nights. I was filled with apprehension before the trip, which I attributed to my loathing of just about any experience that is to include flying in a jet. But that was not the case. The flight out was tolerable. I got to see the Grand Canyon again, albeit from 38,000 ft. From where I sat, it looked like God had reached down and scratched his fingernail through the dirt a few times...creating just what he does. Perfection. We landed a short time later.

This was not my 1st visit, as my industry holds a nationwide market and convention there annually, which I was forced to attend for a number of years, due to my job. So the city and it's character, or lack thereof, was nothing new to me. I've even willingly taken a nighttime walk down the infamous strip, alone a few times in the past, just to get some air and enjoy getting out of the hotel for a bit. But this time, something was different.

Upon my arrival, I was struck mentally by several things. I was in a city of approximately 2 million people (according to my cab driver) that is jokingly referred to by many people as "sin city" or "lost wages." The current promotional ad campaign for Las Vegas is..."what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas", promoting lying, deceit and a myriad of other sin. Gambling is literally in your face from the time you walk off the plane at the airport until you get inside the elevator to go to the solitude of your room (and it does not stop there if you count the magazines and ads waiting for you just inside the door) which is for many visitors, perched atop a huge ground floor casino. Prostitution is legal....just down the road. There is much more to assault the senses and the soul, including a barrage of "shows" to see, many of which are of a sinful nature, in one form or another. As I rode in a cab or a shuttle from the hotel to our manufacturing facility or to the airport, I kept looking for a church there...anywhere. But I did not notice one. Maybe they are tucked in closer to the residential areas. I pray that they are.

I felt like I was in a warzone or an area that had been couquered and re-occupied by an enemy. Sadness, loneliness, grief, despair and anger were just a few of my emotions, after only 3 hours in the city. It would be easy to weep over it all. As the days passed, I became very aware of the desensitizing that takes place when one is exposed to all of this on a daily basis. Even so, I do not recall ever being so ready to leave a place as I was on Wednesday afternoon. As the airplane taxied down the runway, it dawned on me that I had been in a place where the many of the people seemed to have no fear of God. I wondered if they'd ever known Him. Had they and then turned away? I felt fear for the people and wondered if this was remotely like what Jonah experienced in Ninevah.

Tonight, as I sit in my chair, upstairs in the relative comfort of my bedroom, my precious family is only a staircase away. And I am so thankful for that. God brought me back home. I don't profess to know the sum of the parts, only some of the parts and I trust that He has a purpose for me here.

On the return flight, we had a bit of turbulence at about the halfway point. The sun was almost down to the west, just behind us and there was a large storm brewing just below the plane in New Mexico. I closed my eyes during the "air-bumps" and reminded myself that God is sovereign. Whether I'm in a metal tube at 35,000 ft., going 550 mph through a storm or in a hotel in a modern day Sodom and Gommorah or sitting in my bedroom in the Natural State...God is God. Las Vegas and the people in it belong to Him. They have their plans, but He has His. He is the One God. He is in authority. He is sovereign. And I will rest on that.

-The Arkanblogger

A Room With A View

2006-03-06T22:01:00.000-06:00

I'm looking out my newly installed bedroom window at the darkness of the evening. When daylight comes, from my desk, I'll be able to see the small grave of our dog Buddy down in the corner of the back lawn. Several small rocks outline it's perimeter.

Paige posted a little poem on our blog in his honor a few days before he died. I think she knew the end was near. I thought it was a good one, from her heart. And I have been so inspired tonight as well.

I was traveling last week to Las Vegas for a training session, when I received the phone call from Mrs. Arkanblogger, telling me that Buddy had apparently suffered some strokes, causing similar conditions to the ones he experienced a year ago. He had recovered from those, with a few lingering after effects. When I got back home later in the week and took a look at the shape he was in, it was clear to me that our dog's time here was done.

Even so, he belonged to us all and we gathered together as a family in our den to weigh the matter out. There were consequences either way and I wanted the children to take something away from this. I wanted them to know that they can't always just use circumstances as an excuse to get rid of a perceived problem in their lives. So we discussed it and were all in agreement to have him put down based on our veterinarian's assessment.

We went to the vet's office and said our goodbyes. Many tears were shed as we each got one last lick on the nose from the old boy. It was overwith quickly. He was buried before sundown the next day. A proper funeral for an Israelite pet. Christopher and I dug the grave and wrapped him in a white sheet. We each said a prayer of thanksgiving and Christopher tossed the first spade of dirt into the grave. He kept asking me, "is this what men do?" and I told him, "yes, son, it certainly is."

The next day, our entire family took a trip that we had previously planned to the Ozarks and as we were leaving, it was the first time in 12 years that we didn't check Buddy's water and food before we walked out the door. There's no more food and water dish in the laundry room. They were donated to the local animal shelter. Just an empty spot on the floor, where they used to sit. I stood and looked at the little spot where he slept, before I locked up the house and left. I thought about him on the drive to North Arkansas that evening, recalling his gentle nature. He never snapped at our children...or any other children in our home. Not once. He looked like a true "McTavish" with his long beard and argyle sweater on in the wintertime. He allowed all of our children to go to sleep with their heads on him from time to time and was patient with them when, as small children, they pet him a little too rough or tugged his ears out of playfulness.

Looking back, he had his faults too. Mainly being a male dog that, despite being "trained", liked to mark his territory in his master's home from time to time. Unfortunately for Buddy, his master was in the flooring business and paid particular attention to the carpeting. But, despite it all, I will miss the little grey guy.

He kept me company on a few long car trips and when all the Arkanblogger family, excepting he and I, went visiting to Montana a time or two. He sat on my lap and went to sleep many a time, while I was working at my desk. I tried to respect his "doghood" and on occasion, when no one was looking, I'd shake a squirrel out of a tree for him to stretch his legs on. Once I even let him out of the house to go after the neighborhood cat, as it tempted him by slouching past our front door one too many times. He looked like a cougar running after that thing. I knew he could never catch it. The cat was too agile and smart. But it was simply beautiful to watch the chase. He was doing what God made him to do best. Recalling that, always makes me smile and it's a mental picture that I'll hold onto.

So here's to Buddy the Wonderdog. May your feet be swift and the squirrels be a plenty.

-The Arkanblogger

Answers to the Random Questions

2006-03-05T16:02:00.000-06:00

Remove the blog in the top spot from the following list and bump everyone up one place. Then add your blog to the bottom slot, like so.
1) The Happy Feminist
2) Space Station Samara
3) Renewed Day by Day
4) Montana Maiden
5) The Arkanblogger Family
Select Five People to Tag
Uncle Mad
Jack the Builder
Joy
Anyone who feels compelled to do it :)

What were you doing ten years ago? I was living in Denver enjoying our big backyard that filled with snow (not ice). Christopher was not yet born so we were four sisters. I was also doing gymnastics. So much has changed since then.

What were you doing one year ago? I was meeting other home-educating families and making new friends. I was also finishing my first acting experience in Cheaper by the Dozen. I played an evil psychology teacher who strongly opposed home-education. I am glad that experience is over. Of course then I got to play a goose in Charlottes Web. Feathers and all. That part was more fun :)

Five snacks you enjoy
1) Any cookie as long as it has no raisins
2) Chocolate (not dark and no cherries)
3) Fresh fruit (no coconut)
4) French Vanilla Italian cream sodas and breve
5) Cheese (not spicy)

Five songs to which you know all the lyrics
1) Praise songs
2) A few David Crowder worship songs
3) Usually anything on the Christian radio station we listen to
4) Random movie songs
5) I really can't think of anything else

Five things you would do if you were a millionaire:
1) Donate to causes that glorify God and tithe
2) Buy a big piece of land and/or build a house that I designed
3) Make sure that my future is financially secure
4) Get an airplane and my pilots license
5) Get a car (preferably a VW bug or a mini cooper)

Five Bad Habits
1) Talking too quietly
2) Playing with my hair
3) Starting sentences with "like" and "and" when I write
4) Forgetting to put lids back on things (not in the kitchen, thankfully)
5) I'm sure there's another one...

Five things you like doing
1) Writing (poetry, blogging, etc.)
2) Doing flips and teaching others to do them
3) Singing, playing piano, and guitar
4) Cooking [mainly desserts :)]
5) Painting of almost any sort

Five things you'll try not to wear again
1) too short pants
2) too small shoes
3) heavy earrings
4) too short shirts
5) A light softer green that makes me look seasick

Five Favorite Toys
1) Piano and Guitar
2) Roller ball pens that make ink drips when they touch the paper
3) laptop
4) 4-wheelers (the smaller ones)
5) journals

I thought I would do this since nobody else had yet, but other people might also do it later.

-Paige

2006-02-28T09:48:00.000-06:00

Hello again! Thank-you so much Paige for the comment! Since it was my first. I want to write what I remember from our church bullitin. paraphrase: It's strange how boring one chapter of thw Bible is yet how we can't put down a popular book. It's strange how 20 dollars seem so much when we give it to the church but how little it is when we go shopping. It's strange how we can't think of a word to say in prayer, yet how easy it is to spread gossip. It's strange, isn't it? I'll get the whole text next time. It was a thought provoker. As I read it, the word GUILTY ran through my haed. And even though it convicted me, it shed light on the things I need to change. So the saying is true: "No pain, no gain!"

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha,

Major LOL
aka:Charne
aka:Strawberry Shortcake

Buddy

2006-02-27T09:04:00.000-06:00

This is a poem that I wrote about our dog Buddy. The grammar may be a little off here and there (microsoft word said once) but I felt the need to get something on the blog since I haven't in awhile. Enjoy!

He didn’t used to be crooked
He was actually quite solid
With perked up ears and wagging tail
He loved as most dogs did

His fur is grey and soft
His eyes a deep cocoa brown
His claws go click on the ceramic floor
I smile when I hear the sound

I remember when we first saw him
And his brother too
Mom and Dad only wanted one dog
But we ended up having two

Not long later we lost a dog
That bit the neighbor and ran
He met his end brutally
Playing catch me if you can

So the dog that we ended up keeping
Was the one we had not planned on
But he still remained happy
Even with his brother gone

As the years went by he killed some mice
And a few squirrels and too
Chased some cats and momma possums
Even went after a raccoon

He always loved attention
As he still does now
He would jump up and nudge your hand
Then we told him to get down

As the years have gone by
Dad has tried to get rid of him
He returned faithfully as good dogs do
Though Dad might try again

Now he is old and deaf in both ears
And blind in his right eye
He walks tilted over with a wobbly step
But his spirits seem rather high

Now as I remember the times that we’ve had
I don’t think that I regret them
He nuzzled up when I was sad
I know I will never forget him

Now there is more to the story than that. For instance, when Dad tried to get rid of him he ran away from the person we gave him to, was found, and returned to us with a St. Patricks day bandana on. Now he is around seventeen years old (very old for a dog) and so far doing OK. I wonder if he will get to be twenty. Well, that's all for now.

-Paige

2006-02-24T21:47:00.000-06:00

Hello my favorite adopted family! Questions, questions. Everyone has questions but who has answers? If Adam never sinned, would we still live in a garden? Do spirits sleep? Where did Cain get his wife? Did dinosaurs really exist? Is fusion a future energy that will be used? There are complicated questions and simple questions. Simple questions being like, What will I have lunch?(even though it can become complicated) But one question everybody asks is, Why am I here? What is my purpose? Why is there life? Evolution doesn't give a very good answer. Being created by chance gives me the feeling of unwantedness.Unneeded.A mistake. I did a Bible study on my existence and found that I here because God WANTED me. He wanted a family. He created man so that he could share His very nature with someone. and if that isn't enough, He sent His son,Jesus, to die for us. He didn't give up on us when we made a mistake. He, instead, took that mistake and bore it Himself. Instead of giving up on us,He provided an escape lamb to redeem us. If your going through a tough time and you can't see how He's helping, all I can say is don't give up on Him. He didn't give up on youand He won't. So just chillax(chill and relax). God knows what He's doin'. If your unsure about my integrity and truth in this note,ask Him yourself. Call 1-800-YOU-PRAY or www.Yaweh.com Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!

Live,Love,Laugh
Charne
P.S(Hey Big Sis! I pushed the orange button!)

A Little Help From Our Friends

2006-02-23T17:53:00.000-06:00

Ok, Mrs. Arkanblogger is wondering why no comments have been made to her one and only post, which only took place at the threat of Buddy the Wonderdog's untimely demise. I told her that there was a possibility that she was un-inspiring. Then I saw that there were no comments on my last 2 posts. "Hello pot, it's the kettle calling". We know that we don't have much of a following yet but we need some encouragement here...Somebody throw us a bone!

You all that read us and don't have a username and password, go to blogspot.com and get one. There is no fee, you do not have to give your real name, you don't have to set up a blog, and a government employee, sporting a medium grey polyester suit and dark sunglasses won't come knocking on your door because of it. Well, we hope they won't anyway.

A little conversation please?

-The Arkanblogger

The Dog Must Be Dead

2006-02-21T23:38:00.000-06:00

The dog must be lying dead in his bed downstairs as I type this, since it was predicted this evening that he would die before I, Kathryn, posted something on this blog. And since it is my Husband's fondest wish that the dog not be with us here on the earth anymore, here I go. If you're wondering who I am, I'm the Mother of the 5 young Arkanbloggers and the wife of The Arkanblogger. I'm also headmistress of our homeschool, a piano teacher, and after the past few days of flu, root canals and bronchitis I might be Florence Nightingale re-incarnated. Things always happen to our family when an ice storm makes it's way to our city. This last weekend, it was the above mentioned ailments. The last ice storm, which happened over the Christmas 2004 holiday, Mr. Arkanblogger got an infection that caused his throat to swell so much his airway was restricted. As it got worse, and realizing that an ambulance would probably not make it to our house if I called, I got a doctor from a local emergency room on the phone, explained the problem, and was told to give him 1/4 cup of benadryl and keep him upright, since people have died from this problem. Have you ever given anyone a 1/4 cup of Benadryl, then asked them to stay awake, much less upright? It was an interesting night, let me tell you.

But on a joyful note, our dear friends who had been waiting to adopt an infant brought a precious baby girl home last Thursday. She is an answer to many prayers. We've seen pictures of her but not the real thing yet, since we don't know what wonderful ailments we might be harboring that we could pass on to her, so we are waiting impatiently for good health before we go and visit the beautiful gift from God. Besides the fact that her new protective Daddy, knowing our health status, wouldn't let us get within a city block of her. It reminds me of some video we have when our oldest, Caitlin was born. Family was visiting us in the hospital the night after she was born, and my dear protective husband made all of them put on a hospital gown and rub disinfecting foam all over any exposed skin on their body that might come in contact with his new little princess. They all patiently complied with his request for the privilege of holding the first grandchild born on his side of the family, at least while he was taping them. Who knows what they said when they left the hospital room. I imagine they wondered if hospital gowns and disinfectant were going to be standard procedure and then, for how long.

The real reason I haven't posted is mainly the speed and frequency with which my everyday life happens. I'm sure with practice I'll become more proficient and prolific with my postings, and much quicker too, so bear with me. I feel pretty inadequate after visiting some other home school mom's blogs, and realize what alot of catching up I have to do. Right now, bed is calling loudly, so until next time............God Bless.
Kathryn

The Real Thing

2006-02-21T17:56:00.002-06:00

Taken from the beach, directly behind the resort in Cabo San Lucas, looking toward the East in the morning. Shot from the same beach, but looking to the south a bit. We actually had an option to play the golf course that's in view, which would have required taking out a second mortgage on our home and a trip to the Oral Roberts prayer tower to pay for it. So, we just looked at it from a distance and took a picture for free instead. We had the vantage point of being just barely on the inside of the Sea of Cortez on the tip of the Baja peninsula. A long way from the old Arkanblogger homestead.
This was snapped (the photo, not the flower) on a stroll to the beach in the courtyard behind the resort we were staying in. Mrs. Arkanblogger ('a tip of the hat') has always had an eye for capturing the details on our journeys.

After reading a recent blogworthy post by our friend Bryce (you can go to his blog by linking at the top right of this page), I decided to post these pictures, though a few months dated, as a reminder that only God is the great artist. Even the impressionists, such as Claude Monet (whose work is displayed in our home) could only put their "spin" on what already existed. The same rules apply to photographers. Ansel Adams could only capture stark black and white versions of time and space, that had already been created in the glory of color that they were intended to be seen in. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate art and am thankful for the good folks stationed around the globe for taking that allow us visions of places we would not otherwise have an opportunity to visit and lay our own eyes upon. But I will always have a deeper appreciation for the originals and the One who created them.

Romans 1:19-32
19 Since what can be known about God is evident among them, because God has shown it to them. 20 From the creation of the world His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what He has made. As a result, people are without excuse.

Just a reminder to the unfamiliar...you may click on the pictures to make them larger. Enjoy.

-The Arkanblogger

Fears (In a lighthearted way).

2006-02-18T22:49:00.000-06:00

One of the greatest fears I have ever had to get over, is that of a blank white rectangle of space on our computer screen under these little tabs labeled Posting and Create. But the final cold shiver that races down my spine is caused by a little orange button at the bottom labeled Publish Post (shudder). My favorite easy out, a blue one next to it labeled Save as Draft ;~) Hello to all of you who have been asking where I have been and why I haven't been posting anything on our blog. Which is mostly dominated by my father and younger (but slightly taller than I) sister, with some excellent posts by them. I finally decided to go ahead, face up to my fears, and publish a post on our blog. [This is now your cue to, A) faint. B) dance a jig. C) smile and nod as you continue to read...] I will be posting current books, chapters, and thoughts as soon as I am reading again, "Henry and the Great Society" being first on my list. ( Thank you very much Grandmother and Grandfather!) Well, morning is catching up with me and pretty much every church service in Arkansas is canceled due to the panicky populous, so Sunday will (hopefully) be a day of rest both spiritually and physically. A rather short post but I hope you will forgive me being as the hour is late. Now, off to face my orange nightmare!

God bless,
Caitlin

A Root Canal

2006-02-17T21:15:00.000-06:00

"Second door on the left", I heard her say
As I entered the building
The tiny room was brightly lit
And decorated with a sterile touch
Leaving a large white chair to sit all alone
Though it looked comfortable enough,
Even reclining at a nice sleepy angle
I placed my hand on the narrow armrest,
Slowly easing myself down into a restful position

Once settled in, I looked up
And noticed that, directly in front of me,
hanging on the wall, was an unusual painting
I patiently took notice of the details in the artist’s rendering of
A window in twilight
The panes of glass were bathed in soft shade,
Reminding me of the half-light of a late summer evening

As I closed my eyes
My hearing became heightened
And I was bathed in silence,
But for a soft word or two of counsel in the background
Then the intrusion began

The event was well calculated, swiftly executed
And was carried out by a team of two,
Whom I saw out of the corners of my eyes
Their faces were covered with masks,
Obviously to hide their identities
I overheard one calling out precise direction in a pleasant voice,
With the other following the commands in quiet obedience

The leader began to display odd motions of picking, tugging and drilling
"the right tool for the right job", I heard one say
Instruction continued to be given and received in short intervals

Taking all this in,
I took pause and swallowed hard
As a feeling of helplessness swept over me

My mind raced
My pulse quickened
My feet shifted back and forth,
Rubbing against each other in nervousness,
Causing my shoelaces to come untied

I heard hushed conversation,
Of measurements in small fractions and irrigation
Wanting desperately to speak but unable,
I wondered to myself,
What was this dastardly plot?
I wrung my hands in silence,
In an attempt to keep them warm
And tried not to be noticed

Time was passing in stop motion,
As I tried to distance myself from the activity around me
Then…it stopped

The only noise was that of quiet admonition
And the slight ringing in my ears

Taking notice that I was alone, I rose up in a quick
And moved quietly down a long narrow hallway,
Pausing only briefly to pay homage and deliver my toll to the gatekeeper

Finally, I put my hand on the doorknob and turned the handle
To make my escape
And a voice from behind me said,
"We'll see you again on Monday the 6th at 9:00"

-The Arkanblogger

(This little effort was inspired by today's visit to Dr. Wendell Thompson's office and his valiant and successful effort to save my molar from extinction. I highly recommend he and his excellent staff.)

A Canceled Weekend...

2006-02-17T18:17:00.000-06:00

"Two inches of ice!" That is what I heard today. The weather man predicted snow, sleet, freezing rain, and freezing temperatures for this weekend. Well, from what I saw on the radar and from what I saw outside, I don't think that the weather man is completely accurate. But my opinion is not shared. People flocked to every store stocking up on bottled water, candles, food, and whatever else they might need if we lose power. The electric company went around trimming branches here and there making trees look a bit crooked, but lowering the risks of a branch falling on a power line. It's the latest subject to talk about. There went my weekend.

First I found out that all basketball and cheer leading were canceled. I volunteer coach for Upward, and coaching those little girls is one of the highlights of my weekend. Second of all, play practice for Pride and Prejudice was canceled. I was really looking forward to that. Especially since performance is coming up soon. Our singing at church on Sunday might be canceled. All because people think that Jack Frost is on his way.

I could go on for a long time talking about snow and Arkansas but I am sure that most of you know how it goes. It's times like this I miss living in Denver. Life went on when the snow came down you could sled on real snow, not ice. I hope that your weekend goes as planned and very smoothly at that. Right now I am not quite sure about mine. I'll post more as long as we don't lose our power :)

Paige ;)

The Guitar ;)

2006-02-11T22:34:00.000-06:00

That's it. An Ovation model CK047-5F Celebrity with a built in tuner and amplifier plug. Compliments of Grandfather. (Thank you very very very very much Grandfather!) It's story is an interesting one too. Here, let me tell it to you.

I was first introduced to the Ovation Guitars by my cousin Justin. He knows a lot about guitars and said this kind was good. I was particularly fond of the rounded back on the guitar. So I started looking. I was with my Mom and little brother out to get piano books for one of my Moms students and had not planned on finding a guitar. So we went inside and Christopher and I went one way while my Mom went to the books. First we looked at the Red Piano. It was beautiful. A player baby-grand piano that you could play on too. Not to mention that it could also record and came with two remote controls. And the price for this piano was...60,000 dollars. That's just the baby. You can pay and extra 40,000 to get the real grand piano. Since we already have a wonderful baby-grand, and Christopher wanted to look elsewhere, we left the piano room and headed to the acoustic instrument room.

As we walked in the door I saw it hanging there. On a tree of Ovation guitars was this one. Black and sparkling. It was perfect. The salesman came in and we talked for awhile, I played it some, then I liked it even more. The salesman said that it was a last years guitar, so the price was a lot lower than it was normally. An interesting thing happened after the salesman left the room to get a correct price on the guitar. A tall man with a tan cowboy hat walked in and picked up a guitar. He played three songs for Christopher and I. One of them sounded like a song that a cowboy would sing by the campfire under the stars. A nice experience. After he left Christopher plucked a banjo (a whole other story) then I went and found my Mom. She came and looked at the guitar then talked to the salesman. He set the guitar aside for us and then we left. We called my other cousin who also knows a lot about guitar and said we were getting a great deal. The salesman said we could have the guitar with new strings and a hard shell case for a low price. And the guitar is good quality too. I called Grandfather and told him.

The next day I got to go pick it up. I was so exited! My Mom, Christopher, Elizabeth, Grace, Caitlin, and I all went into the music store to get it. Mom talked to the same salesman about home-education. He seemed to think that home-educators do not get to socialize very much. I would beg to differ. I think the kind of socializing he was referring to was a kind that we can live without. That is also something for another post though. Since I got the guitar I have not wanted to put it down. My fingers get sore every now and then. I also learned some new things. Like how to hold the guitar, that the F major chord is very painful, and that I should learn palm muting. Or I think that's what it it called. I want to continue to learn more chords and songs. It does help that I already learned the piano. I am so blessed to have a guitar. Elizabeth and Grace have been playing a bit on it too. Who knows, maybe we'll all learn.

Well, that is my story about how I got the guitar. Thank you SO much Grandfather! I will try and post tomorrow. Now I have to go journal then get to sleep. I will try and post something tomorrow.

Paige :)

A Position Statement With High Purpose

2006-02-11T20:08:00.000-06:00

It's a rare thing to be asked why we decided to take the road of Home Education with our children. Most folks just politely nod their head and respond with, "that's interesting". Many have responded by asking the age old question, "how are your children socialized?"

I recently came across an article by Gregg Harris, who probably needs no introduction with many of the home school crowd but for those not familiar, he and his wife are considered pioneers in the home education movement as it is known today. The following article, written by Mr. Harris, expresses one of the strongest position statements on the merits of home educating one's children, that I have ever heard or read. For me, as a father, whose choice and privilege it is to home school, it is quite inspiring and I thank our Father in Heaven for men such as Mr. Harris. Would that all fathers be so focused on the raising of their children through the inspiration of our God through Christ Jesus. In this regard, Mr. Harris practices what he preaches. To read and enjoy the article click on this link:
http://www.hofcc.org/articles.php?articleID=42

That's Snow In Them There Fields

2006-02-10T20:06:00.000-06:00

Never try and take your own picture. I was trying to concentrate and stuck my tongue out, as my son does when he's playing basketball. It's obviously a man-trait from my dad's side of the family. And that's not dandruff on my sweater. It's snow!!! There I was in the mid-afternoon, dutifully working away on the phone and using my battlescarred, yet trusty Dell laptop, sitting in my wholesaler's office, on the outskirts of the city, when low and behold, the white stuff began to fall. Thinking quickly and on my feet (as opposed to pondering and sitting comfortably in a chair), I wanted to get myself in the photo as proof that it actually happened, so I snatched up the digital camera and moved swiftly (yes, I often do that as well) from the office to the window in the conference room. Realizing that I was alone in the building, I had no choice but to take the shot. I briefly considered holding today's newspaper up as more proof that it was a "local scoop" but I feared that the paper would block the view of the snow. So, I held the camera steady, then CLICK. OUCH! MY TONGUE IS BLEEDING!!!

Local meteorologists all predicted the event, yet, I believe most of the residents of Arkansas still thought it was nuclear fallout. Maybe even a sign of the end of the world. Even I began to wonder (as I often do) if I would be........"left behind?!" Kidding. They know exactly what it is. Which is precisely why the schools shut down at the very notion of snow and the masses flock to their local grocer, on a frenzied mission to wipe out the inventory of sugar, milk and bread for fear of being trapped at home for days with no staple items. Can you imagine living for 24 hours without your normal intake of hormones, steroids, processed sweets and preservatives? YIKES!

About two hours into the white out, I received a call from a relative in a nearby town who excitedly told me, through an intermittent signal and fuzzy transmission on a cell phone (caused no doubt by the anomalic weather), that there was "blizzarding" going on where he was, some 60 miles southeast of my exact location. Now...I've lived in Colorado and traveled the highways and byways of Wyoming, Western Nebraska and South Dakota in the wintertime and I know "blizzarding" when I see it. And let me tell you that this was no "blizzarding".

But it was SNOW. Large, moist flakes of pure white snow, falling gently in the quiet of a Friday afternoon in the country. It was exciting and it was...Beautiful.

-The Arkanblogger

Good Evening To All

2006-02-06T22:42:00.000-06:00

Hello once again everyone! It has been a lovely evening tonight. The main event was our choir rehearsal. My sisters and I are in a youth choir at a church nearby. But there is something that sets this choir apart from all other youth choirs. Our director is constantly pushing us to NOT sound like a youth choir. He wants us to sound mature. He also does not tolerate any sort of horse play, bad posture, disrespect, or laziness. That is what makes it so enjoyable. When everyone is striving to be the best they can be it sounds so good. What makes it better is that when we sing, we are not singing to just please our coaches or our director, we are singing to please God.
My main reason for blogging tonight was to ask for comments on what topics you would like to see written about. Or any other sort of comment. I would love to hear from anyone who reads this. At present I am not quiet sure who all of you are though. I might ask for your opinion on a few things later on too. Hope you have a blessed week.

Paige :)

A (very) Late Post

2006-02-05T23:46:00.000-06:00

Hello everyone! It's late so I have to make it short. As you know today was the Super Bowl. Well, I am not a fan of football because personally I don't see much of a point in it and don't understand it well. But occasionally I do cheer for the Broncos since we lived in Denver.
Today we started out with the Souper Bowl. That's what our Church does every Super Bowl Sunday. We try and have each member of the congregation bring a can of soup or a dollar and we donate it to our local Ministries food pantry. This year we had the best turnout ever. Over four-thousand cans and dollars. We then went as a group and took the food to the food pantry at the ministry and unloaded and sorted it, for which the ministry was very grateful.
Later today we headed over to our friends house and gathered together with other home-educators to watch the Super Bowl. Or at least that was what was planned. The only people actually watching the game were the Dad's. Including mine, which is different since he usually doesn't watch football. But tonight he actually watched the whole game. He called it "male bonding". I ended up having great fellowship playing games and talking with all of the other people who didn't watch the game either.
When we got home I called my Grandfather and we talked for awhile. Grandmother talked for a bit too. I can't wait until December when we get to go skiing with them. I heard there is snow on the ground there. It hasn't been very cold here lately. Just last week if the grass had been green we could have played golf. I really love Montana. The mountains are so beautiful. I could live without all the cold though.
This is where I will end tonight. It is a lot more than I planned on writing. But then again, that is how it usually turns out. Once again I find myself so thankful. For all of the families we spent time together with, my Grandparents, my family, and so much more. It would take a very long post to list all of the things I am thankful for. God has blessed my family and I so wonderful. Have a lovely Monday! I will try and get my next post up sooner and apologize for the wait.

-Paige :)

Are You Oursourcing Your Parental Responsibilities?

2006-01-27T01:00:00.000-06:00

It's very late and while trying to read myself to sleep, I just came across the attached article on spunkyhomeschool.blogspot.com

It's a strong statement, with truths that will cause many folks to become uncomfortable upon reading them. What do you think?

Outsourcing Parenthood
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Edwonk (one of my favoritie Edubloggers) had a post today about how the schools that use the National School Lunch Program will be required to have a "student wellness policy". He reminded us that just about every school in the United States uses this program. So they will all have to come up with a plan to curb childhood obesity and improve wellness. USDA spokeswoman Jean Daniel said the plan is necessary because,
We all realized we're seeing overweight and obesity in children, and we realized there was a role schools could play in helping with the problem,". There was a similar story almost a year ago that prompted me to write a post called Outsourcing Parenthood. It's been a while since I posted this. But I like to rerun it every once in a while as a reminder of how we got to the point where the schools are now developing "student wellness"policies.

Outsourcing Parenthood

A few months ago a mother came to me all excited. She began to tell my about an experience she had in her daughter's elementary school. It was around Christmas and her daughter came home from school telling her mom all the wonderful stories her teacher had been reading to her. Sadly, the daughter lamented however, none of the stories were about the real meaning of Christmas. The daughter asked her mother if she could come to her class and read to her a story from their shelf about the birth of Jesus. The mother thoughtfully replied that she would love to but that she would have to check with the teacher. The daughter seemed satisfied. The mother approached the teacher about the matter. The teacher told her that any extra reading material had to be cleared by the principal. The mother appealed to the principal who then consulted with a guideline for reading. After a short wait the mother was granted her request on the grounds that the birth was historical in nature. The mother was thankful. Not wanting to burst her enthusiasm I told her how glad I was that she was able to read to the children. The mother's excitement puzzled me. Why would a mother seek the authority of someone else to read a book to her child and the classroom? The answer is obvious, of course. The mother was not the authority in the classroom. This is as it should be. The mother is not there every day and the teacher must keep control of the room and the principal must keep control of the school. The mother rightly sought their approval because that is the system that she submitted to when she allowed her daughter to attend. The question is, why would a mother knowingly yield her authority to someone else to the point where a simple request for a story would require the approval of three others? Simply stated, the mother has outsourced her parenting. We heard alot about outsourcing jobs in the last election. Everybody was worried about the number of jobs moving overseas. Yet, a bigger problem is brewing right here in the US. We are outsourcing parenthood. Parents are knowingly giving the job of raising their children over to another. No parent would readily admit this of course. But the increased reliance on day care, before school, and after school programs demonstrates something else. We want the schools to provide nurtritious lunches without ever thinking we should pack the child one ourselves. We want the schools to bus our children to school without ever thinking that we could drive them ourselves. There are companies that will send a day care provider (paid for by the company) to the house when a child is ill so that mom can still go to work. On the weekend, daycares will provide overnight care so that the parents can go out on a date or catch up on house work.

When I was growing up we all went home for lunch. Then the schools began to take on that responsibility. The parents were thankful. Then the schools began to provide clinics. The parents were thankful. Then the schools began to teach health. The parents were thankful. The schools began to teach sex education. The parents were thankful. The schools began to parent for them. The parents were thankful.

The educational establishment is no longer bashful about becoming the parent. Consider the bills just introduced in Rhode Island, that would "require school districts receiving state aid to include in their plans strategies to decrease obesity and improve health and wellness of students." Since when did obesity become a school issue? When the parents began to outsource parenthood that's when. And just what does "improve health and wellness" mean? It doesn't matter, the parents are thankful. It is one less worry for them.

The schools are not the only arena that parents have outsourced their parenthood. We don't want the inconvenience of monitoring our children's viewing habits so we expect others to rate the shows for us and then we will decide based on their standard. Nevermind that their standard is not ours. They saved us the time necessary to do it ourselves. We feel good that we have done something and we are thankful. We rely on internet filters to strain out the filth from our computers. Sure they miss some things that we wouldn't approve of but we're willing to make the trade off for the convenience of not having to monitor ourselves. We can go on with our own business because someone else is "parenting" the children and we are thankful. Don't misunderstand, I am not saying that these things are not helpful. But we have come to rely on others rather than God amd His standard to define parenting and the standards by which we raise our children. As a Christian, I am called to a higher standard. God has given me these children and I take that responsibility seriously. Society may make it easy to oursource parenthood but God will still hold me accountable. Related Tags: parenting, homeschooling, public schools, education, school lunch program, children
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New Beginnings

2006-01-24T23:15:00.000-06:00

As promised, the color has changed, along with the name. Over the next couple of days, you'll see more posts from the other members and maybe some new photos. Mrs. Arkanblogger and I had a planning and goal meeting for 2006 over Barbeque today at lunch and we may get into that on the blog as well. Hi to our Alaskan friends! We read your e-mail and I have to tell you that if I had an entire year to work on it, that I could not write a story as funny as the one that you all lived during your travel over the Christmas break. Nice to see and hear that you're back safely among the Polar Bears. More tommorrow.

-The Arkanblogger

Internet Without a Leash and How to Get Control of Your Television

2006-01-16T23:00:00.000-06:00

Sitting here, I was just struck by the notion that I have been posting on a pink blog site, that was chosen to help frame and reflect the thoughts coming from Kathryn and our daughters. As I write this, I've made the decision to make this little site a bit more "family-centric", where we can all contribute as a family (Dad and Christopher have some thoughts to share as well), so expect a name change on the page soon and though we're outnumbered by three, Christopher and I will respectfully suggest that we make a subtle move away from the color of pink to a nice traditional camouflage. When you wish, wish big.

After many months of pleading and positioning from my dear wife and children, I finally did the unthinkable tonight, by purchasing a wireless router and cards for the home pc and laptop. As it was, unless I was home with my work laptop, they were without internet access, unless they submitted to using dialup, as our "homeputers" have no DSL ports. So, after the purchase was made, our good friend, Justin offered to come and do the set-up, during which time he had the unique experience of talking with a tech support fellow that was...well, let's just say that he was not from America and I'll bet you an ear of corn that the name Bob or Bill isn't anywhere in his family tree. After some painful conversation regarding password resets and the like, we were finally set free from the tethers of cables and ports. Thanks Justin! Janice and the girls will serve dinner and your favorite dessert at your convenience.

Speaking of cable, we are about to quit television, as we know it. About 3 years ago, we called to fire the cable company and go back to "rabbit ears". Upon hearing us give the order to flip the big switch, the cable folks let us know that they had a "basic" package that would run only $11.00 a month. We caved in and took the deal, if only to have a clear picture of the news and weather. Well, the time has come to say goodbye to the cable folks for good. There is a company on the internet called "Cleanflicks" that edits the "questionable content" from movies and according to the aforementioned Justin's parents, "Cleanflicks" does a masterful job. I only wish they could edit out all the propaganda as well. But that would make for some pretty short movies right? We'll try refocusing that $11.00 a month on a few movies and give it a whirl. Expect a firsthand report from one of us, after the first movie or two.

Well, it is late and all's quiet now. Kathryn, along with the bedtime brigade are fast asleep. The rain is gently pitter-pattering on the bedroom window, as it does only in the South. Somehow, rain loses it gentleness above the Mason-Dixon line. I have to gig all our northern friends and family whenever I get the opportunity.

It's so peaceful to sit here in the darkness and reflect on the day. I'm thankful to our Father for times such as these and now, it is time for me to join the sleepy troops.

-The Arkanblogger

Evening Reflections

2006-01-15T22:48:00.001-06:00

I love my family. It's 10:46 in the evening and the lights are out in our home. As I sit, typing this on my laptop, I can hear my older 2 girls talking quietly in their bedroom, which I actually encouraged them to do tonight. I am so thankful that they are close. They do share a room, as do our younger 2 daughters, so personal space is limited. However, Kathryn and I were convicted earlier in life to have them grow to support each other and not fall into the traps of jealousy and "sibiling rivalry" that so many siblings do. I have told them many times that their friendship and support would help to carry them through the rest of their lives, as long as they nurtured it. And we are so thankful that they have and continue to do exactly that, with the older ones setting the example for the younger 3. Our home is so full of blessings and our Father continues to amaze me daily, pouring out His love on our family. At times, I am overwhelmed by His grace, though I do not understand it and I certainly do not deserve what He has layed before me. I pray that my words don't seem small, pitiful and redundant and I give Him the glory and praise, for they are most certainly His.

-The Arkanblogger

Birthdays and Friends

2006-01-13T23:09:00.000-06:00

Today was a tiring but great day. It was our good friend's 16th birthday party. Her family is military, so her party was on base and after a bit of asking officers questions, we made it on. At the gathering, there were people from our home-education support group and a few people I had never met before. I always enjoy meeting people who share our common beliefs about family, among other things. One thing I really love about our friend's family is how close they are as a unit. They had extended family there helping to get everything ready and celebrate with them. Just being around them all, you can tell how much they love and support each other. I am so blessed to have friends like that in my life. Two major benefits of having friends like that is that you can build each other spiritually and have more people to hold you accountable. That is about all for tonight.

-Paige

Keeping Good Company

2006-01-12T23:26:00.000-06:00

This little jewel was taken during a recent visit to The University of Missouri at Columbia. The picture is courtesy of "Uncle Paul", who is on staff there. Our girls and their cousins were having a bit of fun with the mascot. Another great family trip in the books. By the way, you can make the picture larger by clicking on it.

-The Arkanblogger

A Picture of Us

2006-01-12T22:23:00.000-06:00

Alright, after about 24 hours we finally got a picture of us posted. This evening, our dad was reading to us from some posts off of rebelution.blogspot.com on the "Myth of Adolescence." Our dad reading to us is a normal occurrence in our home now and each time he reads, I learn something new or my eyes are opened to something different. Tonight I was reminded of how much God has blessed my family and I. Being in a large family and being able to be home-educated are things I will always be thankful for.

-Paige

We Have Arrived...With Our Dad's Permission Of Course

2006-01-11T21:57:00.000-06:00

Warm greetings from the South to all our likespirited and future converted bloggers. We are currently under construction and look forward to having all this sorted out in short order. Please bear with us...