What I did on my Summer Vacation...

Livin' large in South Lake Tahoe!
(Taken August 2008)

CLICK HERE for (less-incriminating) photos :-)

Sophia Sings!

Books I've Been Reading... (Ric)

Click the pix for more info...

"Mothers Health?"

I think that the sub-issue of abortion-in-case-of-mother’s-health, while specifically valid, is generally less-than-consequential. At worst, the caveat of keeping abortion legal for “mother’s health” is a smoke screen and a slippery slope toward catastrophe for any society.

First of all, who defines “health?” Emotional? Spiritual? Physical? Social? I guarantee that while the primary answer may begin as “clearly physical,” those who want to keep their “options open” and their responsibilities limited will continually re-define the “mother’s health” until it means something more akin to “mother’s well-being” or “mother’s choice.” This “pragmatic redefinition” is an undeniable precedent among those who devalue human life, as is the custom of those who subscribe to the ideology that humanity has evolved by chance, not by divine design in maturity, completion and excellence.

Second, I would bet all I have on the assertion that the ratio of “mother’s health” abortions to “don’t want a baby” abortions is inconceivably low. The number of what I’ll refer to as “opt-out” abortions has reached (and continues to surpass) staggering proportions in America, let alone the world. Over 48 million. Simply unimaginable. That is eight times the estimated number of Jews (and others) executed in the Holocaust by Hitler – a disciple, as it were, of Darwinist “Natural Selection” ideology. Now, the world collectively said, “Never again” about such atrocities – and yet it continues, with no signs of slowing, unless legislation changes. This number has reached these proportions because the practice was first legalized, then “socialized.” (And this figure merely represents the “documented” instances.) The goal of radically reducing this statistic must include alterations to current legislation, at the federal level, and go on to include preemptive and restorative educational and social actions.

Finally, make no mistake that, as I asserted in a conversation you and I had several years ago, humankind has a “lover of the soul” (our Savior) and an “enemy of the soul” (satan, “the accuser”/ “destroyer”). I believe that the enemy laughs at and scorns us before God, for the fact that this unprecedented infanticide continues unabated. As a human who survived gestation because my mother chose to keep me (though I was pre-Roe-v.Wade), I am grateful not to have been a victim of her “choice.” As a believer in the power of the redeeming blood of the Son of God, I know that abortion is not the unforgivable sin; God can and does renew the purity and conscience of those who humbly approach the throne of grace. Every life is valuable to God, and by all scriptural accounts, he tends incline His heart especially to the helpless, the poor, the destitute, the accused… yes, even the voice-less and “non-viable.”

The issue of the legalization of abortion not relegated to the “health of the mother,” but to the health of everyone. It shouldn’t be an available option for an independent, sentient being to extinguish the existence of an absolutely dependent, voice-less other.

Humbly and respectfully submitted,

--Ric

My thoughts on the political landscape...

I think it’s reasonable to assert that anyone who willingly enters into a lifelong, covenant relationship with their Creator is necessarily obliged, as a matter of conscience and integrity, to cast their vote in the direction of the candidate(s) who most closely reflects the heart and truth of the only Son of God, Jesus. As a communicator, Jesus was never recorded as having to say “actually, what I really meant when I said that, was __________...” He communicated the heart of the Father concisely, consistently, and let the chips fall where they may. It was primarily His verbal communication and assertions – not his deeds – that ultimately caused upheaval and hostility among his enemies. In the middle of His earthly ministry, His words made it very clear that to not follow Him (i.e. devote one’s life to Him) was the equivalent of being His enemy, and thus the enemy of the God of the Universe. To “see” (i.e. “know”) the heart of Jesus was to see and know God.

Rationally, from this standpoint, my choice of presidential candidate must therefore rest on whom I feel most readily and unapologetically aligns themselves with the Jesus of the Bible; not the “Jesus” of the Koran, or of the Mormons, or of any other post-Biblical source… and there is a world of difference, I assure you. From my perspective, Obama needs just too many words to convince America of his intentions (Proverbs 10:19, Ecclesiastes 5:3), and he seems to want to align himself with as many seemingly-worthwhile causes as possible. I’m a little more at peace with McCain, who purports that “more government” is not the solution to America’s ills, that the answers to many of America’s questions are not as complex as Obama described in the Civil Forum. I’m even more at peace in voting for McCain after having read what I have about his choice for VP. Together, they more closely resemble the American leaders that our founding fathers – in their providential wisdom and courage – envisioned for their bold-yet-God-dependent new country.

Thanks for reading. May we all VOTE without wavering, and serve this country without compromise, contradiction or complaint.

Our Recent Vacation (photo album)

We recently took a trip to Yosemite (our 4th time), Columbia State Historic Park (ditto) and Lake Tahoe (our 1st time). What a blast!

View Album

Get your own

Packing Heat!

Caleb and I (Ric) recently visited Iron-Sights indoor shooting range, where we emptied 100 rounds into some animal targets. First, we used a 6-shot revolver (which slowed us down and forced us to start safely :-), then we upgraded to a Ruger Mark III, which allowed us to shoot “bam-bam-bam-bam!!!” After the event, Caleb passionately asserted “You’re the best Dad in the whole universe!”

I needed to hear that. :-)

Chloë at the dentist...

Here's our little princess, with her watermelon-flavored "happy air" (nitrous oxide) and glare-reducing shades! Ready for take-off! :-)

"Business is Business" - a poem

Here's a cool poem I came across on a worm-composting site...

Business Is Business

"Business is Business," the Little Man said,
"A battle where everything goes,
Where the only gospel is 'get ahead,'
And never spare friends or foes.
'Slay or be slain', is the slogan cold.
You must struggle and slash and tear,
For Business is Business, a fight for gold,
Where all that you do is fair!"

"Business is Business," the Big Man said,
"A battle to make of earth
A place to yield us more wine and bread,
More pleasure and joy and mirth.
There are still more bandits and buccaneers
Who are jungle-bred beasts of trade,
But their number dwindles with passing years
And dead is the code they made!"

"Business is Business," the Big Man said,
But it's something that's more, far more;
For it makes sweet gardens of deserts dead,
And cities it built now roar
Where once the deer and the gray wolf ran
From the pioneer's swift advance.
Business is Magic that toils for man.
Business is True Romance.

And those who make it a ruthless fight
Have only themselves to blame
If they feel no whit of the keen delight
In playing the Bigger Game,
The game that calls on the heart and head,
The best of man's strength and nerve.
"Business is Business," the Big Man said,
And that Business is to serve!

-- Berton Braley

Homeschool Graduation Night 2008

A day of beating the heat(wave)

Here's our little "front-yard-water-park!"

Fort Hill Area - Eastham, MA

This is the home of this old whaler guy named Penniman. The arch over the entryway is an actual whale's jawbone! (It's about 12 feet high.)

Cape Cod

Today we're driving up Cape Cod...

"The Shot Heard Round The World"

Today we're at Minute Man Natl Historic Park, site of the start of the American Revolution.

www.TrinityChurchBoston.org

Here we are in front of Trinity Church. Oh, the wonders of modern photography!

Boston

Here we are in Boston Common, the city's main park.

What we did yesterday: read the attached file. (I typed this last night)

Central Park

Just west of Belvedere Castle in Central Park, on our way to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Well, we've begun the process

Well, we've begun the process of dropping off the kids before we leave. I think we're in for some long good-bye's... :-(

Most Recent Wood Project - "Sophia's Throne"

Let's hope this will expedite the "potty training" process!

Sophia by the Pool

Here are some pix of our goofy goggle girly, by the pool at the Marriott Newport Coast Villas in Newport Beach.

Sophia is WALKING! (finally! :-)

Well, after being chauffered around the house in everyone's arms, our little "puff" (her nickname) decided she'd like to have a go at this whole walking business...

The Boys Go Camping

Here are some pics of Caleb and me, on our little Father/Son Camp-Out. It only lasted about 24 hours, but I'll bet he said "Daddy - I love you" as many times. I won't forget it... ever.

Christmas Day 2007

The long-awaited event!