Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Subie dies again!

Well, Subie may have finally gone to the Great Garage in the sky.

This morning, my daughter started it and drove one block down before it died.

I tried starting it up, but after two attempts, the battery surrendered.

I thought the return of my son might solve my problems. He could push it, and I would pop the clutch.

We walked the block to Subie, I tried to start it with a key, but after two attempts, the familiar white flag rose like a shroud from the battery.

Huston, that’s a no-go.

So I turned the key on. I released the parking brake. I pushed in the clutch and put my foot on the brake. I put the car into first and hollered at my son to push.

He did.

I released the brake before he realized my mistake.

We built up a little speed, I popped out the clutch, and we stopped. We tried again, only this time I left my foot off the brake.

Nothing.

Now I sat in the middle of a side street intersection. I flipped it around, with the help of more pushing, and we pushed uphill. I nestled into a parking spot, set the emergency brake, and walked away.

The funny thing is that God’s timing is always very good. A couple weeks ago, a family member offered to loan one of their vehicles that could make the trip between Spokane and Cheney. We recently accepted their offer, and I’m picking it up tomorrow.
So what’s to become of Subie?

I don’t know. I’ll keep you posted. ; )
If this really is the end, does the blog die too?

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

"Beezid fake." by guest blogger, Geoff Meyer



On Beezid every time you bid with their bid coins, it goes up one bid coin just like what the commercials say, but what the commercial doesn’t say is that you have to pay in advance for each bid coin, and you lose the bid coin even if you don’t win.

This makes the site seem amazing and the items cheaper, but then you lose more money then you realize. Example: you pay/bid $10 on an item that is normally $200, but each coin can be from 60 cents to a dollar but is averaged at 70 cents. You actually pay 1000 times 70 (because the pennies are 70 cents so $10 are 1000 pennies). Therefore, for an item that is normally $200, you just paid $700. Beezid makes money through the bids.

Also, the timers they use are messed up. They pause, skip numbers, and just when you try to bid with even two seconds left, the system won't register your bid and you lose the product. Or they set it up to be like a real auction where the timer resets after every bid unlike eBay. The people who work Beezid claim its your internet, but is it?

Also there are allegedly bots, or programs, built in to the auction to raise the price so that no one wins it and Beezid gets more money and the item is set up to bid again.There might be a good deal hidden through all this, but buyer beware.

For more information, check out askville.com.

More about legacy.

The people of Israel in Judges 2 had been given an anonymous gift. They had been delivered from Egyptian slavery and brought into a land where essentially “they came, they saw, and they conquered.”

However, these stories hadn’t been explained to them. Their parents, who witnessed all these things, died without passing on the who or the why of the event.

As a result, enemies living in the country oppressed the Israelites. An angel of the Lord came and told them that people living in their country would always oppress them. God would use these oppressors to test what was in the Israelites hearts.

Even today, the Israelites have neighbors on all sides and in their midst that hate them. God is still using these people today to test what is in their hearts.

Now I’m not saying that every difficult circumstance is God’s testing to show what is in your heart, but you may find (while reading Judges) that every time the Israelites cried out to God for deliverance, He answered.

I think the most important lesson we can glean from this is the importance of passing on the message of God’s love, mercy and deliverance. Grateful kids are kids who will continue the legacy of obedience to God and living in His blessings and grace.

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Puttering Through Life.


The Little Sad Engine that Couldn’t is very sad today. It’s smoking like crazy. It made this ticking noise this morning. I put oil in it because it was really low. I put gas in it because it was almost out. When it dies, I hope it goes peacefully without blowing up.

It’s funny how we nurse things along when all hope is lost. We didn’t drive it over a cliff or sell it for scrap. It still gets us to the store, the post office and to school. So many times, it’s easier to hold onto something that works only so-so instead of ditching it completely.

That’s the problem isn’t it? If I were to ditch the car or any of my little habits that only work so-so, with what would I replace it? I’m not riding my bike to the grocery store to buy milk. I’m not walking to my daughter’s school to pick her up when she’s sick with a sore throat. Subie is still the fastest way to Cheney Middle School from Eastern Washington University when I the where-are-you-Mom-my-concert-is-in-half-an-hour call from the forgotten child during finals week.

This is sort of like some of our habits or behaviors. We know, perhaps, that what we’re doing is not the best way forward, but what should we do instead? What if it’s all we know? As a result, we plow ahead, not knowing when the whole thing will blow up in our faces.

I don’t really have a bottom line here other than this advice: keep an eye on your heat gauge.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Junior Lilac Parade, 2009... Queen of Dystonia, Part II.

Here's some video I found of Sarah. Who is safe being ill with a neurological disorder with a family like ours?

Monday, June 7, 2010

“Leaving a Legacy”—Noel Campbell visits Cheney Faith Center on May 31, 2010.

When Noel Campbell’s oldest child was 12 and youngest was three-and-a-half, his wife was called home to be with the Lord.

The first time Campbell left his house after this event, he stopped at the end of his driveway and looked back to two pairs of eyes peeping out of the window.

In Noel’s mind, they were wondering if he would leave them too, as their mother had. Heartbroken, Campbell heard the “still, quiet voice of the Lord” saying “If you let me, we will raise these children.” Campbell, now 82, says it was his joy.

Sonia Coombs and Noel Campbell

Sonia Coombs and Noel Campbell



“If we follow Jesus, we’ll be leaving a legacy our children will want to follow,” he said.

Luke 18:15-17 says, “People were also bringing babies to Jesus to have him touch them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them. 16But Jesus called the children to him and said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 17I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.’”

Campbell says that we are either leading children to Him or sending them away.

He said we must have a legacy of
• A love of God that’s unconditional
• A faith in who Jesus is
• A trust in our Lord Jesus and his words in our every day walk of life
• A hope in our Lord God because a home in the world will never bring life.

The key, according to Campbell, is to allow the Lord to fill him with more love and less law. When this happens, children want to please their father.

Campbell quoted "Children Learn What They Live" by Dorothy Law Knolte, PhD:

“If a child lives with criticism, he learns to condemn.
If a child lives with hostility, he learns to fight.
If a child lives with ridicule, he learns to be shy.
If a child lives with shame, he learns to feel guilty.
If a child lives with tolerance, he learns to be patient.
If a child lives with encouragement, he learns confidence.
If a child lives with praise, he learns to appreciate.
If a child lives with fairness, he learns justice.
If a child lives with security, he learns to have faith.
If a child lives with approval, he learns to like himself.”
Then he added his own ending: “If a child lives with Christ, he learns to love God and man.”

Campbell quoted Proverbs 22:6, “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.”

He said there were many ways to lead a child to Jesus and they all seem right in our own understanding, but God’s way works. Proverbs 3:5 says, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.”

He wrapped up his message by sharing three proverbs. One was about someone who had taught a child about God by scaring him with the awesome works of God and the child’s reaction of fear and resistance when it was time to meet the Father. The second proverb was about someone so distracted by everything that must be done that when it was finally time to meet the Father, the child was distracted and unable to focus. The last proverb was about someone who followed the child’s lead and interests and not only told stories about the Father, but also listened to the child retell them as well. When it was finally time to meet the Father, the child was overjoyed, and the individual who lead the child stepped back and merely watched as a happy outsider to their relationship.

He recited Psalm 139: 23-24: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” In addition, Noel challenged the congregation to wake every morning and greet God with a “What would you like me to do today?” and listen for an answer from the still, small voice.

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Why should I lead my child to Christ?


We all have different backgrounds. Some of us grew up in church. Perhaps we went through the motions or were burned by something someone said or a life experience. For some, this pain reaches so deeply, they question God.

As parents, we have to set all this aside. We need to look at our children and understand what sort of legacy we leave them. We may be able to shelter them from hurt in church situations by avoidance, but we can’t shelter them from hurt in the rest of the world. Between school, work, playmates and even our own homes, they will encounter hurts and either learn to grow through them or stagnate and fester.

We want to do everything for our kids. We want them to live in a happy home with the best education and good friends. These desires are universal for good-willed people.

But in the world the way it is, we can’t lay aside enough money, property, security or prosperity for them. Ultimately, all these things prove themselves empty. It’s not bad to earn good money and support your family, but if you look to your bank account for the satisfaction and rest your heart needs, you’ll find it wanting every time. Your kids will experience this too, unless we show them a better way.

Kids need a filter to look at their lives and deaths through. Jesus is that filter that will give persepctive. For those of you who think it a fairy tale, sorry. Better be sure for your kids’ sake. Even with eternal life aside, Christianity and church is the best place to give them the love and support for life. Heartbreaks will come.

And for those of you who had difficulties with the institution of church, you’re grown up now. You have no excuse. Get in there, roll up your sleeves and make things right in the church. When there’s a problem in the family with someone who is dysfunctional, healthy families and healthy family members get to work instead of running away. Trust me on that one.

The best churches today have dynamic youth programs with fun activities and contemporary music. The leadership varies from young to old. Try a few out and keep an open mind, but quit looking for excuses because your kids need more.

Saturday, June 5, 2010

Shrek glasses recalled.

McDonald’s has recalled their “Shrek Forever After 3D” glasses because of a cadmium danger. Twelve million of these $2 American glasses were sold between May 2010 and June 2010. Consumers should discontinue use of the glasses and visit www.mcdonalds.com/glasses for refund information.

shrek glasses

Friday, June 4, 2010

Children of imprisioned sexual offenders face difficulties moving foward.

Sixteen-year-old “John” would like to move forward from a traumatizing period of his life.

Before he was born, his parents divorced. Before he was two, his mother remarried a man named “Smith.” As a young child, he had sporadic visits with his father, “Harry.” These visits included two younger siblings from another marriage for a “Disneyland-dad” type weekends.

As a member of the large Smith family, John's mother enrolled him in kindergarten with his stepfather’s last name. Much to Harry’s ire, this name followed John up through elementary school, finally accompanying his face on his ASB card.

When John was 12, Harry was arrested. During the previous six-month span, Harry had raped his 8-year-old daughter during visits with his three children. She had been too terrified to tell anyone. Her mother, the custodial parent, learned the terrible news during a visit to the emergency room, a visit they made when she realized that something was physically wrong with her daughter.

Harry eventually pled guilty. During the trial, John wrote the judge a letter, forgiving his father but asking the judge to keep his sister safe while she grew up. The judge sentenced Harry to two concurrent terms of 13 years.

Now that John is 16, Harry is thousands of dollars behind on child support. The only contact John wants with his imprisoned father is permission for John’s stepfather to adopt him. If John’s mother were to die unexpectedly, no one would contest that the best place for him was in the home where he grew up.

If Harry were to agree to John’s adoption, according to Seattle family attorney Albert Lirhus, it would cost the family around $1,000 in lawyers fees; $250 for the court clerk’s fee; $50 per copy of the adoption because after the adoption, the files are sealed; $35 for a new birth certificate; and $400 to $700 for a post-placement report, which a social worker submits to the court to inform them of the step-parent’s ability to perform the role as guardian. Total, John’s family would have to pay around $2000, but this is only if Harry were to agree to the proceedings.
With or without that sort of price tag, none of the Smiths are eager to contact Harry. Even if Harry agreed, writing him could be seen as an invitation to further correspondence.

Washington state law protects children, but it also creates a hardship for them. A nuclear family is not always the natural family.

Judges should have the option to strip sexual offenders of their parental rights when they victimize any of their children.

As it is, John is closely associated with the Smiths. At his high school, he’s “another one of those Smith kids.” The family doesn’t consider him “half” anything and many of their friends don’t know.

But sometimes, John feels like an outsider. The nagging voice he hears in the back of his mind tells him that he’s not one of them. John’s step-dad knows this and strives to be loving and fair. They argue and make up like any other father and son.
As for the hardships around adoption, Mr. Smith has a different attitude. “All the extra precautions in the world are worth it if you can save one kid from abuse,” he says. But, as the sole provider for the family, he acknowledges that it’s expensive and time-consuming.

When John decides to get his driver’s license, the card will read “Smith.” Since his ASB card doesn’t spell out “Wackoewiack,” the name on his social security card or birth certificate, a name he boasts he can’t spell properly, applying for college aid will be tricky.

John’s mother says that he’ll probably change his name during his senior year when he turns 18 in a year and a half. He’ll be old enough to do it without special permissions, and it will cost far less than an adoption. At that time, the Smiths may look into adult adoption proceedings.