Gun Control

A person's right to keep and bear arms for defense is rooted in English custom and in the common law.  The early English colonists brought to America their English habits and customs, one of which was the right to keep and bear arms.  Even within 25 years of the founding of Jamestown, the colonists were expected to bring their weapons to church and travel, and to be armed at all times.  The belief that the people should have the right to keep and bear arms was viced by many of our Founders.  Thomas Jefferson said, No free man shall be debarred the use of arms.  Richard Henry Lee said: To preserve the liberty, it is essential that the whole body of the people always possess arms. and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them.  Alexander Hamilton: That army can never be formidable to the liberties of the people while there is a large body of citizens...who stand ready to defend their rights and those of their fellow-citizens.

The second Amendment protects the constitutional and legal right of individual citizens to own firearms.  Federal, state, or local legislation may require gun permits and the registration of firearms, but such laws may not infringe upon the right of citizens to keep and bear firearms.  However, many attempts have been made over the years to impose regulations on the ownership of weapons.  Many people, insisting that more "gun control" will decrease the incidence of violent crime, seek to ban handguns or, in some cases, all firearms.  However, when such laws impede the right of citizens to "life, liberty, and property" or violate their right to keep and bear arms, public safety is imperiled.  In 1992 when there were riots on Los Angeles, many law-abiding citizens wanted to buy a weapon to protect themselves and their property; however,when they went to purchase a gun they were forced to wait until all the regulations on their purchase could be fulfilled.

The answer to crime is not "gun control" but "people control".  If more criminals today were to receive sure and swift justice appropriate to the nature of their crimes, then crime would decrease because people would regain a healthy fear of punishment and respect for the authority of government.  Ecclesiastes 8:11 says, "Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil".  People will learn to control themselves and to respect law and order when they learn to respect the person and property of others.  And they will learn this respect only if the government show the same respect through its laws and its courts by rightly judging and punishing offenders.  No amount of gun legislation can curb the evil in men's hearts.  Jeremiah said that, "the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked."  Men who are intent on doing evil will find a way to commit a crime.  Gun control only deprives law-abiding citizens of firearms for self-defense.

Why You Should Keep Hoping For Marriage

This is from a blog that I read and it was so encouraging!  Please read!

"Keeping hope alive as a single can feel like a struggle. But what if the struggle is the whole point? 

"It wasn't her words that caught me off guard. It was the way in which she said them. Resigned cheerfulness. "Well, I'm glad I won't have children," she said lightly, taking a sip of coffee. "Too many things in the world to worry about. God knows I couldn't handle it."  My single friend's admission that she had already given up on having children — at age 31 — surprised me. As we talked more, I realized something: Sometimes it's easier to embrace an unwanted outcome than to keep hoping for God to fulfill long-held desires.

"Around that same time, another single friend told me, "It hurts to keep hoping. Part of me just wants to give up on marriage and get on with making my life as good as possible without a husband." I think a lot of singles feel this way. What does it matter if I want to be married if that's never going to happen? I might as well quit torturing myself by hoping for it.

"Hope Is Not Lost

"I was 30 when I met my husband and 31 when I got married. In retrospect, that doesn't seem very old to marry. But at the time, it felt as if I had been waiting forever. Some of my friends are in their late 30s and 40s and still unmarried; I can only imagine the temptation to pack up shop and embrace "Plan B" — life without marriage. 

"Here's the thing: Giving up on a godly desire (when God hasn't obviously taken that desire from you) is a form of escapism. Rather than sitting in the pain of unfulfilled longings — continuing to hope that God will come through for you — you take the less painful route of "choosing" the alternative. It's a way of taking back control — a defense mechanism of sorts. And though that illusion of control (who are we kidding here) can be comforting, it shortcuts the joys of giving God complete control of your life.

"We were created for hope. Scripture abounds with verses that entreat the believer to be filled with hope (Romans 15:13 is one example). It's the reason a multi-billion dollar advertising industry exists. What do commercials offer us? Hope. When we quit hoping for a God-given desire, we deny a piece of how God created us and rob Him of the opportunity to glorify himself by meeting our needs.
Psalm 37:4 has become a sort of anthem for singles. It says, "Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart." To me, this verse always felt a little like a spiritual performance test. Was I still single because I was not delighting in Him enough? But I don't think that's the point. The point is that a relationship with God in which I feel delight in Him leads to godly desires within me, the kind He wants to satisfy.

"Voices of Hope

"As I asked singles (and those who married after a period of extended singleness) about the benefits of keeping hope alive, answers ranged from, "It simply feels better" to "I don't want to have regrets later" to "It's attractive to others." A few responses stood out to me. Here are their stories:
http://www.boundless.org/adulthood/2015/why-you-should-keep-hoping-for-marriage?

Biblical Marriage

Of course I do not know all about this from experience - but the Bible has a lot to say on marriage.  A lot of people in our day and age don't take this holy union seriously and divorce is quite common.  But I have made a commitment to God that once I get married, Lord willing, I will never leave my husband, for any reason (even if I have the best reason in the world to leave).  I only pray that God will give me the strength to carry this out.

The creation of marriage is recorded in Genesis 2:23-24: "The man said, ‘This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called “woman,” for she was taken out of man.’ For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh." God created man and then made woman to complement him. Marriage is God’s “fix” for the fact that “it is not good for the man to be alone” (Genesis 2:18).

The word “helper” used to describe Eve in Genesis 2:20 means “to surround, to protect or aid, help.” Eve was created to be alongside Adam as his "other half," to be his aid and his helper. A man and woman, when married, become "one flesh." This oneness is manifested mostly in the physical union of sexual intimacy. The New Testament adds a warning regarding this oneness. "So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate" (Matthew 19:6).

There are several epistles written by the apostle Paul that refer to marriage and how believers are to operate within the marriage relationship. One such passage is 1 Corinthians chapter 7:1-16....

Now for the matters you wrote about: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.”  But since sexual immorality is occurring, each man should have sexual relations with his own wife, and each woman with her own husband.  The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband.  The wife does not have authority over her own body but yields it to her husband. In the same way, the husband does not have authority over his own body but yields it to his wife.  Do not deprive each other except perhaps by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.  I say this as a concession, not as a command.  I wish that all of you were as I am. But each of you has your own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that. 

Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I do.  But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.  To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband.  But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife. 

To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her.  And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him.  For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.  But if the unbeliever leaves, let it be so. The brother or the sister is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace.  How do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or, how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?

And another is Ephesians 5.  When studied together, these two passages provide biblical principles that form a framework for a God-pleasing marriage relationship.  The Ephesians passage is especially profound in reference to a successful biblical marriage. "Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior" (Ephesians 5:22-23). "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her" (Ephesians 5:25). "In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church” (Ephesians 5:28-29). “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh” (Ephesians 5:31).

When a believing husband and wife institute God’s principles, a biblical marriage results. A biblically based marriage is one that is in balance, with Christ as the head of the man and the wife together. The biblical concept of marriage is a oneness between two individuals that pictures the oneness of Christ with His church.

Apache, Some Photography And The "Joke" Of The Week

Apache is getting so dark I just had to post these pictures!  She is turning out to be one of the best looking palominos in the bitterroot valley!  I'm so proud of my little (now quite big) filly!  She is very smart and coming along good (despite her poor trainer lol) and I have been taking her to Ty Heth clinics.

I was also taking some random pics this last week that I thought you might like :)

I also decided to try doing a "joke of the week" thing :)  Please give me some feedback on how funny you think I am :P lol  So every monday look back for another "joke"!

Horses, Puppies And Stuff On The Farm

It has gotten very busy here now that spring is upon us!  I still have a little more school before I can take off for summer break.  It is taking a little longer for me because of all the horses I've had to ride and getting hay, chores, etc.  But after this I only have one more year and I'm graduated!  I hope to gradate at 17!

Well, Frankie went back home last week.  I miss him - he is a cool horse :)  We get to go up there soon to ride and mom gets to ride him though!  I asked Marlene which of their horses was "the outlaw" and she picked the big gelding that bucks and hasn't been ridden in 2 years :)  So I'll probably ride that one...

Me and Frankie up Lost Horse

I am also buying a 3 year old mustang mare!  She is completely unbroken and very smart!  I'm getting her as a project horse and I'll either sell her or Apache when she's trained.  Which ever one I keep I plan on breeding.  The mustang has better lines and breeding so she'd be a better option for that - we'll see :)

Oh!!!  And the lady I'm buying the horse from had Blue Heeler puppies for sale!  They are under a week old and I committed to one of the girls.  I am going to put a deposit down on her when we pick up the filly and get the pup when it is ready to leave her mother.

And we finally got our White Leghorn chickens!  We are keeping 3 hens and a rooster and giving away the other 5 roosters - we will now have some as day old chicks next year for sale, along with the Buckeyes.  We also have 4 mixed breed chickens.  It has taken awhile to replenish the flock after a dog came through and destroyed it.

Here are the 4 cross breeds:

It's kind of hard to get a photo of these chicks because they are quite wild!

Trixie and Tris

Tris

Stumpy's little girl!  This is the one we are keeping so we can take a vacation and not have to have someone milk for us

Oh and I just had to put these pics of Caleb on here - he is getting so big!  He's taller than me and is getting quite buffed up! lol  In these's pics he is pretending to have a hard time lifting one pound weights :) He is quite a clown sometimes!  He brings so much joy to everyone in the family!

Chickens and Goats!

Last week we butchered the rest of our freedom rangers.  Hannah has started to help - she is the door manager for the chicken coop so no chickens escape!  It took us hardly any time at all now that Dad has tuned in all the equipment, he is so talented!  My jobs are usually: catching chickens during the first part of the butchering, I help Mom with the gutting, then me and grandma wrap.  The system has smoothed out so much especially with the packaging system.  We buy our bags from The Deliberate Agrarian - click HERE to purchase or read about them.  Here are some pics from the day:

Yucko!

Caleb was doing hurtles over the pipe the whole time

Hannah

We miss your help Bianchis!!!!

Mom at her station

Grandpa was alternating between supervising and playing with the dog

And we also just got another batch of chicks!  We tried a new variety - they are still freedom rangers but Just a different color - gray (and I think they are way cuter as chicks! :) lol)

Stumpy had her kids a few days ago!!!  There are 2 girls and a boy - and they are just SOOO adorable and tiny!

They sure are little cuties!!! :)

2015 Choir Concert

A few weeks ago, on May 15th and 16th, we had our choir concert (ya I know this post has been a little late in coming :)  But better late than never!).  I had SUCH a blast!  I hope to do a small solo next semester.  I am learning to open my mouth to sing out better...which has been a challenge for me :) For the concert choir we sang:
1. Great Day
2.Worthy Is The Lamb
3. Serve The Lord With Joy
4. Mercy Tree
5. Ride The Glory Train
6. Power Of The Cross
7. Send Down The Rain

And for ensemble:
1. Hosanna, Hosanna
2. A Jubilant Song
3. Somebody's Knockin' At Your Door
4. Tis' So Sweet

Goofing around in the car on the way there...we were a little nervous but survived :)

Yep Hannah is loosing some teeth :) lol

I'm second from the right on the top in this pic

The all choir

Here's some videos....

This is at the restaurant later when me and Caleb realized that Dad was havin' a big milk shake all to himself!