Two Flavors, No Principles

Two Flavors, No Principles

September 2, 2011 at 5:15 pm

(This is from an email, I didn't write it)

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(As some people noticed, I've been pretty quiet for several weeks now, being overwhelmed with stuff other than putting out anti-political rantings. So I feel the need to do a little fire-breathing now, to let off some steam, after spending too long quietly listening to the authoritarian, slave-speak tripe continually spewed out by the mainstream media.)

I have a message for all the conservative Republicans out there, sick of all the paternalistic, nanny-state, socialist garbage that the Obama regime has been pushing--the wealth redistribution, the attempts to nationalize various industries, the liberal tax and spend agenda, etc. My message to all the conservative Republicans out there who are upset by the way things are going, is this:

Serves you right, you unprincipled, hypocritical boneheads.

(As you can see, my break didn't make me any more moderate, or any more polite.)

No, it's not that I support Obama and his collectivist agenda. It's that I don't support his collectivist agenda or YOUR collectivist agenda. In fact, in principle I don't see a shred of difference between the agenda of the "R" megalomaniacal parasites and the "D" megalomaniacal parasites. If you're a loyal Republican, you're not actually against wealth redistribution, or nationalizing industry, or trashing the Constitution--you just want YOUR narcissistic crooks to be the ones doing it.

You think it's horrible for "government" to rob productive people, to give money to those who didn't earn it? Yeah, me too. But to pretend to be principled when whining about having to fund coerced pseudo-charity, only to then turn around and advocate that people be forced to fund mass murder instead (in the name of "national security"), is the height of hypocrisy. In short, your Democrat neighbors are merely doing to you what you want to do to them: using the violence of the state to coerce you into supporting their beliefs and values.

If you vote to rob your neighbor, and your neighbor votes to rob you, and you happen to lose the contest of control-freakism, you damn well deserve it. If you whine that you're being forced to fund a welfare state you oppose, and then you turn around and try to force others to fund a military empire they oppose, then you're a coward and a hypocrite, and you don't deserve freedom. (Is that blunt enough?) If those of you fighting over which slave-master should own us all--Republican or Democrat--were the only ones victimized by the statist game, I wouldn't really care. But those few of us who actually like freedom (we're the ones that get called "extremists") are forced to support both of the stupid statist agendas.

If you complain about Obama trashing the Constitution, yet you support the fascist, draconian "war on drugs" (as you swig your beer), then you deserve the Obama administration. If you complain about the nanny state doing their paramilitary thuggery against producers of raw milk, organic produce, guitars (yes, guitars), lemonade stands, and so on, and yet you support what the ICE, DHS, TSA, and other jackboots are doing every day in the name of "security," then you're a two-faced twit.

In short, if you refuse to allow your neighbors--all six billion of them--to live in freedom, then you yourself deserve to be enslaved. Republicans are not for freedom, any more than Democrats are. Neither group of state-worshipers even understands what freedom is. They accept a violent ruling class as a necessary and legitimate thing, and then they bicker over the meaningless details. Instead of opposing mass extortion in principle, they argue about who should receive the loot. They don't oppose intrusive oppression in principle; they just want it used in a way that fits their own beliefs and values.

If you want me to be forced to fund your views--and if you vote Republican or Democrat, then you do--then your values suck. You don't love freedom or justice, or even know what those words mean. You're nothing more than whiny slaves, asking the "massuh" to whip the other slaves harder, and make the other slaves work longer hours. There's nothing noble or righteous about that.

The Republican party isn't against socialism, or wealth redistribution. Where are the "R" politicians who dare to call for ending coercive wealth redistribution, by ENDING Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, AFDC, and so on? Saying that you want to slow the rate of growth of something is not the same as opposing something in principle! (Duh.) With the exception of Ron Paul, all of the Republicans in Congress combined don't have enough vertebrae amongst them to put together one spine. There is not one principle to be found on which the Republican and Democratic establishments disagree. Not one.

Wanting "lower taxes" means wanting LESS robbery. How about NO robbery? Where is the Republican proposing that? (Not even Ron Paul advocates that.) Cutting back, or at least slowing down, wealth redistribution schemes is not the same as opposing coercive wealth redistribution in principle. Where is the Republican who will say, "Stealing from one to give to another is wrong"? Wanting to forcibly meddle with some non-violent choices, and not others, is not principled. Whining about the nanny state, while supporting the DEA and ATF, is the sign of an unprincipled doofus. Whining about certain examples of war-mongering, while defending others--which both parties do--is a pretty glaring example of how unprincipled
most Americans are. This may come as a shock to you voters, but advocating violent aggression, terrorism and mass murder is always bad, whether it's done by your party or by the other one.

All the talking heads out there, vehemently condemning one set of control freaks, while acting as apologists for another, are a disgrace. The viewpoints portrayed in the media as the "far left" and the "far right" of the political spectrum are, in principle, the same thing. The state-approved drivel that is vomited out of televisions and radios across the country has two very slightly different flavors, and no principles whatsoever.

Allow me to put this in terms that a kindergartner (and hopefully even an American voter) can comprehend: If you continually vote for liars and crooks to infringe upon the freedom of your neighbors, then you do not deserve, and will not have, freedom yourself. In fact, there is only one group that is out here, not only advocating that WE be free, but advocating that YOU be free, too. And we're the ones you love to hate, because we don't worship the state as you do. We are proudly and unapologetically anti-"government," because "government" is always anti-freedom, anti-justice and anti-human.

Incidentally, if you ever decide to get a principle, we'd love for you to join us. In the meantime, we'll just be annoyed that you continue to imagine yourselves to be rational and moral, while you beg for the mercenaries of the state to foist your bad ideas on us. Then you whine when others do the same thing to you. Get a principle, and give up your statism. Grow up, and act like a thinking, responsible human being. Then you can be one of those "fringe, kook, extremist anarchists" that the media so thoroughly despises. (We even make Ron Paul look like a moderate ... because he is.)


Larken Rose
larken@larkenrose.com

Jokes That Can Be Told in Church

Jokes That Can Be Told in Church

March 16, 2011 at 12:17 pm

I'm cleaning out my email inbox, and this was from about 3 years ago.  Thought I'd share before deleting :)

Attending a wedding for the first time, a little girl whispered to her mother, 'Why is the bride dressed in white?'' The mother replied, 'Because white is the color of happiness, and today is the happiest day of her life.' The child thought about this for a moment then said, 'So why is the groom wearing black?'
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A little girl, dressed in her Sunday best, was running as fast as she could, trying not to be late for Bible class. As she ran she prayed, 'Dear Lord, please don't let me be late! Dear Lord, please don't let me be late!' While she was running and praying, she tripped on a curb and fell, getting her clothes dirty and tearing her dress. She got up, brushed herself off, and started running again! As she ran she once again began to pray, 'Dear Lord, please don't let me be late...But please don't shove me either!'
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Three boys are in the school yard bragging about their fathers. The first boy says, 'My Dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, he calls it a poem, they give him $50.' The second boy says, 'That's nothing. My Dad scribbles a few words on piece of paper, he calls it a song, they give him $100.' The third boy says, 'I got you both beat. My Dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, he calls it a sermon, and it takes eight people to collect all the money!'
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An elderly woman died last month. Having never married, she requested no male pallbearers. In her handwritten instructions for her memorial service, she wrote, 'They wouldn't take me out while I was alive, I don't want them to
take me out when I'm dead.'
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A police recruit was asked during the exam, 'What would you do if you had to arrest your own mother?' He answered, 'Call for backup.'
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A Sunday School teacher asked her class why Joseph and Mary took Jesus with them to Jerusalem . A small child replied, 'They couldn't get a baby-sitter.'
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A Sunday school teacher was discussing the Ten Commandments with her five and six year olds. After explaining the commandment to 'Honor thy father and thy mother,' she asked, 'Is there a commandment that teaches us how to treat our brothers and sisters?' Without missing a beat, one little boy answered, 'Thou shall not kill.'
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At Sunday School they were teaching how God created everything, including human beings. Little Johnny seemed especially intent when they told him how Eve was created out of one of Adam's ribs. Later in the week his mother noticed him lying down as though he were ill, and she said, 'Johnny, what is the matter?' Little Johnny responded, 'I have pain in my side. I think I'm going to have a wife.'
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Two boys were walking home from Sunday school after hearing a strong preaching on the devil. One said to the other, 'What do you think about all this Satan stuff?' The other boy replied, 'Well, you know how Santa Claus turned out. It's probably just your Dad.'

Ginger-Peach Glazed Pork Chops

Ginger-Peach Glazed Pork Chops a la Mary Salo Reinbold

February 4, 2011 at 9:29 pm

I got this from my friend, Mary, after she raved about it all over facebook.  Told everyone it was her family's new favorite dinner, so of course I had to try it.  Well, it really is that good, people!  This isn't a recipe with exact quantities.  As long as you have the key ingredients, you can't go wrong.  Unless you leave the house entrusting someone else to turn off the oven when the food is done, and you shouldn't have trusted said person because they ate their share and then let yours burn to a crisp.  I ate it anyway.  I figured if they loved it/me so much that they gave me a burnt offering, the least I could do was try to appreciate it, right?

Ginger-Peach Glazed Pork Chops

Preheat oven to 350* ish.

Heat skillet, add a bit of oil (I prefer olive oil, coconut oil, or lard).  Brown pork chops on both sides (thick or thin chops, whatever you prefer).  S&P.  Place in oven-proof dish.  You can also cook up some onion and/orgarlic slices if you wish, but it isn't part of the recipe. :)

On top of chops in dish, squirt a goodly amount of soy sauce and lime juice (Sub lemon if you absolutely must, but lime is much better).  You want some to cover the bottom of the pan so you have "gravy" for your potatoes or rice or whatever you decide to make; it's excellent over both.

If you have fresh ginger, grate or thinly slice it and put atop the chops.  If you don't have fresh, powdered works great, too; just give it a sprinkle.

Lastly is a nice sized glop of peach jam.  Apricot jam is a good substitute.  If you don't have jam, but you do have fruit (fresh or canned) then smoosh it up real good and put that on top.  Not quite the same, but hey, when you really want your chops, you do what you can with what you have!

Put in the oven.  You can cover or not, whatever suits your fancy.  Bake (and make sure if the oven was actually on a "preheat" setting that you change it to "bake") for however long it takes to finish cooking the chops thoroughly and hopefully until they are nice and tender.  Probably 30 min minimum.  That will depend upon how thick/thin they are and how hungry you are. :)

I've also made chicken this way, but instead of peach jam I used raspberry.  And I don't think I used ginger.  But I really don't remember.  Use the technique and change to suit your mood and what you have in your fridge and pantry.

Be sure to let me know how you and your family like it!

Ways to help those in need

This was originally posted on facebook

Ways to help those in need

December 4, 2010 at 12:58 pm

I started writing this 2 years ago, but never finished.  I thought I would post it in its current unfinished state so that possibly it might help someone.  I wrote this from my personal experience and perspective of dealing with CPS, but I think many of the things I listed work equally well for someone going through a separation or divorce, or the death of a loved one, or merely depression.  If you are someone in need of help like this, please share this with your friends and let them know.  Sometimes it is hard to voice your needs, either from lack of how to say it, or because we are so ingrained to be self-sufficient that it is embarrassing to ask for help.  I've had to learn to ask for help.  Let others be a blessing to you, and in turn you can be a blessing to someone else.  If you have anything that I should add to this document, please put it in the comments or send me a message.

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CPS has come into your life; maybe not directly into your family, but into a family that you know.  Perhaps one of your relatives has had their children taken away from them, or a friend or neighbor.  Maybe you only heard about a “friend of a friend”.  However it has happened, “they” are now a part of your life.  How do you react?

Hopefully you will be shocked.  Saddened.  Angered.  If none of these emotions hit you, then I think someone needs to check your pulse.  Hopefully you will not be glad, or feel smug and self-righteous because “They deserved it”.  And you’d better never think, “It will never happen to me” because next time it just might be you!  And don’t assume that CPS “intervention” was necessary because they must be guilty of “something”.  Most families never needed “intervention”, or more appropriately, Interference.

So what do you do now?  Do you take in the news of a family’s “disruption” and then try to get back to your own life with not a second thought?  Or maybe you stuff those second, third, twentieth thoughts to the back of your mind?  I hope not.  I hope you stay shocked and sad, but most of all I hope you stay angry.  Angry enough to have the guts to do something.  But do what?

That is my purpose in writing this: to let you know how you can help those who have had their lives shattered, their family torn apart by professional child abusers.  Maybe you are seeking this information on your own.  More likely this has come into your hands because you have asked this family, “How can I help?” Or possibly because this family needs help and they are turning to you.

There are different kinds of support those families in crises need:  Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Legal (and possibly others).  Your situation, relationship to the family, and distance will naturally affect how much and what kind of help you can contribute, but please do all you can.

Emotional:

• The first and most important thing you can do to help is to simply BE THERE.  Mourn their loss with them.  Let them know you care and that you will stand by them.
• Don’t forget them.  It’s all too easy to try and ignore things that make us uncomfortable.  But if we get too comfortable, we get complacent and we are unprepared to defend ourselves, much less our families or others in need.  Call or write a note or email.  Do this frequently, and don’t take it personally if they don’t respond.  They do appreciate it, but just may be unable to reply in kind.
• When you see them and ask them how they’re doing, don’t accept the, “I’m okay” answer.  Look them in the eye and tell them, “I want the truth!”  The real answer might make you uncomfortable, but they need someone to really hear them.
• Listen to them.  Be a safe place for them to vent their anger, their hurt, their distress, and their tears.  They know you don’t want to hear it all the time, but when they need to “spill their guts” they need someone who will calmly ignore the mess that’s been dumped in their lap.

Physical:

• Hug them; touch them.  Physical connection is so important for our health.  And now, when they need it most, the children who would so readily provide that comfort are gone, and most likely in need of it, too.
• Food.  People in distress and depression will forget to eat, or will eat poorly.  Invite them to dinner, even (or especially) to a simple meal at your home, or take it to them.  Even months into their ordeal, they may need this.
• Shelter.  Maybe they need a place to stay occasionally, just to get away and try to relax and regroup.  Do you have a guest room? A travel trailer?  A weekend at a timeshare you’d be willing to give up?  Depending on the particularities of their case, they might even need a place to live temporarily.
• Show up for their court hearings and meetings with social workers.  It always helps to show “them” that there is support, plus it’s important to have witnesses to everything that happens and is said.

Financial:

• If you can contribute even a few dollars, consider doing this, if not on a monthly basis then at least whenever you can.  This is going to be a long battle, and there will be need of money to pay for:
• Gas to see their children.  Instead of having their children at home where they can be with them daily, they will be forced to travel, perhaps long distances, to see their children for an occasional “visit”.   (If they’re “allowed” visitation at all.)
• Gas to get to court and meetings.
• Paper and ink, if they have their own printer, or to go to a copy store for all the copies of documents they will need to file.
• Postage to mail documents to their attorney, the court, and other “parties”.
• Copies of court documents and transcripts of all hearings.
• An attorney, if one can be found who hates CPS and will work for you.  Court-appointed attorneys aren’t worth spit, in my experience.  I would love to meet, and have the services of, a “good” attorney someday.  I do not recommend ever paying in advance, even a retainer, for any legal work.  You are not guaranteed ANY results, and you will most likely not get any.

My thoughts today re: Moses vs. CPS

This was originally posted on facebook

My thoughts today re: Moses vs. CPS

October 4, 2010 at 3:58 pm

I woke up this morning thinking about the story of Moses, about the time surrounding his birth. One of the more popular Bible stories we read to young children. But what are we teaching them? And what lesson do we carry with us through life? So I re-read the first couple chapters of Exodus this morning, so it would be fresh in my mind, and I wouldn't have storybook ideas as a basis for what I want to share.

Chapter 1 verses 8-14 discuss how the whole people of the children of Israel were severely afflicted. Today in our country ALL people are burdened with excess work/labour, not just God's people. We are heavily taxed and so must work more to pay those. And the government (and all it's subdivisions and agencies) gets "treasure cities", beautiful buildings, brand new cars...think about it, have you ever seen any government worker driving a car older than maybe 3 years? Why is that? Anyway, that isn't the main point I want to make.

The rest of chapter 1 tells how the Pharaoh wanted to destroy the families, by killing their sons, but the midwives "feared God", not the Pharaoh, and so the people continued to increase. Today we have an agency in government supposedly to help people in need, with food, medical care, living expenses. It goes by various names such as Department of Human Services or Department of Health, etc. They have a special subdivision that is for dealing with Families and then a further subdivision of that commonly known as CPS, or Child Protection Services. Sounds very noble, doesn't it? "We're here to help protect your family." Contrary to what you think, this is probably the most evil government plot ever because it goes to the very heart of civilization and the foundation of what God created - the family - and instead of helping, it destroys the family. They literally steal, kidnap children from families and very rarely return them. And no matter how long or short a time "they" have your children, lasting damage has been done. Everyone involved is traumatized: the children themselves, the parents, the extended family, the neighbors and friends. It won't be long before no family will be completely unscathed by this War on the Family.

Another group, Planned Parenthood, tries to sound all positive with their motto of making every child a "wanted child" and yet their real goal is to convince as many people as possible to voluntarily sterilize themselves (at least temporarily if not permanently) and if that fails to murder the "accident" that happens. We might not yet have a 2 children per family law and agents monitoring our cycles of fertility, but what we have is almost the same thing, it just looks like freedom and "choice."

I have very strong opinions and convictions regarding all of this. Common sense tells you that a man's children belong to him, not the state, but we now voluntarily give up our children to others in so many ways. "A man's home is his castle" the famous saying goes. What does that imply? That the man is the king in his private kingdom, that his laws rule anything that happens in that kingdom, his family. And possibly even more importantly that the king can employ ANY MEANS HE CHOOSES to protect his kingdom, his family, his children from marauding invaders, anyone who attempts to steal, kill, or destroy what rightfully belongs to him and is his responsibility. And that means he has the right to ask his neighboring kingdoms to join him against the enemy, to help protect each other.

Does the Bible back this up? I believe so. I have never read anything that would contradict this philosophy; at least, nothing comes to my mind at the moment. I do know that Paul makes it very clear that there is a chain of command: children obey your parents (obviously this is not grown children b/c they are no longer children once grown), wives obey your husbands, and husbands obey Christ. (I'm not going to go into the unmarried/widow issues b/c I'm speaking specifically about the family structure here.) There is nobody in between man and God who has the right to command what goes on in the home. Not grandparents, not neighbors, not a group of concerned friends, and certainly not even agency of the "government." I am not implying that those who know and love us cannot come to us if they are concerned about things; but they have no right to force THEIR opinions and will upon the family. And if those who are close to us, that we love and trust do not have the right to come into our home and take charge, then they cannot then give that right (because they don't have it) to a group of people to have THEM come into our home, and they definitely cannot give that right (again, because that isn't a right that exists) to the government. (There's an excellent video on the internet called The Philosophy of Liberty that I highly recommend, and if I had the right I'd force everyone to watch it.) ;)

Today, do we have midwives as in the days of Moses? Well, yes, we have midwives who assist women in giving birth, but that's not quite what I mean. Do we have people who are willing to do what is right, to go against what the government wants, having the fear of God as greater than their fear of government? Yes, there are some (I know b/c I am one of those and I've talked to others) but not nearly enough.

"When the government fears the people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny." ~ Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826)

How many people will admit fearing their government? Do you get a knot in the pit of your stomach when you see those red and blue lights flashing behind you, even if you haven't done anything "wrong" and they go right on past you? Do you rush to get a license for your pet - for the sole reason that you don't get fined (taxed) for not having one? Those are only a couple of minor examples of how much we as a nation truly do fear our government. We aren't to the point yet where we fear getting shot for not having our papers in order. Oh wait...that does essentially go on every day in every state. You DO have to fear being shot, tasered, beaten up by a paid gang of thugs if you cross your eyes at them or dare to question them for the least little thing.

Ultimately we are under the protection of God, but we are currently in a time when Satan is the prince of this world. God doesn't deal with us in this time the same way he dealt with his Chosen People, the Israelites. Our hope is in Heaven, not an earthly kingdom (though that will happen after Christ's return). We are promised trials and sufferings if we follow Him. Doing what is right might very well get us killed or imprisoned or our own family put under attack, but does that make it okay to cower down and pretend you're obeying God by obeying the government? No way! Just because the state isn't asking you to literally bow down and pray to them every day doesn't mean they aren't requiring you to serve them and not God. Just because the state isn't telling doctors to kill your newborn son doesn't mean that they aren't essentially doing the same thing to your neighbor when CPS swoops in.

Are you going to stand by and see families destroyed and children's lives literally put in danger because someone has the guns to back them up? Or are you going to help your neighbor protect his kingdom and his castle, and at the same time protect your own? Do you think that just because they haven't knocked on your door yet that you are safe or that God is protecting you for being such an obedient servant to the government? I don't have all the answers. I probably don't even have some of the answers. But one thing this country desperately needs is a whole lot of people who aren't afraid to help those in fear of their lives or who are merely trying to protect their family. What we need is a modern-day Underground Railroad to transport and hide the ones who need protection from the evil that seeks to destroy. There are families all around you, in every county, every state, and in many other countries today, who are in great need. While you may not be rewarded in this life for helping protect children and their families from those who falsely proclaim to do the same, I don't doubt for a moment that great will be your reward in heaven.

In the first 10 verses of Exodus chapter 2 we learn of Moses. Everyone is familiar with this story, whether you believe it to be true or not. Moses' mother managed to hide him for three months. His father isn't mentioned, but it's probably because he was gone literally all daylight hours slaving away for Egypt and couldn't actively protect his son. These people were literally slaves and didn't have the freedom or ability to pack up and move away or go into hiding. They most likely didn't have houses as large as ours or even a yard, and were probably pretty close to their neighbors, physically at least. I'm honestly surprised she was able to hide a baby for three months! She probably feared a neighbor turning her in and having her baby taken and murdered before her eyes. We all know how she made a watertight basket and put her infant inside and set him adrift, probably hoping that someone downriver would find him and keep him alive, and that is what happened. We also know that she got to nurse her son and care for him until he was weaned. And that was probably longer than 2 years (I've even heard closer to 4 years is a possibility), so she was able to teach him before he went away.

I am in no way implying that we should just let the state take our children and hope that God protects them and they turn out okay. Protecting and nurturing and training our children is our responsibility to them before God. Not only that, it is our RIGHT to do so. And I think any man (or woman) who would take that away should have a millstone tied about their neck and then get thrown into the sea!

Who are you to judge your neighbor? Do you help because there is a need and because protecting children and families is THE RIGHT THING TO DO? Or do you refuse to help because someone isn't of your faith, didn't vote the way you did, is too poor (or too rich), or you're too poor (or too rich), they don't "deserve" help, or they made the "wrong" choices in life? Don't misunderstand me; you do have to "judge" whether you can actually help, and how you should do it. And you shouldn't neglect your own responsibility to protect your own kingdom.

The whole system of CPS is morally wrong and reprehensible. Yes, there are parents who do wrong things, some that do cause harm to their own children, but there's a better way. Why do we just trust the state to take over? If someone commits a crime, then deal with the crime. You don't have to wreak additional havoc and destruction upon a family in the process. Fight the system any way you can. Speak out publicly, perhaps. Find those who are hurting and become their friend and ally (just show up at Juvenile Court any day of the week). Educate yourself about what is really happening. Work to pass laws to protect family rights if that's your thing. Provide sanctuary for those in need. Family, friends, church, neighbors: that is the system that should be protecting children. The state should be a last resort, only when a child is essentially an orphan.

These are just my thoughts as they came to me today. Yes I have strong opinions on the subject, but you were warned! I have personal experience dealing with this "legal" system of child trafficking, and I am not overreacting or exaggerating by any stretch of the imagination; if anything I am showing great restraint by not naming names of specific people who have destroyed my family, either directly or indirectly by their silent (and not-so-silent) acceptance of this as "the way it should be" and by not calling down curses from heaven upon them and their descendants and their dog.

Feel free to share this and to respond, but know that I will delete any comment that is offensive to me. You can have your opinions, but if you choose to disagree with me, do so kindly and graciously without making a personal attack. And if you can't handle that, then feel free to not be my facebook friend. We are in a battle, people, for our very lives, the souls of our children, and I have no patience or tolerance for the selfish or cowardly or the willfully ignorant. I would risk a lot for the safety of you and your children; would you do the same for me?

Booger On Your Neighbor

Booger On Your Neighbor / BOYN (aka Uno)

August 27, 2010 at 6:00 pm

For this homemade version of UNO (preceding the marketed game by many years) use two regular decks of cards; additional decks can be added as needed for lots of players.

Everyone is dealt 7 cards.  Play is the basic UNO / Crazy 8s rules, the next card played must follow either suit or number (with a couple exceptions.)  And also similar to UNO, when you play your next-to-last card, you must say, "One card left" (or "Uno").

Special cards and their rules:

Ace - Reverses direction of play

2 - Next player must draw 2 cards for their turn w/out getting to play. 

*Special rule for 2s* - each additional 2 played directly on top of a 2 means the next person in line must pick up 2 cards for each 2 in the pile.  So if Player A plays a 2, Player B draws 2; Player C then plays another 2, so Player D must draw 4; Player E plays a 2, so Player F draws 6; etc.  This can be a lot of fun, but watch out if you're playing with an odd number, because it can come back to get you!

Red 3s - (black 3s are normal) This card can be played AT ANY TIME; it does not have to follow suit or number.  The next player must draw 5 cards.  Play then proceeds as if the red 3 had not been played, i.e. if a four of spades was played previously, then the next play would have to be a four, a spade, another red 3, or a wild card.

7 - the next player gets skipped.

Jack - wild card, changes suit.  Can be played at any time also.

Queen - this is where it can get REALLY exciting!  When you play a queen, you have two options: one, it is just played as a normal card and play proceeds, OR two, you can switch hands with ANYONE else at the table!  Just don't forget to say, "One card left" if you are trading with someone who only has one card left. :)  Also, if the hand you are trading away has another queen in it, then be prepared to have it traded right back to you, especially if you're trading with the next player in line!

If you fail to say "One card left!" and someone catches you before the next card is played, then you must draw 3 cards.

If you do not have a card that plays on your turn, you must draw until you can play.  An alternate way to play, perhaps with young children who can't hold very many cards, is to draw one card and if it can be played you can play, otherwise you are skipped.

The object is to be the first (and only) one to go out, and get zero points.  Everyone else adds up their points as follows:

2s through 9s are 5 points (yeah, even though 2s are special!)

10s and Kings are 10 points

7s, Jacks, Queens, and Aces are 15 points

Red 3s are 25 points

Feel free to change the scoring structure to suit your needs/preferences.  This is to the best of my memory, except I think red 3s were 50 points...

Cave of Adullam

Cave of Adullam

July 28, 2010 at 10:07 pm

Song by Sara Groves, inspired by the story of David in I and II Samuel

Speak to me, speak to me in my cave of Adullam.
Reach to me, reach to me. No one cares for my soul.
I thought I saw your kingdom, but it's not going to happen like I thought it would happen.

Remind me, remind me of the vision you gave me.
Remind me, remind me what anointing oil is for.
I need to know you're near me. I need to know you are holding me just as closely .

Chorus: as the day you took my life and gave me a vision,
as the day you poured the oil and gave me a dream.
I can't believe this is happening.
How does a shepherd become a king?

I'm listening to Sara Groves music right now. Hers was the music I listened to over and over and over again when I left my first husband. Different songs speak to me at different times. This one is now. I am strong in the Lord, but the tears are still here.

I KNOW I had a vision of what God wanted for my life, and I was living it, and it was wonderful. I know the enemy loves to destroy the good things of God. Where I am today is a combination of the choices of others and my reactions/choices to them. I know there's never 100% blame on someone else.

Does God's Vision for us change just because we screw up and use our free will to make stupid choices? I know it doesn't change because Satan has some victories. But can things ever mess up so badly that there's no redemption, no returning to the promises?

My hope is in eternity. The goal of life is to prepare us for the afterlife. I have to keep my eye on the prize.

Php 3:7 But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.
Php 3:8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
Php 3:9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
Php 3:10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
Php 3:11 If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.
Php 3:12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
Php 3:13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
Php 3:14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Okay, another song came on that fits: The One Thing I Know

And the clouds just parted on a corner of my life
And I can see for miles
And the things I was stuck on
Things I thought would never change
They just broke open wide

This is the one thing I know
You said you won’t let me go
You said you won’t let me go

And the veil just lifted
I can finally understand
The way you work in me
But even if I didn’t
You are still a sovereign God
Who has a plan for me

It ‘s good to know you work with hurt and broken souls
And that you’ll take a soul like mine

And it feels like I've been waking up
Only to fight with the same old stuff
I was caught in the habits of a lifetime
Giving up I could never find the right time
All the indefensible things I would defend
All the million ways that my heart was bent
Then the clouds just parted

Oh, so many of her songs are good! I think I'll be listening to them a lot...

Jeremiah

Jeremiah tell me about the fire
That burns up in your bones
I want to know
I want to know more now

The burning of ambition and desire
It never could come close
To that fire
To that fire

Verse 1:
I was looking to myself
And I forgot the power of God
I was standing with a sparkler in my hand

While I stood so proud and profound
You went and burned the whole place down
Now that’s a fire

Verse 2:
I was caught up in this vice
And it’s power to entice
I was dwelling on my hopelessness and doubt

With the slightest invitation
You came with total detonation
Now that’s a fire

Bridge:
I was warming my hands by this little light of mine
but now I know it’s time
time to come in from the cold
Fight fire with fire, come fan the flame
come stir up these coals in my soul, in my soul
till it burns out of control