2012 in review
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
600 people reached the top of Mt. Everest in 2012. This blog got about 8,100 views in 2012. If every person who reached the top of Mt. Everest viewed this blog, it would have taken 14 years to get that many views.
Click here to see the complete report.
Why?
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Philippians 4:8
If we all followed just this one verse of scripture days like last Friday in Newtown, CT at the Sandy Hook Elementary School would become an impossibility. Ever since that day I have been overcome with deep sadness for the victims, their loved ones, the first responders, and everyone who is grieving with them. The one thing that has stood out about this terrible tragedy is the way the people there have turned to their faith to find solace and comfort. It gives me hope that our nation is not lost.
Atheists and Agnostics declare that there is no God because if there were a God, evil couldn’t exist. That is a straw man argument. We all are created with ‘free will’. We decide what we believe, what actions we take and what we want. Free Will is a gift and God cannot take it away from us because without it there would be no real Love, Kindness, or Goodness in the world, everyone would be robotic, unimaginative, unfeeling and without purpose.
Taking God out of the public square, the move to Secularize America has taken the country down a dark road where ‘excuses’ for bad behavior are portrayed as reasons. Making everyone responsible for one person’s depravity due to them being ignored or shunned or bullied or a myriad of other responses that supposedly drives a human being to such depravity. Where we once had what was described as ‘polite society’ where certain standards of public behavior was expected, we have moved to an ‘in your face’ society where anything goes and if you complain about it you are intolerant.
Public media and entertainment has become one giant expletive. Bad language, nudity, perversion, and extreme violence, all standard fare on television and movies, even commercials. These things insult my intelligence and offend my senses but if I complain I am intolerant. Yet, things like nativity scenes, Christmas Trees, Prayers in public and crosses (all symbols of love, kindness, generosity and goodness) in public are excepted targets as being offensive and insulting. Black and White, Good and Evil have swapped places in the realm of what is acceptable, making tragedies like the slaughter of innocents in a public school not only possible but probable.
When these senseless tragedies occur and I am forced to look away from the things described in Philippians 4:8 my senses are bombarded with grief and even physical illness. I grieve not only for the victims and the people who loved them but also for the perpetrator’s lost soul.
The things we allow into our minds and hearts are the things that will come to fruition…..
moving to ‘Bethland’….
Post election depression is the ‘pits’! This is the Christmas season, a time to celebrate the birth of my Savior, Jesus Christ, a time to remind the world that Peace and Joy aren’t just dreams but are within our ability to find. You may be wondering where Bethland is. It is a state of mind, I woke up this morning and realized that our granddaughter, Beth, now 27 and a young wife and mother herself is much wiser than I gave her credit for. We have teased her, her entire life about living in Bethland. She is truly one of the kindest, gentlest, sweetest human beings I have ever met. Her heart is tender and loving, if not the wisest or most logical being on the planet. Her actions are not ever well thought out, sometimes she doesn’t consider all the ramifications of her decisions, she just does what she sees as necessary at the moment. She will literally give you the shirt off her back if she thinks you need it more than she does. Mean people make her cry and her heart breaks for the helpless. Most of the time though she goes through life just being happy to be here. Marriage and motherhood have brought ‘hard realities’ like financial worries and a little boy who has no fear of anything, to bear in her life but she still manages to find ‘Bethland’ and it is a wonderful place to be….
Bethland is a place where the sun shines even when it is raining, all clouds have silver linings, all homes are warm and full of love, there are no mean people, all old people, babies, the handicapped, dogs, cats and every other living thing on the planet are loved and taken care of. All motives are pure and all wishes are fulfilled. It is a place, the only place this side of heaven where peace prevails. In Bethland, when the real world invades the response is to push it back out with positive and appropriate responses to the given situation, bringing back hope and comfort in difficult situations. Being rich doesn’t require wealth, being poor doesn’t mean unhappiness, being sick requires only a spoonful of sugar….
Although Bethland is difficult to find sometimes, it is a place that should be visited often because there is where you can rest, reflect, renew, and just be, for a while, with no assaults from the outside. It doesn’t require preparation, or travel, no money, and no luggage. There are some things you cannot take with you though. All revenge, animosity, and anger must be left behind along with self-pity, ego, self-righteousness and less than honorable motivation. It is a place where humbleness, kindness and compassion will lead you to where the heart and soul can find the truth behind the message of Christmas. The message of a Savior and a perfect sacrifice made once and for all for all mankind for all time. The understanding of contentment with current circumstances because of the freedom that comes from forgiveness for sins both past, present and future. The knowledge that planet earth is not our home….
You can find it, yours may not be called Bethland but the name you call it doesn’t matter. Grace and Peace to journey through the season of Christmas with compassion, hope and peace that passes all understanding….God be with you all to celebrate the Savior everyday, all year around!
taking some time off….
I so appreciate everyone who has taken the time to read, like and post comments on my posts! That is why I wanted to let you all know that I have decided to take some time, step back and refresh while I reconsider my purpose here. In the election aftermath, the Libya debacle, the escalation of bombings on Israel, all the conspiracies, scandals, stories of election fraud and the coming fiscal fiasco, my mental and physical health is suffering. From now until the first of the year I will be spending more time with family, being thankful for the many blessings from above and trying to do more to help those around me who need it. I pray that all of you will have a very Happy Thanksgiving and a very Merry Christmas! As for a Happy New Year, I think we will all have to find happiness in small things but it can be done!
Figuring out how exactly to prepare for something you have never faced is a challenge that will require a lot of attention, a lot of prayer and a lot of faith! So if you wonder about my absence please know that I will still be around and who knows something might even inspire an occasional need to opine…. 😉
My Best to all!!!!
KiraDavis.net » Stand or Stand Down? Wrestling With the Future.
KiraDavis.net » Stand or Stand Down? Wrestling With the Future..
message for the winner….
I just have one thing to say to the winner of the 2012 election…..
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- When will we know a winner on election night? (cbsnews.com)
I will not ‘Stand Down’….
The message consistently from the Obama Administration over the last 4 years to Christians has been to ‘Stand Down’. This in itself is evidence to me that Obama is not a Christian. Separating moral principles, faith and the Gospel message from everyday life is impossible for the Christian. It is part of their fabric, their soul and dictates their actions. While we being far from perfect as every Christian will tell you, the continual goal is toward perfection. It cannot be separated from how we vote.
The attempt to exclude God from the Democrat Platform and their big Convention as well as embracing same-sex marriage, the attack on Religious Freedom through Obamacare mandates to provide birth control and abortion drugs, the attacks to remove all references to God in our Pledge of Allegiance, on symbols of Christianity in town squares and even on private property, along with many other examples of denigration of good moral behavior by the radical Progressive Left is obvious.
God’s people will not ‘Stand Down’ for their strength and faith won’t fail them and they know it. They will continue to be the people they are called to be because of reasons the Secular world will never understand. During the 2008 election the majority of the Christian community abdicated their voice by not voting because they saw no good choice but they now understand what they are up against and will turn out to oust Obama. They will vote for Romney not because they embrace his religion but because the way he has lived his life is far better than what they have learned and seen through the actions of Obama and his entire administration over the last 4 years.
They now see that the Emperor truly has no clothes, the wolf cannot hide under the mask of the sheep. Pollsters are telling us the Election is too close to call. They are counting early and absentee votes by party registration. I believe that Christian Democrats exist in large numbers and that when they sent in their ballots or went to their polling place to cast their early vote that they did not toe the party line. We will see, but if my hunch is right this election is not as close as what we are being told.
Christians have certainly been too passive for way too long in allowing the messages coming out of the media, television, public schools and Hollywood to invade the minds of their own children. That has to change if our nation is to remain a Free country…..
Mr. Romney is not a perfect man, he will not please everyone, and he cannot change the course we are on without a lot of guidance from ‘we the people’. Our voices cannot go silent after this election no matter who wins!
We changed our clocks last night and we must change our President on Tuesday!!!!
Wow 10,000 flyovers
I cannot believe it! Flyoverhere hit 10,000 views today. I started this blog on August 18, 2011 and have made 214 posts with 2254 comments and never in my wildest dreams did I think I would reach this amazing number. Thank you to all my readers, both regulars and passers-by!!! I have been a tad bit AWOL of late due to election fatigue mostly and I don’t even live in a state where we are bombarded by political ads. Thank the Lord election day is next Tuesday!!!
Enough of that. Since I never thought I would be here doing this I never gave any thought as to how I would feel. I decided that I would leave you with one of my favorite songs from one of my favorite singers. Please enjoy and Thanks to all of you!
Boo!
This is our little Super Woman! She is just one of the reasons I voted early for Romney/Ryan. I want her to alway believe that she can be anything she wants to be and accomplish anything she wants and be free to reach for her stars! The choice is clear!
