If you can help politically or legally

please help my friend.

part 1 the-us-state-department-is-scamming-this-citizen-am-i-the-only-one/

part 2

First time I’ve linked to my best friend, I think

http://kkmacd.blogspot.com/2007/06/ah-capitalism.html

There are actually two places to click on in her post although I couldn’t tell it from her site but it showed up fine in bloglines . . .

Perception and Regeline

http://perceptionpoint.wordpress.com/2007/05/10/in-the-name-of-regeline/

Samson and the Pirate Monks

I just finished reading Samson and the Pirate Monks by Nate Larkin.

I was amazed and heartily recommend it. I didn’t plan on reading it since my husband had told me the beginning (the author engaged in some very serious sexual sin while married and in ministry) and I didn’t feel like reading another one of those stories.  But I picked it up one day and started reading and since I already knew the sordid events of the beginning, was able to make it through to what helped Nate and to the society he started. Part of me was still rebelling. I wanted his wife to divorce him instead of forgive him. I wanted to castigate these men for the sins they most definitely commit against other human beings–some are family and some are people they will never meet. But as I plowed my way through the book I could not help but realize he has hit the nail on the head of what men need and what will transform lives and what God no doubt had intended all along but somehow Christians have missed in the Bible. We skipped right to the “be holy” part without the “carry each other’s burdens and confess your sins, etc.” part (or when we try we screw it up).

Anyway, I hope the above doesn’t keep anyone from reading it.  If you’re a man, you really need to read it whether you struggle with a sexual sin or not.  (Which brings me to the fact that women need something like this too–different but something that would accomplish the same goals.  I wonder who will come up with that.)

If you know Matthew

Please wish him a very happy 30th birthday today.  I love you my dear, dear husband.

More Gift Ideas

I love having my very own computer. If I have a thought, it goes into a Word document. I guess I could have been that way before but written things on paper (I still make to-do lists, grocery lists, etc on paper) but then what do you do with the paper? Have a filing folder for silly lists like your favorite Christmas songs, instructions for the babysitter, etc? I guess it might work for some people. But I like the filing system of the computer. I save my document and then anytime I need it, I can retrieve it alphabetically from my documents and I don’t have to read my messy handwriting. One of the lists I have is actually an Excel document and it contains people I need to buy gifts for, gift ideas for them, and gift ideas for anyone who I need a gift for unexpectedly. I’m very proud of it because I’ve never been a very good gift giver, but now that I have a system, I can write down what people would like or what I think they would like and refer to it at the time I’m going to buy the gift.

I thought I would share some of the things on my list for anyone who struggles with knowing what to get, especially if you want to avoid Wal-Mart.

For kids: get a toy from Ten Thousand Villages, get a book to encourage reading

For women: gift certificate to a spa, maid, or Shaklee (or some other environmentaly-friendly company) products

For men: ? I’m working on this one. For my husband, it would probably be a book or a gift certificate to Apple. Right, honey?

A good way to get what you want? Get an Amazon wish list. I read that shopping online is better for the environment–a bonus!

If all else fails, give to Heifer (or your charity of choice) in the name of your loved one instead of getting a trinket that will be regifted or clutter up the house (unless, of course, it’s the trinket they want and they would love you forever if you got it).

Gift ideas

Still don’t know what to get loved ones for Christmas? Here are some ideas:

Restaurant gift certificates are great, especially for the oldest generation who has everything but has to eat and cooking can come with difficulty.

Get a book: The Maker’s Diet is a great one.
Buy a sheep, chick or water buffalo for a poor family from Heifer in the name of your loved one.

Pay for a housekeeper for any woman you know.

Or give one of the many great Shaklee products:

pH balanced, non-carcinogenic and environmentally friendly personal care products such as: the lip treatment, balancing moisturizer, purifying cleansing gel, Aspire fragrance, hand wash concentrate, blush, foundation, etc.

AirSource air purifier or BestWater water filtering systems

high quality vitamins, omegaguard, Optiflora

Or my favorites, the laundry products: fresh laundry liquid, soft fabric dryer sheets, and Nature Bright.

Visit www.shaklee.net/fruth and drop me an email with your name if you order: hcjerika

“Campaign for Real Beauty”

Not sure whether to have you watch this first or this.

I don’t pass on pass-it-on-or-you’re-not-a-Christian emails but I’d like to ask readers to pass on the above videos to the women and girls in their lives.

Go Dove.  (The links above are to the Canadian site.)

Let’s get social

UPDATE:  When I first posted this I said free trade but meant fair trade.  Free trade might be good, too, but is something different.

Krista & I got to visit Heifer International while she was here. I’ve been wanting to go ever since we moved here and I found out it’s only about an hour away but it hadn’t worked out. I was really impressed. I knew they gave animals to poor people in many nations so they can use the animals for milk and their offspring for food but I didn’t know how it was started or how thorough they are. I mean they have thought of everything. No half done job here. They purchase the animals in the country of their destination which saves on cost and helps the local economy (they didn’t do this initially), the families have to prove they can take care of the animal (so they don’t eat it right away and can’t use it to sustain themselves), they have to pass on the firstborn female so they help others and more are helped, the ranch here in Arkansas is self-sustaining so when people give it goes directly to getting people animals, the ranch uses a lot of recycled materials . . . . I could go on and on. It was started by a Christian though I don’t think the gospel is part of the package now. But they are still showing God’s grace to people even if they don’t know it!

The thoroughness and success of Heifer makes me wonder what all is possible. For instance, here in the US, instead of giving canned food to poor people (which is short-sighted and since the food is processed doesn’t help them physically) couldn’t churches help people learn to budget, give cooking lessons about stuff I’m learning like sprouting, dehydrating, etc, get them interested in exercise like running, biking, etc (a church in Georgia–I think–started a neighborhood exercise program or something like that; it’s been a few years since I heard it) . . . . not that churches should focus on this to the neglect of the gospel but if they’re going to do anything social this is an idea. But when I think about it, it seems impossible. How on earth do you teach multiple families who are generally not well educated to budget. One family, yes, because you could get very detailed, but in a class? That could become a huge task. But maybe it’s doable. Paying for people to take Dave Ramsey’s seminar is one idea. I just wonder. . .

Recently, Matthew & I watched the Ron Clark story on tv and also rented Take the Lead. I love movies like this, true stories of someone making a difference. Not someone who tried but tripped over their own ego or obstacles but someone who tried, persevered and succeeded.

Krista and I also got to visit Little Rock’s rivermarket district which is really cool and I’d be there all the time if I lived there. One of the stores was called Ten Thousand Villages (which she was familiar with) which is a fair trade (at first I put free trade but that is something different) store and another story of someone’s success at helping people.

I like Target and, at times, Wal-Mart but I realized that we as consumers never ask how this stuff is made; we just like the price. Then something comes out on the news about how such and such is made by child slaves and we go into shock and protest (well, some remain indifferent) but we only protest so much because we worry about our own pocket book. Well, if the church started teaching people sound financial principles and how to budget, people might be able to purchase things based on principle instead of price. Of course, one asks, how do you do that? The Bible says a lot about money but you also need practical advice since car loans and credit cards didn’t exist back in Jesus’ day. Crown Ministries has done a lot of good but my parents said Dave Ramsey is even more practical. Personally, I think every church needs to do his seminar or a similar one. God obviously wants people to be frugal with money or there wouldn’t be so many Bible verses on it.

Of course, to vote with principles we would have to start educating ourselves and asking questions. Other examples are diamonds and chocolate. Who knew before reports came out on tv that the rings on most married women’s fingers came to them because some kid got his leg cut off in Sierra Leone? Or that drinking coffee or eating chocolate means you’re supporting child slavery? “People who are drinking cocoa or coffee are drinking their blood,” he said. “It is the blood of young children carrying 6kg of cocoa sacks so heavy that they have wounds all over their shoulders. It’s really pitiful to see. If you drink coffee or eat a lot of chocolate, please find a natural food store where you can get them fair trade.

Let’s stop burying our heads in the sand and all become like Sandra Bullock in 2 Weeks Notice. I’m not talking about getting political; there’s a place for that but politics are so screwed up, you’ve got to vote with your wallet. I’ve read a couple of books by Bernard Goldberg that confirmed in my mind how bad Democrats are but recently it occurred to me that Republicans are no better. Politics are too dirty for anyone to remain clean at a certain level.

This has been a post full of several different things. Here’s to tie it up, make this year different. Instead of spending money on insignificant gifts this Christmas, change someone’s life for the better: get an unhealthy person The Maker’s Diet by Jordan Rubin or a cookbook like Nourishing Traditions or Rejuvenate Your Life, or get anyone Dave Ramsey’s The Total Money Makeover or give money to Heifer in the name of your loved one, buy them fair trade chocolate and coffee, or buy them something from Ten Thousand Villages. Let’s see what happens.

I love Amazon

.com that is. Never been to the real thing and am too scared of snakes and crocodiles to ever go.

You, yes you, need an amazon.com wish list and here’s why. 1) It helps you remember what you wanted when you didn’t have money for when you do. 2) It helps your family or friends who want to get you a gift to know what to get you. 3) Sometimes people enjoy shopping at a mall, etc. but sometimes it’s a hassle and how nice to shop online! 4) Personally, I think it cuts down on unnecessary gifts. Sometimes people feel like they have to get you a gift but they don’t know what you want so they get you something that you throw away or sell at a garage sale or that clutters your house for you overly sentimental types. So make it easy. If the list is long enough it’s still a surprise. 5) You can find anything you want on Amazon. Okay, not everything in the whole world. But a lot of people still think it’s books, movies and music. Target sells through Amazon, Office Depot too. 6) You can buy used books. A lot of times you can’t even tell they’re used (it will say what condition it’s in; I go for “like new”).

So have I sold you on it yet?