Sometimes...

...You acquire bargains at garage sales. Sometimes, you just acquire more junk. But then, sometimes, you can acquire a cute kitten:

Muslim Outreach

"The most dangerous thing a Muslim can do is leave Islam—no matter what the reason" (Mark Gabriel, Islam and Terrorism, p. 59).

"Islam says that human rights are unnecessary because they are also a man-made idea that is not found in the Quran" (Mark Gabriel, Islam and Terrorism, p. 55).

HT: Doug Wilson

I was blessed to be able to hear a talk on Muslim outreach given by Brother Andrew the other night. What an amazing, God-exalting, humble missionary. He addressed the desperate need for mission work in Islamic countries, and challenged us to show compassion and love to this largely unreached people group. He said that "there are no places where you cannot go, as long as you don't expect to come back." Brother Andrew is just as active in delivering Bibles and sharing the Gospel today as he was when he first began his work 50 years ago in communist countries. Thank God for this man's dedication to the spreading of the Gospel, despite all of the dangers and difficulties he has experienced in his life's work. He is an extraordinary example of true faith and a dedicated missionary; a humble man exhibiting a love for the lost, coupled with compassion for the people he works with and an exuberant zeal to share the Gospel wherever he is.

To learn more of Brother Andrew's work and ministry, visit his website. You can also read his book, God's Smuggler and his newest, Secret Believers.

Good-bye Tarnish (and harsh chemicals, too!)

I love this easy, chemical-free way to remove tarnish!

I'm currently listening to this.

And the dog snoring.


The former is great. The latter is annoying.

If I Could Afford It

this would be the way I would choose to travel to the UK.

Unbelievable.

I'm already calculating how much I can put away between now and next September... ;-)

Should We Negotiate with Terrorists?

Although we can rejoice that the South Korean missionaries who were being held hostage were finally released last week and returned home yesterday, there is some sobering discussion on whether the S. Korean government did the right thing in negotiating with the Taliban for their release. Has the government set a dangerous precedent for future relations with the Taliban regarding hostages and meeting unreasonable demands from an unreasonable terrorist group? CBC reports that (Canadian) Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier expressed regret late Wednesday over South Korea's handling of the crisis.

"We do not negotiate with terrorists, for any reason," said a statement from Bernier's office. "Such negotiations, even if unsuccessful, only lead to further acts of terrorism."

It is something to consider, especially when you have the Taliban releasing statements like this on the hostages' release:

"We will do the same thing with the other allies in Afghanistan, because we found this way to be successful" - Taliban spokesman Qari Yousef Ahmadi.

I remember back when missionaries Martin and Gracia Burnham were kidnapped and held hostage for over a year in the Philippines by the terrorist group Abu Sayyaf. The US government stayed out of negotiations, as did the mission agency that the Burnhams were a part of, in order to discourage kidnapping of missionaries and foreign travelers. The Burnham's ordeal ended with Martin's death and Gracia's rescue by the Philippine army. Of course, everyone wondered at the time, did the US government and the mission agency do the right thing by not negotiating their release? Shouldn't they have made every effort to rescue the Burnhams from their captors? Or, should we take the view that even though one life was lost, many more saved as a result?

Should the South Korean government have stayed out of the hostage affair? Should we ever make concessions to terrorists in order to save lives, or will many more lives now be lost as a result?

Saying "No"

Nancy Wilson on saying "no" and internalizing standards:

So, what kind of standards do women need to live by? You need standards about what you think.What you say.What you listen to.What you will read and watch.What you will laugh at. How you dress. What makeup and jewelry you wear. How you drive. How you walk down the street. What you will post on myspace. Who you will receive phone calls, email, or instant messages from.The kind of people you will befriend. The kind of parties you will attend. The kind of gifts you will receive.The kind of men you will spend time with and where you will spend that time.

I strongly encourage all of my female readers (especially if you're single!) to take the time to read this post in it's entirety.

America's Reading Habits

I found this statement interesting:

People from the South read a bit more than those from other regions, mostly religious books and romance novels. Whites read more than blacks and Hispanics, and those who said they never attend religious services read nearly twice as many as those who attend frequently.

And yet...

The Bible and religious works were read by two-thirds in the survey, more than all other categories. Popular fiction, histories, biographies and mysteries were all cited by about half, while one in five read romance novels. Every other genre -- including politics, poetry and classical literature -- were named by fewer than five percent of readers.

(emphasis mine)

Where You Fall in Poll of US Reading Habits

Wow

A really imaginative, artistic person creates art on an old wooden dresser with...

Blue tape!!!

I Don't Normally Laugh Out Loud When Reading Something

But I was laughing a lot over this Ebay description.

HT: BaylyBlog

Birds at My Local Park

Photos by LTS

Right-Wing Anthropologie?

A store that I love to shop in but can rarely afford (unless it's on sale) is Anthropologie. They offer beautiful, feminine clothing and lovely home decor items. The last time I was in the store, I was mesmerized by all of the cute, retro, and just plain pretty kitchen aprons they had. I have to say that when I go shopping, I just shop in stores that I like, the ones who offer the kind of products that I am interested in finding. I don't think about the political views the store's owners have and promote, and that may or may not be a good thing for me to just ignore. Come to think of it, it probably isn't. But I do. When I shop in a store that is owned by a major corporation, I naturally assume that I just don't want to know the politcal views of the people in charge, or the causes their money goes to support. So it was with a lot of surprise that I discovered this information from a disgruntled group of liberals who were discussing online their conflict over shopping at Anthropologie while protesting/disagreeing with the founder's politics. (Interestingly enough, they don't seem to have as much of a problem with some of the products that have been for sale at Anthropologie and it's parent company, Urban Outfitters, which I have seen and thought were over the edge in terms of racial or cultural insensitivity) I had to laugh over the whole discussion, as I'm just not sure that a few thousand dollars donated from the pocket of a millionaire to a conservative Republican senator makes that millionaire's corporation a right-wing one (actually, if you have ever shopped Anthropolgie or Urban O., you would really think the opposite!).

But, having said all that, I shall feel a little bit better about shopping Anthropologie from now on. :)

Making New Out of Old

Clip on earrings as money clips.

Primates

Humans studying primates.

Human waving to camera man.

Photos by LTS.

Going to The Zoo...

Flowers

Primates

Yes, It Can Happen:

Girl overdoses on espresso coffee

SNUFFY

1994 - 2007

Faithful companion, great escape artist, adventurous, loving and loved.
-

There will never be another like you.
-
We love you and miss you, old man

A Contest!

To be eligible for a $150 shopping spree at Christa Taylor, just follow these easy steps from the website:

To enter the contest (1) simply choose anything your heart desires up to a value of $150. Each individual product page contains an "Add to Wishlist" option. (2) Click this button for each item you choose. If you do not already have an account you will be prompted to (3) sign up for one. When you're finished making your selections you will be provided with a link to your wish list. You will find this on your personal wish list page. (4) Post this link as a comment at Lessons From the Scrapbook page, the event's sponsoring blog, and you're finished! The winner will be randomly chosen and announced September 1, 2007. No purchase is necessary to enter.

Christa Taylor was born out of one woman's desire to provide a shopping resource of modest, yet modern clothing for girls and women. I, for one, am glad that someone is stepping up to meet the need for modest clothing. The clothing is at affordable prices, and definitely worth a look if you are interested in promoting "modish"(a word coined by Christa Taylor, meaning "chic" and "modest") modesty with young women.

Here is an interview with Christa Taylor if you want to learn more about what the company stands for, and how it all began.

Flight Aware

I just discovered this website and will definitely use it in future visits to the airport. I wish I had known about it a month ago when we went to pick up my cousin form the airport and we ended up waiting over two hours to get her because her flight had been re-routed to another airport, but the airline refused to keep everyone updated on the flight status, so we waited, and waited, and waited...

Another great feature is an amazing map they have of all airplanes in flight right now.

Nancy Wilson on Controlling Emotions:

Emotions are nice but unreliable. Women in particular need to wield control over their own feelings rather than letting the feelings control them. They can really work us over good if we let them. Self-control has the wisdom to see what is going on. I think it is as equally unwise to get really excited and buoyant as it is to get down in the dumps. Mood swings are not fun for anyone in the room. Self-control is like a thermostat, setting the temperature, and keeping things at an even keel. Emotions are like the thermometer, affected by the surrounding climate or conditions, and given to great fluctuation.

Read the post in it's entirety here.

John Piper on the Minneapolis Tragedy

From the Desiring God blog:

At about 6 PM tonight the bridge of Interstate 35W over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis collapsed. I am writing this about three hours after the bridge fell. The bridge is located within sight of Bethlehem Baptist Church. Most of us who minister at the church cross this bridge several times a week. At this point I don’t know if any staff was on the bridge. Desiring God offices are about a mile from the bridge.

...Tonight for our family devotions our appointed reading was Luke 13:1-9. It was not my choice. This is surely no coincidence. O that all of the Twin Cities, in shock at this major calamity, would hear what Jesus has to say about it from Luke 13:1-5. People came to Jesus with heart-wrenching news about the slaughter of worshipers by Pilate. Here is what he said.
Read On...

Two Articles for Weekend Reading

Mum's The Word: Why Oxford students are putting motherhood before career.
An interesting article on the increasing trend of young women putting family before career.
HT: BaylyBlog

Girls Gone Mild?
An ABC News piece about the latest fashion trend for girls: Modesty. After years of women's clothing showing too much of their bodies, it seems logical that fashion would eventually swing full circle back to a more classic, modest style. Let's hope it gets better from here on and stays awhile, too.

Literary Quiz

"Leading literary firms failed to recognise the work of Jane Austen when it was sent in by a prankster. The opening chapters of three novels were submitted under an invented name, with titles and character names changed. Think you can do better? Try our opening line quiz."

This quiz is fast and fun. I scored "well read". But I have to tell you, in all fairness, that I really just made some good, logical guesses. ;-)

Speaking of Knitting...

This is my latest completed project. It was a very easy, quick knit - which was a good thing since I was knitting it for a store's booth display at a fiber show last month.

Sorry for the blurry pictures. They were taken with my cell phone.

Me modeling the shawl at the show. I was in fear lest someone pick it up and my badly woven yarn ends came out of the loose stitches... Yes, those are yarn tails dragging on the floor... :-)Thankfully, it stayed together and I think even sold a shawl kit or two. I got yarn in exchange for knitting this and I plan on getting some soft wool yarn for - shhh! - a little gift for a special relative growing inside my sister-in-law's tummy.

Knitting Gets Press, Too

The New York Times reports on the latest trend among the 20-30 year old demographic group: crafting. Read it here.

For my young readers:
Please read with caution.

The best place to watch fireworks on a holiday:

A boat...

On a swollen lake...

Watching the sunset...

And waiting for the celebration to begin.

All photos (C)2007 by LTS.

I had to laugh over this report regarding France's new president, Nicolas Sarkozy.

In the cafés of the Left Bank, they have fastened on what they regard as the single most objectionable and Right-wing aspect of the Sarkozy agenda - and what do you think it is? Do they object to his views on immigration? Are they worried about his plans to make French universities more competitive?

Quite possibly; but their feelings on these questions are anaemic next to their central charge against the new regime. The most appalling thing about the Sarkozy presidency, says Professor Alain Finkelkraut, a leading French philosopher and veteran of the 1968 manifestations, is an event that takes place every morning. The President of France goes jogging! Choc horreur! He exposes the presidential knees to the entire world, says Finkelkraut, and it is extremely undignified.
From Bravo Sarkozy - from one jogger to another , by Boris Johnson for the Telegraph.

Running is undignified? Hmm, this explains why I saw very few French people exercising during my own early morning visits to the local park in Merignac last summer. The park was always busy, and it wasn't as though jogging, walking, and even some running wasn't represented, it was just that most of the people there were using the park to get from one side of town to the other. I remember that I felt very conspicuous on my first early morning run in France to encounter so many well-dressed people on the trail. I had thought that I would only be in the company of other sweaty, tired, panting runners. But that is because I, naive Texan that I am, did not realize that there are some parts of the world in which a park is not used primarily for exercising, like mine is here at home. :-)

Book Sale

From the desiringGod blog:

Every book in our store will be $5 on June 27-28, Wednesday and Thursday next week.

No limits, so spread the word.

(This sale is online only.)

They have also compiled a list of books to help you get started.

Weird Story:

ABCNews.com ran this story about a man who sued the owners of a dry cleaning business for a whopping $54 million over a pair of missing pants.

The trial proved nearly as dramatic -- and unusual -- as the plaintiff's claims. On the witness stand, Pearson broke down in tears and had to take a break from his testimony because he became too emotional while questioning himself about his experience with the missing trousers.

Repeatedly referring to himself as "we," Pearson sought to present himself as the leader of a class of tens of thousands, if not a half million people, consisting of local residents he believes are at risk of falling for such insidious business practices as posting "Satisfaction Guaranteed" and "Same Day Service" signs.

"Mr. Pearson, you are not 'we.' You are an 'I,'" Bartnoff told him.
(I had to laugh at that one)

It gets better.

I can't believe crazy people like that are allowed to roam free... Thank goodness in this case, justice was indeed served.

HT: Justin Taylor

There Have Been Many Cases Against Abortion...

...But this is the most interesting (unique? psychological? realistic? What do you think?) argument I have ever read on the subject.

The Wall Street Journal: It's Not Enough To Be 'Wanted'

Isaac Newton's Religious Side:

Newton, who died 280 years ago, is known for laying much of the groundwork for modern physics, astronomy, math and optics. But in a new Jerusalem exhibit, he appears as a scholar of deep faith who also found time to write on Jewish law -- even penning a few phrases in careful Hebrew letters -- and combing the Old Testament's Book of Daniel for clues about the world's end.

Read the rest here.

Will The USDA Relax Organic Standards?

I find this piece in the LA Times somewhat troubling. Although you will want to read the article in it's entirety, here is an excerpt:

The agency is considering a list of 38 nonorganic ingredients that will be permitted in organic foods. Because of the broad uses of these ingredients — as colorings and flavorings, for example — almost any type of manufactured organic food could be affected, including cereal, sausage, bread and beer.

Organic food advocates have fought to block approval of some or all of the proposed ingredients, saying consumers would be misled.

"This proposal is blatant catering to powerful industry players who want the benefits of labeling their products 'USDA organic' without doing the work to source organic materials," said Ronnie Cummins, executive director of the Organic Consumers Assn. of Finland, Minn., a nonprofit group that boasts 850,000 members.


Read the rest of the article!

freefoto.com

Father's Day

My Dad.
(Handsome isn't he?) ;-)


A handful of quotes for Father's Day:

Lydia M. Child

Blessed indeed is the man who hears many gentle voices call him father!

Joseph Joubert
Love and fear. Everything the father of a family says must inspire one or the other.

Clarence Budington Kelland
He didn't tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it.

Author Unknown
A father carries pictures where his money used to be.

J. August Strindberg
That is the thankless position of the father in the family - the provider for all, and the enemy of all.

George Herbert
One father is more than a hundred Schoolemasters.
(1640)

Fanny Fern
To her the name of father was another name for love.

Margaret Courtney
Be kind to thy father, for when thou wert young, who loved thee so fondly as he? He caught the first accents that fell from thy tongue, and joined in thy innocent glee.

"Boys To Men" Quote

"But I can't shake the sense that boys are supposed to become manly. Rather than neutering their aggression, confidence and desire for danger, we should channel these instincts into honor, gentlemanliness and courage. Instead of inculcating timidity in our sons, it seems wiser to train them to face down bullies, which by necessity means teaching them how to throw a good uppercut. In his book "Manliness," Harvey Mansfield writes that a person manifesting this quality "not only knows what justice requires, but he acts on his knowledge, making and executing the decision that the rest of us trembled even to define." You can't build a civilization and defend it against barbarians, fascists and playground bullies, in other words, with a nation of Phil Donahues." - Tony Woodlief
Read the rest of this article...

Early Summer in Texas

A bird perches in a leafy tree. Thanks to all of the rain we have had lately, everything is still green here.

Texas wildflowers are at the peak of their bloom. The center flower looks like Purple Horsemint.

A baby bird hides in Landon's hummingbird garden.

Giant sunflower.

Birds at one of the feeders.

Indian Blanket.

Pippin loves the mild weather and spends most of his days out of doors.

All photos by Landon

For Young Women

Some simple advice for you.

Found in My Inbox Today:

from my Mom

From the girltalk blog today - I really liked this quote from Nancy DeMoss:

*Finally, what in your opinion, is the most urgent need among Evangelical Christian women today?*
To know Christ—really know Him; to trust Him enough to obey Him; to love and enjoy Him—“Christ in you, the hope of glory”; to “own” the Gospel in its incredible, life-giving, transforming fullness and implications; to be willing to lay down our lives for the sake of Christ and the Gospel.

Just stopping by...

... To share some of my favorite finds from this week:

The New Attitude conference mP3 set for free.
Mark Dever, Al Mohler, John Piper, Eric Simmons, C.J. Mahaney, Josh Harris: all spoke on the topics of spiritual discernment and humble orthodoxy. You can only benefit...

For the single gals: Heather Koerner's 10 Things Now to Stay At Home Later

Londonistan Calling:
The London neighborhood of the author's youth, Finsbury Park, is now one of the breeding grounds for a new phenomenon: the British jihadist. How did a nation move from cricket and fish-and-chips to burkas and shoe-bombers in a single generation? Christopher Hitchens
(Yes, that Christopher Hitchens. I'm working through his debate with Doug Wilson over at Christianity Today.)

Everything Nancy Wilson posts on her blog.

R.C. Sproul, Jr. is writing a new book and allowing us to read as he writes. Very, very good.

The French Open. My brothers and I are eagerly anticipating a match between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

I'm already shopping for knitting patterns for babies, as my brother and his wife are expecting their first child in December. I especially like this collection. I'm just waiting to find out whether I'm getting a niece or nephew...

Summer Plans...

I read this article when it first appeared on the BBC homepage back in April. I saved the link, hoping to revisit it when I had time. Now that teaching is wrapped up for the school year, I finally have time to catch up on reading, listening, and writing on subjects interesting to me.
Such as...
I want to read more about global warming. Not that I think we're all going to die from it, mind you. (This frenzied rush to save the world - Y2K flashback anyone? Just one example of media-induced, pointless panic...) I want to study Anti-Americanism and America's influence, good or bad, over the rest of the world. I want to catch up on world events. I want to read more about health and scientific discoveries. (Chocolate constituent better than fluoride?) I want to read more literature and history.

I really want to read this. Watch this. Knit this.

Summer just isn't long enough...