Good Book: Little House on the Prairie

Life on the Prairie is simple. There are no TV screens, DS games or Polly Pockets. The girls enjoyed a quiet, theatrical afternoon playing Mary & Laura Wilder. We even had a Prairie inspired dinner - cooked by these pioneers!

Don't forget good ol' Jack (the dog)!

I Do Not Choose to Be a Common Man

It is my right to be uncommon - if I can.

I seek opportunity - not security. I do not wish to be a kept citizen, humbled and dulled by having the state look after me.

I want to take the calculated risk; to dream and to build, to fail and succeed.

I refuse to barter incentive for a dole. I prefer the challenges of life to the guaranteed existence; the thrill of fulfillment to the stale calm utopia.

I will not trade freedom for beneficence nor my dignity for a handout. I will never cower before any master nor bend to any threat.

It is my heritage to stand erect, proud and unafraid; to think and act for myself, enjoy the benefit of my creations and to face the world boldly and say, "This I have done."

By Dean Alfange

FREEDOM is not FREE

"Opportunity"

Out of the many blessings God has given, this is my favorite!

12 Years     5 Kids     0 Regrets

Facebook isn't real...or is it?

I am the outsider who is mocked and pitied for NOT having a Facebook page. There are so many benefits, they tell me. Pictures, old friends re-kindled, even family bonds are strengthened among this community. These are good things, I must admit.

But, I fear that this on-screen "reality" captivates so many. People are reduced to random still shots from their camera phone. Conversations are shortened to sentences, even single letters. Privacy is a quaint modesty from the past. Emotions are expressed as little humorous icons. Time is wasted on caring for a farm that doesn't exist.

It began to bother me when my real-time friends began discussing their life on Facebook. Who was doing what? Did you see what so and so said? How's your farm today? It was not jealousy because I was left out. Rather, it was silent shock at the irrelevance of their concerns. This mass movement of media is not simply a game played in free time. Facebook has changed our reality even outside of the cyber-world.

The sad part is, everyone is enamored with the new reality. Where friendship is a number game, where intimacy is entirely public, where I think about me - not us.

I hope my children will never be limited to living on Facebook.

Our FACE in a BOOK page!

Have you ever tried to buy a baby?

I think they've tried it on E-Bay and I'm sure it's illegal, even in person. 

But, seriously, if you have enough swings and things- maybe you'll be a good parent.

 No, you will be a GREAT parent.

And then, when they turn ONE year old throw a huge birthday party (that they will not remember) invite everyone you can think of, bring balloons and a big cake. Don't forget the impressive gift.

At about THREE find a really nice daycare. Make sure it is really homey (like home) and it serves nutritious meals.

When you get to FIVE, it's a breeze! Send them to school and "professionals" will take it from there.

Don't forget to sprinkle in lots of extra-curricular (like Dance and Karate) for that well-rounded, college-bound CUTIE!

You can check off the registry item for every stage of their life - but you can't buy that baby. The whispered secret among most parents is that you CAN. Don't believe their silent lies. Don't cower from their disapproving looks.

Love, teach, and protect that baby...

so that she, too, will be free.

Dirty Hands

Like most families we spend a lot of time trying to clean up the kids, after all we want them to be healthy and presentable as they prepare to engage the world in which we live. However it cannot be denied that sometimes the very best preparation is to get your hands good and dirty.

Collecting Eggs

Checking out the new chickens

Getting friendly with a baby Bison!

Finding the Sacred

For most pastors, weddings are one of their least favorite things to do, but not so with me. Usually I enjoy the opportunity to bring Gods’ Word to bear upon the union of man and woman; however I have become increasingly aware of a general lack of appreciation or understanding amongst the bridesmaids, groomsmen, photographers, florists, etc, with regard to all things sacred.

After the last wedding rehearsal I was talking to the organist when I noticed something strange out of the corner of my eye. The photographer had taken it upon himself to set up a little still life photography session right on the altar. Without hesitation he stood behind the altar, moved the bookstand and candles and did some spontaneous shooting. He had no regard for the sacred use of such things, no appreciation (or fear) for the holy space he had entered.

“Sacred” or “Holy” things have become ordinary for many in our society and I think that their downfall begins not at the church but in the family. Take as an example the simple act of praying before you eat. When the family pauses after all the food has been laid out, when it stops (against natural desires) to give thanks to God, it teaches something powerful. The simple action of prayer reminds all that the ordinary things of meatloaf or baloney sandwiches are in fact gifts from God. Sure he gives them to those who pray and those who don’t but by praying we confess his holy work in very ordinary things. And if he is at work in providing my baloney sandwich how much more are we prepared to see him at work in gifts laid upon the altar!

A family at prayer is well prepared to recognize and treasure the sacred.

Thanks, mom.

Where would we be without our mothers?

Thanks for YOUR dedication to OUR success!

I just want you to be HAPPY!

I wonder why this is our assumed goal in life, to be happy. When did contentment become greater than truth,  honesty, or even love? Don't get me wrong - I'm happy when the baby is happy. But is this it?

There is more to life than mere happiness. If all I wanted was for my children to be happy, they would wear three tubes of expensive red lipstick from head to toe, everyday. They would whine when they don't get their way. They would proceed to tell me "It's not my fault" when things go wrong. No, I hope they have much more than happiness; responsible minds, fearless hearts, disciplined bodies, gentle words and a strong faith.

Maybe, as a result, they will be happy after all!

Home is where the freedom is!

The greatest of liberty lies not in the rampant individualism of a college bound bachelor nor in the smiling face of the habitual barfly but in the home. As G.K. Chesterton noted, “this institution of the home… is older than law, and stands outside the State.” While government and laws can, and often do, affect our homes and the family that resides there, the home remains the a place where the vast majority of us can experience true liberty.

For decades we have been taught that the family is a safe shelter of routine in a world of uncertainty. In fact we are told that this shelter is crucial to a healthy and well rounded adulthood. If a family does what it is supposed to do then it gives us a systematic and orderly way to “fit in” with the rest of society. When a family fails then we have unruly and undisciplined school children, rampant drug use, teenage pregnancy and the like. When individuals don’t fit into society’s understanding of a healthy and orderly existence, the family is usually the first suspect.

Yet this is to have everything backwards. The family is not a servant of our society’s expectations. It not a training ground for the laws and limitations of the State. Our homes are places of escape from such rules; they are places where we can be truly free. The family is the place of constant experimentation and adjustment. It is a place for pushing the boundaries and testing the traditions. The family is anything but a servant. It is, by its natural institution, a wild and unruly place.

And yet this institution is under attack. From every side we find the fencing in of the family and the loss of man’s greatest liberty.