Monday, January 30, 2012

A telling mini-documentary

Keep this in mind when considering your vote in November:

Watch "BLOCKBUSTER REVELATION! - MINI Documentary - Illegal Obama "Propped Up" By Congress!" on YouTube

If you value your freedom, ACT to preserve it.

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Sunday afternoon

 
Sweetpea and Buck (Ages 15 & 12) are in the kitchen whipping up a double-batch of choco-chip cookies — for which I'm sure I'll need to make a "milk run", later this afternoon.  Munchkin and Puff (10 & 5) are making crafts on the coffee table — looks like some get well cards for Mama, who's napping after a nasty tangle with the stomach flu this morning, during our church fellowship.  Cass-a-frass (2) is down for a nap, my "Yellowjackets Fav's" playlist is helping me to tune them all out, and I think I'm finally free to put electronic pen to ink, so to speak.

Where to begin?

I ache to begin building a house in a wide-open space.

Not some 4,000 sq-ft showpiece in a ski-resort town, that will appreciate in value until the point where I can sell it off and make a killer profit and then go buy an even bigger house or two, etc, ad infinitum, ad nauseum.  No.  That paradigm never existed for me, and I believe that ship has long-since sailed for many other people as well.
The house I envision — this divine vision, placed in my head by God Himself, I'm convinced — is small, and is glaringly devoid of some of the many ecoutrements so common to "city" life.  It doesn't have a dishwasher, nor a 60" flatscreen, nor an electrical outlet on every single wall... but it does have a root cellar.  It does not have another house placed 4 paces away from it, nor a postage stamp-sized excuse of a "backyard"... it has a barn and a chicken coop.  It uses the earth surrounding it for insulation, staying warm in the winter, cool in the summer.  It is made from salvaged or reclaimed materials, but is classy and warm nonetheless.  Now I have it on trustworthy authority that such a house doesn't have to cost an arm-and-a-leg to build.  Lately, it seems the Lord has been having our family's path crossing with that of several other families who have varied experience in these areas of life, learning and building that we are pursuing.  I find this very encouraging, and this encouragement is vital to our journey...

...'Cause let me tell you, the details surrounding our available tangible resources can be quite discouraging at times. (I briefly considered listing some details here, but decided against it.  Email me if you're curious)

However, none of these things (nor the many other "faith-foes" that I do mental battle with every day) can trump the fact that God is watching out for us, providing for our every need and surprising us in ways we could never invent.  Just this morning, we got in our car to go home from our church fellowship, someone had placed an envelope full of dollar bills on our console — anonymously, of course(Thank you, Lord!  Please bless the people who sent it!)  During the writing of this post, I made my first sale on Ebay.  I was able to salvage and cash in some building materials last week.  And dig this — I have a good friend in Washington who seems to have made it his own personal mission to send me more medical and preparedness supplies than you can shake a walking-stick at.  For Pete's sake, I've lost count of the number of times I've had my countenance lifted by his "surprise packages" in the mail!

So, what I'm finding is, that trusting in the supernatural provision of Heavenly Father is a whole lot more adventurous and exciting than just having everything all figured out in my own head.  We sure could use a lot of prayer for wisdom, direction and providential favor.  We are going to be looking into acquiring land to build on, but doing our best to adhere to the Lord's way of going about it, and NOT getting locked into a 30-year mortgage.  Also, if you are interested, our oldest daughter has begun blogging as well.  You can read her posts at IShunpike.blogspot.com.

May the Lord bless you in your going out and your coming in... Psalm 1.

Friday, January 27, 2012

Stock Up!

I've been meaning to write my "from the heart" post this week, but finding the time to "unfold" into the writing of it has proven somewhat difficult... I hope you will be patient with me - there is much to tell.

In the mean-time, here is a great deal from Lehman's (my new favorite store :-)  -- a great price ($26.50) on a well-made oil lamp.  Makes a great addition to your preparedness supplies.  Or a fine gift for that out-of-town friend you haven't seen in a while.  :-)

Sale ends January 31st (Tuesday)

(BTW, I'm not getting any "kickback" from Lehman's :-)

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Musing in Montana

I recently had a talk with my dear bride, after she read a formidable blog post I drafted (which will most likely go unpublished).

"So what do you think," I said.

[Pregnant silence]

She takes a deep breath and says, "Don't you ever get — I dunno — kind of tired of writing all this 'get ready for the future' stuff?  I mean, don't you think people want to know what's on your heart?

"Well," I reply, "This 'future' stuff is on my heart..."

"Yeah, but there's more to you than 'prepare for such-and-such' or 'have you seen this news story', isn't there?  I think you'd draw people in a lot more if you dig a little deeper.  Tell them about your struggles."

[Another pregnant silence — this time it's mine]

"You're right, you're right, I know you're right," I say, referencing one of my favorite "When Harry Met Sally" lines.  (Movie quotes are a closet hobby of mine.)

I hate it when she's smarter than me.  Actually, it happens way more than I care to admit.

So I spent the next few days thinking about what I could possibly write, that would let you in my experiences, thoughts and feelings over the last six months or so.  In a day or two, when I blurt out the next post, you'll have lots of juicy gossip to use against me.  I hope we can still be friends after that.  :-)

Until then, call me "Musing in Montana".

Friday, January 6, 2012

Ode to Men

I pray I can lead my son into this type of manhood.  Thanks for the encouragement, Mrs. Lewis!

Click here: Ode to men

Lunchtime Literature



It's lunchtime, and I know you've been looking for something challenging to read while you munch that leftover pizza.  Take 15 minutes to read this two-part article from Brandon Smith at http://www.alt-market.com/ and Stewart Rhodes of http://www.oathkeepers.org/.  Then, please post a comment or send me an email about how this article affected you.

"Getting Off the Globalist Chessboard"
http://www.alt-market.com/articles/96-getting-off-the-globalist-chessboard-an-introduction
http://www.alt-market.com/articles/232-getting-off-the-globalist-chess-board-safe-haven-relocation

God bless you, and let freedom ring.

Thursday, January 5, 2012

The Leap of Faith... part 1




Psalm 139
5 You hem me in, behind and before,
   and lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
   it is high; I cannot attain it.
 7 Where shall I go from your Spirit?
   Or where shall I flee from your presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
   If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
9 If I take the wings of the morning
   and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 even there your hand shall lead me,
   and your right hand shall hold me. 


Psalm 56
10 In God, whose word I praise,
   in the LORD, whose word I praise,
11 in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
   What can man do to me?


Joshua 1:9
"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”


I have a couple of things I'd like to share with you.

I am first and foremost, a Christ-follower.  He has bought me at the cost of His own blood, and I am amazed that He would even regard me, let alone redeem me!  To God be the glory, great things He has done.

I maintain that the United States Constitution represents providential brilliance in the forming of a great nation, and that it is still the best way to govern a free republic.  Insofar as our elected officials (or the interests that steer them) deny this, we are doomed to reenact the tyranny that has plagued every other nation that has rejected man's unalienable, God-given rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Finally, I believe that my first "church" is the wife and children that the Lord has blessed me with, and consider it my great privilege and utmost responsibility to lead them well, so help me God.  Frankly, I'm replaceable in every other sphere of my existence... but to my family (especially the aforementioned), I get one shot to be the man they can respect.  I've always said that the husband/father will lead his family to heaven or to hell... but he will lead them.  I intend to never abdicate this role, so help me God.


When we moved to the heart of the "American Redoubt", five months ago, we knew it was a huge risk.  Yet, we were — and remain — convinced that it is a risk worth taking.  Back in April 2011, when my dear bride and I became prayerfully resolved that we must make this move, there were SO many questions... far more than we could answer for ourselves, let alone explain to others.  Nonetheless, we had irreversibly begun the process of "waking up" from the "American Dream", and our alarm clocks wouldn't be "snoozed".  These alarms (in no particular order) had names like:
Molotov Mitchell, James Wesley Rawles, Dr. D. James Kennedy, John Taylor Gatto, Brandon Smith, OathKeepers, JPFO... but more importantly, the Bible, and the Constitution (in that order).  We were beginning to understand that most Americans — and yes, even most church-going Christians we knew — have been lulled into a drowsy apathy by the pursuit of affluence, as well as by the debt-driven activity of our Federal Government, among many other reasons.

Nine family-enriching years of Biblical home education has given us the clarity to determine that we weren't cut out to be "sheeple".  So, we voted with our feet.  As painful as it was to say "so long" to dear family members, we left the most liberal (and populated) state in the union.  Yes, it has cost us greatly, in many ways.  Yet, the Lord has proven that the promises of His presence and provision are true.  We are warm.  We are in good health.  We eat well, and are building friendships with mature believers.  I have steady employment, and what's more, I get to explore this incredible countryside as part of my job.  Best of all, the Mrs. and I get to introduce our children to a different way of life, before they grow out from under us.  We believe it's a risk worth taking.  And we've been assured by our Creator that He will be with us and sustain us.

Thanks for taking the time to read.  I would encourage you to check out the materials linked in this post, and find your own "alarm clocks".  Tempus fugit.

Firearms saving lives

In addition to my recent Facebook posts highlighting how proper use of firearms can protect life, here's another story with a righteous ending:

Passers-by rescue children from icy river crash - Life

I know my posts have been very brief lately, and kind of hinder the goal of keeping you in the loop about our goings-on, so I aim to rectify that quickly and thoroughly.  Until then, thanks for your patience, and keep coming back.  :-)