Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Dear Friends,

Whenever a Great Bipartisan Consensus is announced, and a compliant media assures everyone that the wondrous actions of our wise leaders are being taken for our own good, you can know with absolute certainty that disaster is about to strike.

The events of the past week are no exception.

The bailout package that is about to be rammed down Congress’ throat is not just economically foolish. It is downright sinister. It makes a mockery of our Constitution, which our leaders should never again bother pretending is still in effect. It promises the American people a never-ending nightmare of ever-greater debt liabilities they will have to shoulder. Two weeks ago, financial analyst Jim Rogers said the bailout of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac made America more communist than China! “This is welfare for the rich,” he said. “This is socialism for the rich. It’s bailing out the financiers, the banks, the Wall Streeters.”

That describes the current bailout package to a T. And we’re being told it’s unavoidable.

The claim that the market caused all this is so staggeringly foolish that only politicians and the media could pretend to believe it. But that has become the conventional wisdom, with the desired result that those responsible for the credit bubble and its predictable consequences - predictable, that is, to those who understand sound, Austrian economics - are being let off the hook. The Federal Reserve System is actually positioning itself as the savior, rather than the culprit, in this mess!

• The Treasury Secretary is authorized to purchase up to $700 billion in mortgage-related assets at any one time. That means $700 billion is only the very beginning of what will hit us.

• Financial institutions are “designated as financial agents of the Government.” This is the New Deal to end all New Deals.

• Then there’s this: “Decisions by the Secretary pursuant to the authority of this Act are non-reviewable and committed to agency discretion, and may not be reviewed by any court of law or any administrative agency.” Translation: the Secretary can buy up whatever junk debt he wants to, burden the American people with it, and be subject to no one in the process.

There goes your country.

Even some so-called free-market economists are calling all this “sadly necessary.” Sad, yes. Necessary? Don’t make me laugh.

Our one-party system is complicit in yet another crime against the American people. The two major party candidates for president themselves initially indicated their strong support for bailouts of this kind - another example of the big choice we’re supposedly presented with this November: yes or yes. Now, with a backlash brewing, they’re not quite sure what their views are. A sad display, really.

Although the present bailout package is almost certainly not the end of the political atrocities we’ll witness in connection with the crisis, time is short. Congress may vote as soon as tomorrow. With a Rasmussen poll finding support for the bailout at an anemic seven percent, some members of Congress are afraid to vote for it. Call them! Let them hear from you! Tell them you will never vote for anyone who supports this atrocity.

The issue boils down to this: do we care about freedom? Do we care about responsibility and accountability? Do we care that our government and media have been bought and paid for? Do we care that average Americans are about to be looted in order to subsidize the fattest of cats on Wall Street and in government? Do we care?

When the chips are down, will we stand up and fight, even if it means standing up against every stripe of fashionable opinion in politics and the media?

Times like these have a way of telling us what kind of a people we are, and what kind of country we shall be.

In liberty,

Ron Paul

I love how, within a few short moments, it seems like he was never gone.

This is from The Homeschool Lounge:

Some of you may have some experience with this, and (while that hurts me to think you’ve lived with it) I need a little help from those who have had some real success!

For those who have had a child who could fire up and respond in anger quickly, I’d love to know more about some of the Godly responses and tools that helped you through it.

Please consider this is a boy about the age of 7. He can become easily frustrated, and it builds rapidly. Sometimes we don’t see it coming, and even when we do, I often say or do the wrong thing.

Help?

Thanks in advance!

Hugs to you, Jennifer!

After experiencing similar anger/tattling/conflict/fighting problems, I decided to incorporate The Young Peacemaker into our day by doing a page or two each morning for our devotional segment of school.

Studying the topic of peacemaking preemptively, instead of only talking about it when there is an anger outburst, has made a huge difference in the atmosphere of our home by reducing the number of kid-conflicts. Reducing, not erasing! We still have at few each day! But, because the foundation has been laid, they are easier to work through than before.

My seven, five, four, and three year old are doing a fantastic job of memorizing the verses for each chapter (we do about a chapter a week).

If you put good things in your heart, good things will come out of your heart. Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks. (Luke 6:45)

There is even a resource page dedicated to using The Young Peacemaker as part of homeschooling.

I hope this helps. I certainly have learned a lot from doing The Young Peacemaker with my kids - and I’m a moderator at PeaceGals.com! It certainly gave me a new perspective when training my children vs. talking to adults about the same topic!

Much love,
SJA

The Young Peacemaker is a powerful system that parents and teachers can use to teach children how to prevent and resolve conflict in a constructive and biblically faithful manner.

The system emphasizes principles of confession, forgiveness, communication, and character development, and uses realistic stories, practical applications, role plays, and stimulating activities.

Although the material is designed for 3rd through 7th grades, it has been successfully used with preschool and high school students.

The lessons in The Young Peacemaker may be summarized in Twelve Key Principles for Young Peacemakers:

1. Conflict is a slippery slope.
2. Conflict starts in the heart.
3. Choices have consequences.
4. Wise-way choices are better than my-way choices.
5. The blame game makes conflict worse.
6. Conflict is an opportunity.
7. The Five A’s can resolve conflict.
8. Forgiveness is a choice.
9. It is never too late to start doing what’s right.
10. Think before you speak.
11. Respectful communication is more likely to be heard.
12. A respectful appeal can prevent conflict.

The Slippery Slope

The Young Peacemaker uses a simplified version of the Slippery Slope to help children understand the various responses to conflict.

The slope is divided into three zones:

The Five A’s of Confession

Children, like adults, can learn to confess their wrongs in a way that demonstrates that they are taking full responsibility for their contribution to a conflict.

Four Promises of Forgiveness

Children can learn to forgive one another in a way that models the forgiveness they have received from God through the gospel of Jesus Christ:

These promises may be summarized in a poem that is so easy a four-year old can memorize it:

A question from Mamasource :

Hi everyone, I am going to be taking my baby to a few swiss cities in May. she will be an year old then. She still has no teeth and gums stuff ok but still eats mostly baby food. I was looking to try to avoid carrying jars of baby food with me. Can anyone advice me on baby food available in Switzerland? - A.P.

Dear A.P.,

Beechnut baby food is actually owned by the Swiss company Hero.

Gerber is owned by Nestle, also a Swiss company.

Just because these Swiss companies sell baby food in the USA doesn’t mean that these brands will be on the shelf, but it is a good sign.

Do you have any friends there you will be visiting? They might have first hand info about what’s available at their grocery store.

Or, you might consider sending an email to customer services departments at Nestle and Beechnut asking them directly.

When I was in Japan last year, I had no problem finding baby food for by baby. They did have more food combinations we aren’t used to seeing here for babies like fish with rice and onions, but I was also able to find chicken and vegetables, too.

Remember, just because the food combination isn’t one we’re used to seeing doesn’t mean that it’s unhealthy. Your baby is at an age where she is exploring new tastes - she might surprise you and like something new!

Here’s another tip: I brought along a Magic Bullet food processor (we had an apartment for the five weeks we were there) and made a lot of baby food while we were there. You may need an adapter if you are using American appliances. OR, you can get a non-electric food grinder if you plan on eating at restaurants or don’t want to have the hassle of using an adapter - these can be bought at Amazon.com or Babies R Us.

You can also stick with soft foods like soup or oatmeal, mashed bananas, mashed peas, potatoes, bread soaked in juice or milk, yogurt. Canned veggies are also pretty soft. Foods mash better if they’re warmed or if they’re soaked in a liquid and with a little work, a fork can be an effective a mashing tool.

Best wishes!

Here’s a snip from a discussion I started on a public message board (over 1,300 members now!). In my post, I had asked for advice on hiring a mother’s helper - how much to pay, what responsibilities should be include, etc.

This was one reply to my question:

I have never used a mothers helper. I would never allow another female into my home around my dh and dc. Unless it was a family member. And there are some family members that I would not trust. I have seen too many movies and heard about too many real life situations about how these things turn out. I try to handle all things related to the dc myself. That is my job since dh works outside the home.

It may be a little hard to get everything done sometimes, but it is better than worrying about if someone else is treating my dc right. I have seen situations where the dc end up liking the mothers helper better than their own mother. No, I could not do it. I would not even trust a teen girl because there is so much going on nowadays and adults being accused of things.

I think my household would go much smoother without letting someone else interfere.

Below is my response. I hope that it will encourage others to think about taking risks vs. potentially isolating themselves from ministry opportunities because of a possible outcome.

(Please feel free to leave a comment as to how you have either grown in the area of reaching beyond your comfort zone or how the Lord has helped you overcome a temptation!)

Dear ——–,

Respectfully, statistically 40% of children who are sexually abused are abused by family members. The only family members who are available to watch my children during the day are teenage boys. As much as I love them, and am in no way implying that they are perverted, I don’t feel comfortable with them caring for my baby girls because I know that some of them are at an age where they are very curious about the female body and it could be a temptation to peek. I love them so much I would not want to tempt them in this way.*

Honestly, It was hard for me to read your post. I thought it was kinda hurtful. “I would never” is an absolute statement and could imply that your way is the only way and that those who do otherwise are inferior. Your post also seemed to imply that it was shameful for a wife to seek help in order to keep up with her role-specific job.

When my husband is overseas for weeks on end and I do not have a break, I admittedly fall behind sometimes. In this situation, it seems like I can address the urgent chores and not the deep cleaning stuff. Yet, because of his travel, if I waited until he was home, I would perpetually never get the “deep cleaning” done.

During these time, I do need fellow Christians to encourage me in the Lord and walk along side of me. In the past, I have appreciated when friends have allowed me to borrow their dear Christian daughters to lend a hand with children so I can clean out the linen closet or give an extra effort to scrubbing the grout in the tub without worrying if my children are getting into trouble while I work. I don’t live in a one-roomed house - I can’t physically see them all the time! My 5 children are each about 14 months apart, and are not quite old enough to be self-governed if I need to concentrate on something for an extended period of time. Please consider that having extra help for children keeps them from being tempted to sin just because mommy isn’t looking.

I’m really am happy for you that you are able to manage to take care of “all things related to the dc and myself.” Praise God that he has given you this ability!

Please also consider that there are Christian sisters out there who may be suffering with migraines or physical problems, such as myself, or maybe are under a particular amount of stress - like not seeing their husband for over 40 days! - who could really benefit from your housekeeping and responsibility balancing expertise. I do hope that if you have that opportunity that you will do it with a servants heart, humble, loving and for God’s glory.

May I also suggest that scripture tells us that fellowship with other Christians is a necessary part of our Christian walk. Having a young woman in the home provides fellowship and an opportunity to mentor her, encourage her in the Lord, showing her first hand what a joy it is to be a mommy (how many GOOD examples do teenage girls have these days about motherhood? They are told, “don’t get married or have kids - you’ll never achieve YOUR CAREER!”). We must be careful not to become prideful in our faith and think that we don’t need to allow other Christians to use their gifts and talents on our turf.

It is hard to overcome fears of people interfering or fears of the things “going on nowadays and adults being accused of things.” However, our trust is in the Lord and we must realize that, to effectively minister to people, we are going to have to take risks. Think of Joseph and Potiphar’s wife. Joseph was falsely accused, but we know that IT WAS PART OF GOD’S PLAN for Joseph to minister to Pharaoh. If it hadn’t been for being falsely accused, Joseph would have never been in the position to help his family avoid starvation.

All throughout scripture, we see people stepping outside of their comfort zone and taking risks. Think of the ultimate example we have in Christ. Jesus ate with tax collectors and sinners, after all. That was pretty risky! When the Pharisees talked down to Jesus and chastised him for this appearance of evil, Jesus said, “it is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick!” What should this tell us about interacting with others? When I read this passage, it gives me courage.

Much love,
SJA

*I would say that we do have to be careful not to purposefully place ourselves or others in a tempting situation.

It probably wouldn’t be smart to leave a teenage girl home alone with a man as a “father’s helper”. And, we must think realistically here, if a woman struggled with lusting after teenage girls it probably wouldn’t be wise for her to hire a young girl as a helper, either. In these exceptions, dropping the children off at a trusted as-needed-daycare provider may be a better solution.

On the other hand, I have hired young men for lawn care when my husband was traveling and I was pregnant and physically unable to do the work. Sometimes there is no avoiding situations like this. Or, more recently, I had to hire someone to fix my boiler. Guess what? Heating and air condition repairs are jobs normally done by men. It’s not like I could say, “I’m sorry, I only let women into my house”. It was 18 degrees out and I needed my boiler fixed!

Wise women know how to deal with other people and treat them in a respectful and platonic way. I did NOT answer the door in a towel, nor did I speak of obscene activities. Duh.

I also made sure that my husband knew the repair company I called and the time the repairman would be at the house. I called my husband as soon as he left - not just to relay the cost of the bill, but to let him know that all went well and that he didn’t have to be concerned about me.

Who knows, maybe a woman reading this is sexually tempted by the repairman. Perhaps she could ask a trusted friend to visit for coffee during that time and keep her accountable so that she wouldn’t be alone.

God never places us in a tempting situation where we are FORCED to sin. He promises we will not be tempted beyond what we can bear. Part of this process is seeking wisdom from God, and thinking of God-honoring solutions to get us through.

Deuteronomy 8:2 “You shall remember all the way which the LORD your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.”

I Corinthians 6:18-19; I Corinthians 6:23-24 “Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.” vs. 23-24 “Everything is permissible”—but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible”—but not everything is constructive. Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.”

I Corinthians 10:12-13 “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall. No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.”

This from Mom’s of Grace:

I have a problem that could use guidance and counsel on. My mother-in-law likes to call on a frequent basis. Actually she calls me everyday and no fewer than 3 times a day. On Monday of this week, she called a total of 5 times (and those are just the times that I answered the phone). On a side note, I live on the east coast and my mom on the west coast and I don’t even talk to her everyday. We talk once every week to week and a half or longer if one of us has something going on. I am a stay at home mommy with a a 3,2 and 4 month old so you can imagine how hectic and busy my day is. I know that she’s not lonely because she is married and my husband’s 18 year old brother and 12 year old sister are still living at home. I’ve tried dropping hints about how busy my day is but still nothing; I’ve gotten to the point of screening my calls using my answering machine (she called a total of 15 times yesterday - No I didn’t pick up any of the calls) but I’m starting to feel like a prisoner in my own phone. My husband is no help, he thinks its funny and encourages me to just let the phone ring and not pick it up. I know that I have to say something because I just don’t have the strength or energy to maintain this type of relationship and she is also starting to make comments on the fact that she has been trying all day to get in contact with me. Sorry for being long winded but I wanted to give all of the facts. Any advice you all can give will be welcomed. Thanks

Big hugs to you! I’m a mommy of 5 little ones (close in age like yours!) and I know exactly what you’re talking about. Conversations with children need to be more than, “QUIET! I’m on the phone!”

This is a difficult situation because you love your MIL very much and don’t want to hurt her feelings!

You must talk to her about this lest it become a point of bitterness.

Here are some suggestions for talking points:

1. Assure her of your love. “Mom I love you so much! I appreciate that you talk to me. I know that there are many mothers and mothers in law who do not talk to their children. I am so thankful to have you in my life, and I am very thankful for our relationship.”

2. Address the problem with kindness and diplomacy. Recently, I have been convicted about trying to be more diligent about how I use my time during the day. I believe I have been spending too much time on the phone - and I’m not just talking about talking to you, but with others as well. I noticed that it’s taking a toll on my getting my housework done, and also with my parenting.

3. Ask for teamwork. “Mom, weaning myself from the phone is kinda like a diet or a lifestyle change for me - can you please be sensitive to this while I try to make the change to apply myself a little better to the tasks that God has given me throughout the day?”

4. Answer her when she needs you. “Please know that you still can call me any time! If I am available to talk, I will answer the phone! If I am in the middle of something, I am going to start letting my answering machine get it so I can get my work done . I will call you as soon as I am available to talk. If there is something that needs me immediate, please note that on the message or call my cell phone. ALSO, you are always welcome to send me as MANY emails you want!! That way, I can respond to them when I have some down time.”

5. Appreciate her understanding. “THANK YOU, mom, for being understanding and an ENCOURAGEMENT to me as I really do need to improve in this area!!!”

BTW, here is the message I have on my machine, which is a kind way to let people know that I’m screening my calls -
http://www.sarahjoyalbrecht.com/2007/08/24/a-ringing-phone-has-to-be-answered/

Much love,
Sarah Joy Albrecht

You will never have peace in your relationships as long as you are trying to be in control of them.

From the Daily Paul:

Are women the problem?
Posted January 12th, 2008 by FoolshGame

I know it is politically incorrect to say so… but, are men the only ones that care about liberty?

Who are the vast majority of women going to vote for in November 2008? They’re either going to vote for Hillary or Obama. And, in the Republican primaries, which will decide the nominee on the Republican side, those that do vote Republican (and, they’ll be a small minority compared to those that vote Democrat), they’ll either vote “evangelical” for the Huckster or “neo-con” for Rudy.

Ron Paul does not catch the imagination of women like he does with men; certainly, not in California… and, there are more than a few delegates to be had here in California, since they’ve gone to district-by-district delegate allocation.

We could send a lot of delegates to the Republican Convention, but we need women on board for the Revolution.

So far, they’re not. The next Ron Paul campaign TV ad should be directed at women. He should tell them why they should vote for him.

FoolshGame is right in the sense that many of the “undecided” women voting have said in exit polls that they, at the last minute, felt compelled to vote for other Republican candidates because they seemed to care more about women and family issues.

In reality, they don’t understand that “seeming to care” is not the same as “caring” . Neo-cons offer a platform that is actually harmful and undermining to families.

In Democratic races, some of the women who voted were quoted as saying that they voted for Hillary because they didn’t see much difference between the candidates so they chose Hillary based on gender (YouTube clip!).

A few thoughts -

1. Delegates. The straw poll results have been good - but participants are not the same people who are delegates. The RP campaign has been working on having delegates for each state - so far, does anyone know how many RP delegates were present at the caucuses? Is this “plan” working?

2. Motherhood. Many conservative women have children and taking time off from this 24/7 job to be a delegate or to go to a straw poll is difficult .

Maybe some of the husbands out there would volunteer to to take care of their children for a few days, or be willing to dip into the vacation fund and hire a babysitter. This way, their strong, conservative wives could help shape the image of the campaign and maybe even help convince the undecided women’s vote of the truth.

I know a number of moms who would be more active in the campaign except that they love their children and would not be likely to shirk their responsibilities at home in order to attend a campaign event. For moms with newborns who are nursing, it’s pretty much impossible to attend these events.

3. Need for practical application. While I’m reluctant to “soften the message” of the campaign, I would like to see Ron Paul’s wife and female family members speaking more often. It would definitely help!

I do think that conservative women understand Dr. Paul’s message perfectly - I think that there is still a need, and I have said this before, for the campaign to show in their ads the practical application of the liberty message.

This current generation only knows the Bush / Clinton empires and Dr. Paul’s message is like comparing apples to oranges.

Many voters, men and women, have no concept of the practical implications of freedom.

Their cages have become security blankets, and breaking free is scary. They’re used to having a welfare state who provides free shots, medical care, food, housing, education, etc. The idea of personal responsibility is scary because the current system does not reward personal responsibility.

I work hard, yet there are habitually unemployed people I know who get vouchers for their mortgage payments that cost more than what my husband pays for our mortgage payment.

Sharon Jasper is classic example of this, and forgive me for quoting Michelle Malkin - I can’t find another site with the original “slum” picture, complete with 60″ TV, in the story.

Even people who are not currently depending on welfare are comforted knowing they have a lifeline to welfare access if they fail financially.

Perhaps this is a rabbit trail, but look at the example of income taxes. How many people people do you know are comfortable with giving their money to the government each year as if it’s a bank? They otherwise would not have the discipline to put aside money. They see their tax return as an investment dividend! Think of all the feature articles during tax time with suggestions for whimsical ways to spend the tax return. You’d think they were talking about winning the lottery! The average person, groomed under current system, has no concept of being disciplined throughout the year to invest the same money to yield a greater return than they would if they let the government sit on it.

If the RP campaign wants the undecided vote, they need to show how this different (and to those who don’t study history or who have studied history with the current textbooks available, the Bush/Clinton way is the modern way vs. Ron Paul’s ideas which are the “old way”) way of doing things is beneficial to them.

Undecided voters are undecided because they don’t understand and can’t imagine the benefits of freedom. There is a fear of learning the hard way. The current system bails them out - like when they commit to stupid mortgage decisions that allow them to have their cake (house bigger than they need) and eat it too (government enforced deals from lenders to allow the idiots to refinance even if their credit is in shambles).

Freedom = responsibility.

4. Be encouraged!

Sarah Joy Albrecht
(Mom to five children, ages six and under.. and I’d be a delegate in a heartbeat if I had a babysitter! )

This is a response to a recent comment left on an earlier post:

I do hope you reached out to your friend and gave her the gift that spoke to you..

There is truth in many things, and not just in one religion.

Jesus walked among the masses and did not judge them. He gave unconditional love and acceptance. Do this for your friend and you will both be blessed!

God and Goddess Bless you.
karen

Hello Karen!

Thanks for your comment on my blog. I am very glad to know that my readership is diverse, and I am thankful that you felt comfortable enough to comment.

I do agree with you that there is truth in many things. In religions other than Christianity, certainly there are people who practice self-sacrificing behavior of being kind to others, albeit with different motivations.

It is very hypocritical when Christians abuse the environment instead of caring for it, when they flaunt Christianity as a means to obtain political power, when they have hot tempers and pick fights, when they harm animals, when they abuse other people both spiritually and physically.. and the list could go on.

Yet, Jesus came to sacrifice himself as payment for these horrible sins. The Bible is clear these things are sinful - but the Bible also offers hope through Christ instead of condemnation. There can be forgiveness of these sin-debts against God because they have been paid for by Christ.

I appreciate your bringing up Christ, who did walk among the masses as you said. He dined with “tax collectors and sinners” (Mark 2), people who were outcasts in society.

How many Christians today would go into a bar and strike up a conversation with society’s outcasts?

Not many, but I know some! And, I certainly have friends from all walks of life. This love for people comes from a heart dedicated to God. It comes from recognizing how much we have been forgiven and not thinking of ourselves as better than others. It can be frightening to talk to people who have made themselves to look unfriendly - but as the Bible says in 1 John 4, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear.”

You are right that Jesus did not judge people in the sense of avoiding them or publicly shaming them.

I am reminded of one such story, found in John 8, of a woman who was about to be stoned by the Pharisees for adultery, whom Jesus rescued. Jesus simply saying to the Pharisees, “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.”

But, the story does not stop there.

When the Pharisees dropped their stones and stepped away, Jesus said “Woman, where are those thine accusers? Hath no man condemned thee?” And she said, “No man, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.”

Go and sin no more does imply a judgment of sorts - he did not say that her adultery was acceptable.

There are many similar stories in the Bible (including the aforementioned one in Mark 2), but in all of them, Jesus offers something better, and it involves repenting of sin and following Him.

My concern is many Wiccan teachings are in opposition to Christianity. It’s not that there wouldn’t be truth and insight in a Wiccan gardening book, but I would consider it blasphemous to promote a book that pointedly undermines the premise that God is the creator of the plants, water, weather systems.. of the whole universe (Genesis 1; Job 38:4; Isaiah 42:5; Isaiah 45:18; Revelation 4:11 - and I would add Romans 1:18-32, which specifically speaks of consequences for those who do not acknowledge God as Creator and Lord.).

That’s why I think that a book about gardening, without the Wiccan-specific teachings, would still make a great gift for a Wiccan friend.

There are some fantastic, breath-taking pictorial books of beautiful gardens, which upon viewing, certainly stir my soul. A book like this would affirm the friendship - because that’s what the gift symbolizes: understanding a friend’s love for gardening, and doing something that would bring joy to the friend.

As you said, there is truth in many things and I think there is a way to show love to a Wiccan without compromising the Christian friend’s faith. Besides, if the Wiccan friend truly loves her Christian friend, she would not want the Christian friend to have a hurt conscience over a gift.

Again, thanks for reading my blog and I hope to have dialog with you in the future.

Much love,
Sarah Joy Albrecht

This time of year, everyone is giving gifts. Someone posted this good question to the Moms of Grace list. My reply is below.

I exchange Christmas gifts every year with an old friend who has recently become Wiccan. (Yes, she still celebrates Christmas.) So here’s my question: would you purchase something that includes her religion, or, as a Christian, would you avoid it? Specifically, I found a book about gardening online that I think she’d love– my objection to the book is that it talks about “connecting with the garden goddess”, and it is listed on Amazon as a Wiccan book. I’m having a hard time deciding… I don’t support her Wiccan beliefs, yet, I feel like this book is totally “her” and would be a great gift.

What would you do?

First, I’m really proud of you for continuing to have a friend even though she has become a Wiccan. So many Christians run away when people make sinful decisions - everything from having a baby out of wedlock, getting involved with an addiction, having an affair, etc. It is in these times that we need to reach out even more to our friends. The way of the sinner is hard, and guess who has the light?

Second, I’m proud of you that you are not only still talking to her, but still loving her.. thinking of the things that she enjoys.

That being said, I’d avoid encouraging her in her worship of a false gods. It doesn’t mean that you necessarily have to purchase a Christian book on gardening with Bible verses all over it, but I would not intentionally give her a book that send mixed messages. It’s very hard not to compromise, but I would consider verses like

Revelations 3:15-16 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

Matthew 5: 9-20 “Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

We need to be careful not to send mixed signals. What does the fruit look like? Everything we do has “fruit” so to speak. What is the fruit of giving something that promotes Wicca? Be careful to only present her with Truth.

1 John 1:5 This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.

Also, I think that the fact that you are questioning whether or not it would be right to give your friend this gift is proof that your conscience is telling you something. Even if no one here could think of a reason why you shouldn’t give her the gift, if your conscience is causing you to have doubts, listen to it! Don’t sin against it.

Romans 14:13-14 Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this–not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother’s way. I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but to him who thinks anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean.

There have to be other great gifts out there for your friend! I’m a gardener and I can’t wait to do worm composting - in my basement! Here’s a book I’m looking forward to reading: Worms Eat My Garbage

I think Christians have misperceptions of Wicca and Wiccans have misperceptions of Christians. It may be good to study what she believes - even asking her to loan you a book or two that has influenced her, so you at least know where she is coming from.

Two common misperceptions I hear from Wiccans is that Christianity is degrading to women, and the second is that they do not care about the earth and the environment. It might be true that individual Christians error in these ways, but the Bible is very clear on these issues. Think of ways to talk with her instead of past her.

As you look for ways to dialog with your friend, knowing that she has a heart for caring for the earth - a gardener- you might consider studying what the Bible says about the earth and how we are to be stewards of the earth.

I will be praying for you as you reach out to your friend!

Much love,
Sarah Joy Albrecht