Fall Faves!

I haven't made a blog list in a while, so it felt like it was time. Just a few of my favorite things:

1) An imperfect smile. Teeth that are a little askew or uneven really makes for a unique, beautiful smile. No, I'm not necessarily a Kirsten Dunst fan, but she does have a cute smile.

2) A box of chocolates. Particularly if it has vanilla buttercremes, or maple cream. Yum!

3) Slip on shoes. Especially clogs; I have loved clogs since childhood and I always get excited when they come back into fashion. I really hate shoes that tie. Due to my OCD one is always too tight or too loose or too something. Slip on shoes never have that issue.

4) Cute containers. Be it a Longaberger basket, a metal bucket or an old plastic milk crate, I'm attracted to nifty containers to corral and organize all my favorite, and not so favorite, belongings.

5) Caramel popcorn. I especially love popcorn balls. This time of year caramel popcorn is one of my favorites. Maybe because it seems like an autumn tradition. I did discover that if I eat popcorn and candy corn at the same time it's awfully similar to caramel popcorn.

6) Metal stars. Maybe it's my love of all things Americana or 4th of July. Either way, a star is always at home in my house.

7) Shutters. It's probably because I love country decor so much that I love shutters. No matter how formal a house may be, once shutters are added it's instantly country....and therefore beautiful!

8) Geraniums. Not only are they low maintenance and easy to grow, they multiply on their own and look gorgeous all summer long.

9) Boleslawiec Pottery. My mother in law introduced me to this sturdy, beautifully painted pottery that's microwave, dishwasher and oven safe. Need I say more?!

10) Silpat Mats. Nothing, and I mean NOTHING sticks to a Silpat.

Where Are We Headed?

Ever since the presidential election my heart has been burdened. Burdened for the church (as in the New Testament church) and specifically, for the children of the church. I think that's why I have poured myself into children's ministries in my own church. I have seen the retention rates in churches dramatically falling, and the bottom line is this: If I don't teach my children in the way of the Lord, they will not be able to teach their children in the way of the Lord and the end result will be a generation of my flesh and blood destined for hell.

"Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other." Deuteronomy 4:39.

"These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates."

Deuteronomy 6:6-9

The church has allowed itself to be saddled with pew after pew of apathetic believers (is that an oxymoron?) who do not know what the Bible says and therefore cannot relay it to others, much less their own children. We need to wake up. The church needs to wake up, or our grandchildren are going to find themselves in a completely Godless country and wonder how they got there. Don't think it can happen? Check out for yourselves the statistics below:

From Dr. Peter Hammond’s book, "Slavery, Terrorism and Islam: The Historical Roots and Contemporary Threat":

Islam is not a religion nor is it a cult. It is a complete system. Islam has religious, legal, political, economic and military components. The religious component is a beard for all the other components.

Islamization begins when there are sufficient Muslims in a country to agitate for their religious privileges. When politically correct, tolerant, and culturally diverse societies agree to Muslim demands for their religious privileges, some of the other components tend to creep in as well.

Here’s how it works:

As long as the Muslim population remains around or under 2% in any given country, they will be for the most part be regarded as a peace-loving minority, and not as a threat to other citizens. This is the case in:

United States — Muslim 0..6% Australia — Muslim 1.5% Canada — Muslim 1.9% China — Muslim 1.8% Italy — Muslim 1.5% Norway — Muslim 1.8%

At 2% to 5%, they begin to proselytize from other ethnic minorities and disaffected groups, often with major recruiting from the jails and among street gangs. This is happening in:

Denmark — Muslim 2% Germany — Muslim 3.7% United Kingdom — Muslim 2.7% Spain — Muslim 4% Thailand — Muslim 4.6%

From 5% on, they exercise an inordinate influence in proportion to their percentage of the population. For example, they will push for the introduction of halal (clean by Islamic standards) food, thereby securing food preparation jobs for Muslims. They will increase pressure on supermarket chains to feature halal on their shelves — along with threats for failure to comply. This is occurring in:

France — Muslim 8% Philippines — 5% Sweden — Muslim 5% Switzerland — Muslim 4.3% The Netherlands — Muslim 5.5% Trinidad & Tobago — Muslim 5.8%

At this point, they will work to get the ruling government to allow them to rule themselves (within their ghettos) under Sharia, the Islamic Law. The ultimate goal of Islamists is to establish Sharia law over the entire world.

When Muslims approach 10% of the population, they tend to increase lawlessness as a means of complaint about their conditions. In Paris , we are already seeing car-burnings. Any non-Muslim action offends Islam and results in uprisings and threats, such as in Amsterdam, with opposition to Mohammed cartoons and films about Islam. Such tensions are seen daily, particularly in Muslim sections, in:

Guyana — Muslim 10% India — Muslim 13.4% Israel — Muslim 16% Kenya — Muslim 10% Russia — Muslim 15%

After reaching 20%, nations can expect hair-trigger rioting, jihad militia formations, sporadic killings, and the burnings of Christian churches and Jewish synagogues, such as in:

Ethiopia — Muslim 32.8%

At 40%, nations experience widespread massacres, chronic terror attacks, and ongoing militia warfare, such as in:

Bosnia — Muslim 40% Chad — Muslim 53.1% Lebanon — Muslim 59.7%

From 60%, nations experience unfettered persecution of non-believers of all other religions (including non-conforming Muslims), sporadic ethnic cleansing (genocide), use of Sharia Law as a weapon, and Jizya, the tax placed on infidels, such as in:

Albania — Muslim 70% Malaysia — Muslim 60.4% Qatar — Muslim 77.5% Sudan — Muslim 70%

After 80%, expect daily intimidation and violent jihad, some State-run ethnic cleansing, and even some genocide, as these nations drive out the infidels, and move toward 100% Muslim, such as has been experienced and in some ways is on-going in:

Bangladesh — Muslim 83% Egypt — Muslim 90% Gaza — Muslim 98.7% Indonesia — Muslim 86.1%