Linda's Thoughts

I was part of a small play today. Today was the first Sunday that the congregation began the Christmas season. They started singing Christmas Carols.

novice lethargy
morose ostentatious
precocious inevitable
candid prevaricate
obscure reticent

Fill In the blank with the correct word.
1. __________ to speak falsely or misleadingly; deliberately misstate or create an incorrect impression; lie. ~verb
2. __________ not clear or plain; ambiguous, vague, or uncertain: ~adjective
3. __________ characterized by or given to pretentious or conspicuous show in an attempt to impress others. ~adjective
4. __________ a person who is new to the circumstances, work, etc., in which he or she is placed; beginner. ~noun
5. __________ unusually advanced or mature in development, esp. mental development. ~adjective

Need a little holiday cheer?

This is a fun video. Four brothers get together and thoroughly enjoy singing the classic Christmas song, Winter Wonderland.

This song expresses so well the meaning of Christmas.

Lyrics:

God has a sense of humor. He used Mark Lowry, known for his Christian comedy, to write the lyrics to the modern classic Christmas song, Mary Did You Know?. . . love the irony :)

(I can relate to his mom.)

Quiz Lessons 1-15
Answer each question true or false.
1. Verbs never change form.
2. A verb is never just one word.
3. Verb phrases keep a definite order.
4. There are twenty-three helping verbs.
5. Helping verbs cannot be the main verb.
6. Helping verbs can be action verbs.
7. Verb phrases can have three helping verbs.
8, Verbs can be in contracted form.
9. State of being verbs show action.
10. Verbs are the most important words in a sentence.

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Answers:

. . . Love this song. It's more of an Easter song. I can't believe this, but I thought the song went, "love crucified a rose" but more fitting so, it's "love crucified, arose". The lyrics are with it.

Lyrics:

Who is the great I am?

In Exodus of the Old Testament, when God told Moses to go to the king of Egypt and rescue the children of Isreal from their slave bondage. Moses was a bit intimidated and didn't think he had the capabilities to do such a thing. So he asked God, who should I say is sending me? And God spoke the ultimate words of I Am that I Am (Exodus 3:14) is sending you. (There is not a bigger authority than God Himself.)

When Jesus walked the earth, the Bible tells us that He was God made into a human, but still sinless and holy.

The end of the song, Mary Did You Know? we hear that the newborn Mary cradled was the Great I Am.

I know this for a fact, in the business world people who are quick thinkers, problem solvers and critical thinkers have more success.

My children need to strain their brain, a lot! Math does that. Here are some places to find math word problems:
Word Problems For Kids
StudyGS.net (Scroll down a bit to the part that says Purple Math for the word problems-- This one is good because it teachers you how to use algebra to solve the problem.
MathSurf.com~This site provides a 15 day list of word problems for elementary grades
Simple Word Problems for third and fourth grade~This is a PDF file from Saxxon Math

Learn of the most recent research in science in ScienceDaily.com.
NationalGeographic.com provides interesting updated news about land, animals and other such things.

Some nice teacher took some time and put together a site that links you to several daily informational and educational sites. For example, word of the day and quote of the day. It is called Teacher Tap.

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---Danny Carlton, site admin]

How many addition signs should be put between digits of the number 987654321 and where should we put them to get a total of 99?

Hints

A noun is a word that names a person, place or thing. It also one of the eight parts of speech. Examples: man, city, book, courage. Nouns often follow words like a, an, and the.
Pick out all the nouns in these sentences.

1. The teacher told the student that a person should always be loyal.
2. People with perseverance will be successful in life.
3. I bought a new pen at the drugstore across the street.
4. The man said to the policeman that he had not seen the accident.

Answers

The sunrise is amazing this morning. There is a giant cloud canopy stretched halfway across the sky. It has a dominant black underlying. On the horizon, the sun is beginning to present itself. Fiery red, then orange, and then yellow reflect and greatly contrast with the dark clouds. A pretty accent of pastel peach amazingly mixes in with these powerful and bright colors. There is a bright white near the sun on the horizon. As they rising progresses, the black is still present but has varying shades of gray. . . magnificent!

What's more, the backdrop of a clear pale blue sky adds to the early morning beauty and says the day is quickly coming. Soon all the magnificent colors will disappear the stretched out clouds will become a common white.

A noun is a word that names something. A noun names a person, place, or thing.

. . . just gotta love it. I found the Christmas Song by Alvin and the Chipmunks. It's old. It came out when I was a kid. We had it on a "LP" record album and my younger sisters would play the Chipmunks album over and over as they danced around the living room! :)

Underline the nouns in each of the sentences below.
1. Wallace waited at the corner for the bus.
2. When will the cricus come to Maryville?
3. Marjorie went to the library after school.
4. Did Benjamin find his pen?
5. Henry painted that picture for his father.
6. The red wheelbarrow was filled with rainwater.
7. The rainbow disapperared behind the mountain.
8. Tim and Judy packed sandwiches and fruit for the picnic.
9. A white cloud hid the moon.
10. Tina read the newspaper and the magazine.

Answers

Divide the face of the clock into three parts with two lines so that the sum of the numbers in the three parts are equal.

(found at Word Problems For Kids)

Hint

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---Danny Carlton, site admin]

I stumbled across this song as it was sung by a "MySpace guy" on YouTube. His mother taught it to him when he was young. . . . I love its message, simple and pure. I found its lyrics on a cute webpage @ MyHomeWithGod.com.

Here's a acoustic guitar rendition of the C H R I S T M A S song from YouTube.

Nouns can be singular as in lesson 16 or be plural in form. Plural means two or more. Plurals are formed by adding s, es, changing y to i and adding es, and with changes in spelling as in man becoming men. Examples: car, cars; fox, foxes; baby, babies, man, men.

Find the nouns in the following sentences. Some are plurals and some are not.

1. Computers are making work easier for secretaries.
2. Children always require great energies from parents.
3. Labors on farms take great effort by workers.
4. Alaina doesn't like puzzles or mathematics.

Copyright 2006 Word Place Inc - - All Rights Reserved.

Answers

This Christmas carol, Do You Hear What I hear?, is sung by Vince Gill. He sings it beautifully. It sounds so peaceful and gentle.

My Daddy used to sing this song to me at Christmas time (:

Elvis' Blue Christmas

“When you become entitled to exercise the right of voting for public officers, let it be impressed on your mind that God commands you to choose for rulers, just men who will rule in the fear of God. . .

In the 1950's America expected mothers to stay home with their children while Daddies went to work and made all the money the family would need to survive. Today is so different. It is a two income economy (. . . to coin a phrase) in the U.S. In order for families to survive they must plan to have two incomes. And usually the families are limited to a couple of planned out children who receive their education from professional educators.

If you're a Christian with a family and want to approach raising your children in the most wholesome way, you will suffer financial persecution! Here are some of the desires and realities of some of the most conservative families:
1. desire: homeschool their children
2. desire: allow God to choose when and how many children they will have
3. desire: the mother to stay home
4. reality: the husband must have a career in which he can get more money as the years go by
5. reality: insurance is very costly but is needed

This is the truth almost always, the mother while raising the children for 20 or so years will need to have an income. (This is especially difficult when you have one or more children in the preschool age range.)

A great quote to make part of your life's philosophy~
“It is not enough merely to exist.
It's not enough to say, 'I'm earning enough to support my family.
I do my work well.
I'm a good father, husband, churchgoer.'
That's all very well.
But you must do something more.
Seek always to do some good, somewhere.
Every man has to seek in his own way to realize his true worth.
You must give some time to your fellow man.
Even if it's a little thing, do something for those who need help, something for which you get no pay but the privilege of doing it.
For remember, you don't live in a world all your own.
Your brothers are here too.”
-Albert Schweitzer

There has been a light mist coming from the sky for several days now. It wouldn't take much, probably 10 degrees colder in the night and snow would come. A couple of days ago the weatherman started forcasting a possible wintery mix. On this early Sunday morning it has finally arrived.

A fun movie put with a fun song makes for a smile and some holiday cheer!

In 1992 Natalie Cole won big at the Grammys Awards for singing a duet with her dad, Nat King Cole. Here is a video clip of the duet from the Grammys Show

This clip is amazing to me. How did she perfectly sing that with her dad without crying? If I was her, I would have considered this song to be the pinnacle of my expression as an artist. I would have no need to make any more songs or sing in any more concerts because I would have done the maximum as a singer! I love how technology has brought out the old classic and beautifully made a new one :) What an excellent unforgettable tribute to her father.
Here's her bio. This song won 7 Grammys: Record of the year, Album of the year, Song of the year, Best traditional pop performance, Best instrumental arrangement accompanying vocals, Best engineered album, Producer of the year. Natalie was 15 years old when her dad died of lung cancer. Twenty seven years after his death they sang together their history making song.

Natalie Cole sings for the president. The first song she sings is Everlasting Love and then, the second is a little crazy fun. It's an old song called I'm A Woman, W-O-M-A-N.

You can check out the I'm a woman at the website or just below:

querulous
novice
repudiate
ostentatious
repose
prevaricate
quiescent
lethargy
morose

Fill In the blank with the correct word
1. __________ To reject or disavow; to disown
2. __________ Quiet, not moving; inactive
3. __________ Always complaining or finding fault
4. __________ To lie at rest; to put to rest : rest or sleep; calm or peace

Answers

According to experts the first 4 moves in a chess game can be played in 197299 totally different ways. If it takes 30 seconds to make one move, how long would it take one player to try every possible set of 4 moves?

Hint

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---Danny Carlton, site admin]

I feel like I have heard Nat King Cole's, The Christmas Song a gazillion times. When I sing it I always say the words exactly like him. (:

The Christmas Song

Nouns are classified into two general classifications, proper and common. Proper nouns name a special person, place or thing and begin with capital letters. All other nouns begin with small letters and are common nouns.

Common nouns city, man, boat, and radio could be changed to the proper nouns Salt Lake City, Mr. Jones, Santa Maria, and Motorola.

Pick out the nouns in these sentences and tell if they are common or proper.

1. Becky went with her sisters to Lagoon on Friday.
2. My youngest son is in Brazil until September.
3. Mr. Smith works with his wife in American Fork.
4. Love could bring marriage to Mark and Terri.

Copyright 2006 Word Place Inc - - All Rights Reserved.

Answers

Here's a good Bible verse to memorize for Christmas. It is prophetic and from the Old Testament:
Isaiah 9:6
For unto us a child is born,
unto us a son is given:
and the government shall be upon his shoulder:
and his name shall be called
Wonderful,
Counsellor,
The mighty God,
The everlasting Father,
The Prince of Peace.

This morning my four children and I went to a Salvation Army warehouse in Tulsa and prepared food baskets for needy families. The goal is to make 5000 of them. Last week we went to the same place and sorted thousands of cans and packaged food.

Cheap, inexpensive, unique and fun. Great words to describe the activity of making snowflakes. Families need to take a few hours during the winter months to do this. It doesn't even need to be during the busy Christmas season. The other day I went to our bank and they had snowflakes daintily floating from their ceiling. Each had a creative and unique design. The internet has many lovely little designs to make anyone look like they have a creative flare:
Action Cat.com ~Details, details, details . . . they do make the difference between good and great
HighHopes.com~step-by-step pictures in how to make pretty designs
KinderArt.com~New and different, so simple little kids can make them!
SnowflakeRecipes.com~Scroll halfway down this page to learn how to make a snowflake brownie
PaperSnowflakes.com~Facts about real snowflakes
MyWeb3000.com~The intricate details make the noticeably best snowflakes (Hint: Use a pencil.)

I need to pray more. Here's a poem by Lord Alfred Tennyson~makes me wonder, was he a Christian. I don't know. I need to read his bio.

MORE things are wrought by prayer
Than this world dreams of. Wherefore, let thy voice
Rise like a fountain for me night and day.
For what are men better than sheep or goats
That nourish a blind life within the brain,
If, knowing God, they lift not hands of prayer
Both for themselves and those who call them friend?
For so the whole round earth is every way
Bound by gold chains about the feet of God.

ALFRED TENNYSON

Nouns can also be classified in specific ways. Concrete nouns, abstract nouns, and compound nouns are three such ways. Concrete nouns name things that exist physically as sidewalk, bird, toy, hair and rain. Abstract nouns name ideas, characteristics, or qualities as courage, pride, goodness and success. Compound nouns are made up of more than one word as dining room, Bill of Rights, Jeff Hansen, and home run.

In the following sentences find the nouns and classify them as concrete, abstract or compound.
1. People like to see a home run hit over the wall.
2. My daughter works for the post office in Salt Lake City.
3. Rhode Island is a success although smaller than Texas.
4. Respect must be earned, but honesty should always be our policy.

Copyright 2006 Word Place Inc - - All Rights Reserved.

Answers

Tell whether the nouns in the sentences are common or proper. A common noun names a whole group of persons, places, or thngs. A common noun begins with a small letter. A proper noun manes a particular person, place, or thing.
A proper noun begins with a chapital letter. Sometimes a proper noun has more than one word.

1. Terry saw the Washington Monument.
2. There are many swamps on Louisiana.
3. Many castles are still standing in Europe.
4. This map shows the state of Vermont.
5. My brother went to Louisville on Friday.
6. The storm moved from Iowa to Illinois.
7. The album Andy wants is by the Eagles.
8. That building is made of glass and steel.
9. June and Randy enjoy badminton, hockey, and baseball.
10. The first man to fly in space was Alan Shepard.

Write a proper noun for each of the common nouns listed below.

1. city ____________________
2. song ___________________
3. Athlete _________________
4. singer __________________
5. book ___________________
6. car _____________________
7. school __________________
8. classmate _______________
9. holiday __________________
10. river ____________________

Answers

“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel;
for he hath visited and redeemed his people,
And hath raised up an horn
of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;
As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets,
which have been since the world began:”
~Luke 1:68-70

A depressed person can feel down and out, gloominess and little hope can reign in their life. But God says in darkness He brings light and hopefulness and strength. Psalm 139 talks of how well He knows us. I've memorized this passage in my life several years ago when a big disappointment hit my life but I hadn't taken to heart the two comforting ending verses. Here they are:

11 If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,"

12 even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.

Here are the preceding verses:

To repeat a Bible verse, "Even so Lord Jesus, Come!" That's what I say, not just referring to the excitement of the Christmas season but looking forward to when Jesus comes again, to take me away from this tainted life where sin tries to rule and pureness and holiness can be difficult to sustain.

Three other specific classifications for nouns are collective nouns, count nouns and mass nouns. Collective nouns name groups as team, class and choir. Count nouns can be counted as one boy, six sheep and many days. You can use a, an, many or a number before it. Mass nouns are not countable as gasoline, water or dirt.

Find the nouns in these sentences and classify them as collective nouns, count nouns or mass nouns.
1. Get some gasoline, or the class will be late arriving.
2. The alien group should come by bus soon.
3. The orchestra will be playing in the arena in the evening.
4. The water at the beach was covered with oil.

Answers

Three times the width of a certain rectangle exceeds twice its length by three inches, and four times its length is twelve more than its perimeter. Find the dimensions of the rectangle.
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Algebraic Steps

A man has to be at work by 9:00 a.m. and it takes him 15 minutes to get dressed, 20 minutes to eat and 35 minutes to walk to work. What time should he get up?

Need a hint? Go to this site.
Answer. Go to this site.

15 most popular news stories @ NationalGeographic.com

1. Bible passage
2. Devotional
3. Read-the-Bible-through

My daughter's friend's mother made donuts. She enjoyed eating them so she looked up a recipe:

1 can of biscuits
1 cup of powdered sugar
2 tablespoons of milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Cut holes in biscuits with hole cutter. Drop into hot deep grease until golden.

It's time for a Christmas short story. :) One of the greatest, of course, is the Gift of the Magi. I was excited to find this orally presented on Back to the Bible. Thoroughly enjoy . . . and prepare for the twist in the plot that O. Henry is famous for.

Collective nouns are words used to describe a group of
nouns.
For example, 52 cards would be known as a
deck of cards. Complete each sentence by choosing the
correct collective noun from the box at the bottom of
the page.
1. Swimming in the shallow water was a ______________ of herrings.
2. A ___________ of sheep was happily grazing in the field.
3. All night we could hear the _____________ of wolves howling.
4. Looking out to sea, we noticed a ___________ of dolphins swimming.
5. The _____________ of lions slept all day on the African plains.
6. A long ______________ of steps led to the top of the tower.
7. Our cat has just had a _______________ of seven kittens.
8. We each picked a _______________ of juicy grapes from the vine.
9. The hen waddled by with her _______________ of chicks.
10. A ______________ of thieves stole the precious diamonds.
11. In the jungle, we could see a __________ of monkeys swinging in the
trees.
12. An enormous ______________ of locusts ate all the crops.
13. The ______________ of elephants stomped through the water hole.
14. The __________________ of geese made a terrible squawking sound.
15. We were in awe as we watched the ______________ of whales
swimming.

pod swarm pride flight school
herd litter gaggle band brood
pack troop flock bunch shoal

At the website ABCteach.com you can practice working with collective nouns.
Answers

DIMINUTIVES
Diminutives are used to describe a smaller or younger version of
something. For example, the diminutive of dog would be puppy.
Choose the best word from the box above to complete the sentences below.

gosling cub streamlet cygnet fawn
sapling duckling calf islet kid
foal lamb leveret eaglet rivulet

1. A young duck is a _______________________________________
2. A young goose is a ______________________________________
3. A young cow is a ________________________________________
4. A young eagle is a _______________________________________
5. A very small stream is a ___________________________________
6. A young sheep is a _______________________________________
7. A young horse is a _______________________________________
8. A young hare is a ________________________________________
9. A young goat is a ________________________________________
10. A very small river is a ____________________________________
11. A young swan is a _______________________________________
12. A young deer is a ________________________________________
13. A young tree is a _________________________________________
14. A small island is a ________________________________________
15. A young lion is a _________________________________________

©2006abcteach.com

Answers

Here's a website that provides grammar worksheets and rules handouts called ABCTeach.com. I was especially impressed with one worksheet which mixed the classic Alice In Wonderland with choosing the correct usage of the pronoun she/her.

Here's the pronoun exercise:

The Discovery website has simple science activities. Here are some good ideas to help children learn about bacteria.

I found this quote on Mrs. Happy Housewife's site. It's a good one because it offers advice from a former president, the historical first! It also encourages citizenship and then reading and the arts. . .

“To encourage literature and the arts is a duty which every good citizen owes to his country.”
-George Washington

Fifteen to twenty years ago I had family members who fell into the belief of some Charismatic Christians that you could ask God for anything and He would do it. If you prayed for health, riches or a Cadillac hard enough and had enough faith God loved you so much you would get it! Oh my! how shallow. This is not true.

His talent can't be overlooked nor can it be taken for granted because his painting are commonly scene. He is a man to be studied. The site ArtRenewal.org has large images of his pictures. His paintings need to be studied for all their details. Here's some information I found with a family guide on NRM.org:

Someday I want to go see a broadway play. I would love to take Danny and we could go see this play, The Screw Tape Letters. It's at the Saint Clements theatre in New York City beginning January 5.

My husband introduced me to C.S. Lewis when we were dating. He is his favorite author. The Screwtape Letters are a series of letters by a senior demon to a junior demon in which the older gives advice on how to tempt people to sin.

Max McLean who plays the main character and who is well-known for reading the Bible. He is on the Our Daily Bread website.

Here's a gift for you, some holiday cheer and a smile, guaranteed.

ABC News Person of the week is a great guy. His name is Lewis H. Days. He's 74-years-old and lives in North Carolina. He repairs and gives aways bikes to kids. Here's his excellent story (:

I read A Christmas Carol out loud to my family this year. I loved it . . . I hope my kids at least kept with the storyline. It is so dramatic and there are emotional highs and lows all through it. No wonder it is a classic that is always pulled out at Christmastime.

For it is good to be children sometimes, and never better than at Christmas, when its mighty Founder was a child himself.~Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol

Here are some fun sites to help us know more:
Read Aloud @ the site of Wired For Books
A Christmas Carol Quiz @ Charles Dickens, Gad's Hill Place.
Here is trivia from the same place.
The timeline of Charles Dickens life

Our family had the privilege of receiving a Christmas gift pack from our church. One of the items the basket contained was a Christmas music CD. Yesterday my husband played it for everyone. We loved it. It was so peaceful. A man named Mark Tindle plays soft peaceful music on a dulcimer. This morning he did a music special in front of the church with a harpist playing the song What Child is this? Here's the Tindle family's website where you can hear a sampling of the music. There is bluegrass singing family there also. They are the Downing Family.

Here's an interesting way to ring in the New Year! You would need to make sure to dress warm. It's a 5K Run. Here's some info.

My favorite Christmas song when I was a teenager:

Vintage black and white by Springsteen in 1978:

These words offer encouragement when you pray to God and it seems as if He ignores your cries. Lamentations 3:22-26 is a great group of verses to memorize. Jeremiah wrote Lamentations. He went through difficult times living a life as a prophet of God. Bible scholars have called him the weeping prophet. He had to tell God's people that judgment was coming upon them. A message no one would welcome.

Lamentations 3:17-26 (New International Version)

17 I have been deprived of peace;
I have forgotten what prosperity is.
18 So I say, "My splendor is gone
and all that I had hoped from the LORD."
19 I remember my affliction and my wandering,
the bitterness and the gall.
20 I well remember them,
and my soul is downcast within me.
21 Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:
22 Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
23 They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
24 I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him."
25 The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him;
26 it is good to wait quietly
for the salvation of the LORD.

New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society

The full passage of Lamentations 3 (contains 66 verses) is worth reading through to better understand the setting.

Great Is Thy Faithfulness is an old and excellent hymn of the Christian faith. Lately, I've been waking up in the morning and reminding myself of the sweet peaceful truth of a promise from God that His mercies are new every morning. It says that in Lamentations 3. The hymn Great Is Thy Faithfulness is written around verses found there. Here are the words that run through my head and encourage me. I have to say them again and again to change a bad attitude that sometimes overwhelms.

. . . All I have need thy hand hath provided
. . . Thou changest not, thy compassions they fail not
. . . Morning by morning new mercies I see

The lyrics of Great Is Thy Faithfulness:

My son received a gift for Christmas that he doesn't even realize he got. He received it early but sometimes you just get the opportunity to open presents before the actual day. He really likes it. He's been in a good mood and I can even sense a touch of arrogance (he needs to watch that!) as he enjoys the special gift. It was given by a very special person to me. This very special person made this gift himself. He worked hard for years. He has given out many of these gifts but I didn't really consider that my children would ever receive one.

My dad died 15 years ago. My son Samuel was only 1 week old at his death. When I first brought him home I ran to my dad's side as he was a few days close to death and I held him up, hoping he could see him and hoping that even though he had a lot of morphene pain killer he could still understand and enjoy the brand new grandson son I was presenting to him.

My dad was from a family that had a dozen children. They were very poor. My grandpa would rummage through dumps to find anything he could that was worth keeping and my grandma would pick cotton and raise chickens while also raising her children. My dad must have decided at a young age that he didn't want to live so poor. He loved to do things with his hands and became determined to work hard and become a success.

For years my mom and dad struggled financially as they raised our large family of eleven. But in their latter years of life dad's business took off. Through charm, hard work and determination he made a flourishing business of caring for homeowner's lawns in the Brookside area of Tulsa. Today my five brothers have provided nicely for their families by learning my dad's trade.

A couple of weeks ago, the Tulsa area was hit by a major ice storm that was historical in the damage it did to trees all over Oklahoma. I realized with so many fallen trees everywhere my brothers had the opportunity to make extra money. I figured at least one of them could use some extra help from my son Samuel. I called one of my brothers and we worked it out so that Samuel could work. He worked all week and got enough extra money that he was able to start saving for college!

Now that Christmas break is here, my son is helping my brother again. They are still cleaning up brush from the storm.

I realized that Samuel had received a gift from his Grandpa. The one he never really met. It's a legacy, well founded and strong. Samuel, without even knowing, has whole-heartedly received this gift and is putting it too full use helping my brother.

Actually, it's more of a gift to me than it is to Samuel. I have such a passion to instill into all of my children that working hard is an excellent thing. And it is an important part of surviving and caring for a family.

This is a "youtube Christmas card" that I want to send to my sweet friend, Amy who like me loves knowledge and has aspirations to become a teacher.

Here's White Christmas by Bing Crosby, one of the most famous Christmas songs. This is taken from the old movie White Christmas.

The true meaning of Chrismas written in a poem and told by Burl Ives

This is a parody of Jesus Take The Wheel by Carrie Underwood

Robert Fletcher wrote a very famous book called Situation Ethics. He founded the situational ethics movement of modern day. R.C. Sproul is beginning an interesting study on this subject on his Christian radio program (December 25, 2007), Renewing Your Mind.

. . . Love this quote by Winston Churchill. It was to encourage soldiers during World War II but it can encourage us in reaching our goals . . . This is a quote my children need to memorize.

“Never give in--never, never, never, never,
in nothing great or small,
large or petty,
never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense.
Never yield to force;
never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.”
-Sir Winston Churchill

This morning after dropping my son off to go to work. I listened to the John MacArthur radio program, Grace To You. I was very excited at what I heard. John MacArthur is obviously a very successful pastor and teacher of the Bible. He is teaching a new series called the Art of Self-discipline. (I desperately need this.) It just began today and can be applied to New Year's Resolutions! My children need this too. Please listen, I know you enjoy, be encouraged and learn something helpful and new.

Here are some notes I took as I listened to the first installment of John MacArthur's sermon series, The Art of Self-discipline.

How To Be a Self-Disciplined Person

1. Begin with small things. Learn to discipline yourself in the little things in life. Little things of life make for the big things. Your integrity and word can be strengthened beginning with the small details of life.
2. Clean your environment. Get rid of all that stuff. Clean your house, room or garage. Be discontent with a mess. Desire ordliness. Simplify your life. Get rid of excess. Keep environment clean and clear to avoid extra distractions.
3. Make a schedule. Learn to conform to it. Anticipate and establish time frames.
4. Wean yourself away from being entertained. Let entertainment be arbitrary, you can take it or leave it. Be more productive with your time. Watch less TV, instead, read or take a walk.
5. Be on time. Order your little universe and preplan. Very important. Even in small or insignificant things.
6. Keep your word, even in the littlest things. Your word is so important. Make commitments and see them through. It might be in the smallest things. Don't make promises you do not keep.
7. Always do the hardest tasks first. Most people do the easiest things first. Whatever is most difficult, do first. Most people save the toughest for last. And then, they may be too tired
8. Finish what you start. If you start it finish it.
9. Practicle self-denial. Just say to you self, "Self you can say, 'No!'" Do not be completely at the whim of your impulse.
10. Volunteer for tasks. Leave some space in your life and in your agenda and take on opportuntity to help out. Subject yourself that really isn't a part of your own agenda.

A landmark hotel of the Tulsa area has been slowly being demolished throughout the months of December. Reporters on the local news described it as going from an icon to an eyesore. I never stayed at the hotel but throughout the years I've always studied it and admired it.

Here's a site with several recent pictures @ Losttulsa.com

Please come imagine with me.

Let us meet an old black man whose lived a backwards sort of life in the deep part of the woods. He's lived there for oh so many years.

I found this prayer on Snope's. This is not an urban legend. It actually happened. This pastor stood before his state senate and from his heart spoke the truth, that some did not want to hear.

The Prayer of Repentance

This is the text of the original prayer delivered January 23, 1996 by Pastor Joe Wright to the Kansas House of Representatives in Topeka.

Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and seek your direction and guidance.
We know your Word says, "Woe to those who call evil good," but that's exactly what we've done.

How respectful are you, when as an American, have the opportunity to pledge allegiance to our flag? Here is a compelling POW story by John McCain:

From a speech given at the 1988 Republican National Convention by Capt. John S. McCain, USN, (Ret) who represents Arizona in the U.S. Senate:

As you may know, I spent five and one half years as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War. In the early years of our imprisonment, the NVA kept us in solitary confinement or two or three to a cell.

A pronoun is a word that replaces a noun or a group of words used as a noun. Pronouns are classified in five (5) different categories.
They are personal pronouns,
relative pronouns,
demonstrative pronouns,
indefinite pronouns,
and interrogative pronouns.
Some pronouns can appear in more than one classification. How the pronoun is used in the sentence determines its classification. In the next two weeks we will study the five kinds of pronouns.

Personal pronouns refer to
(1) the speaker or speakers, which is called first person, and include the following pronouns: I, my, mine, me, myself, we, our, ours, us, ourselves;
(2) those spoken to, which is called second person, and include the following pronouns: you, your, yours, yourself, yourselves; or (3) those spoken about, which is called third person, and includes the following pronouns: he, his, him, himself, she, her, hers, herself, it, its, itself, they, their, theirs, them, themselves.
Personal pronouns can be singular (one) or plural (two or more) just as verbs and nouns.

Find the personal pronouns in these sentences.
1. She hit him on his head.
2. I saw you at your store.
3. He himself will be our new friend.
4. It will be hard for me to see you.
5. They always get angry at her and me.

Answers

3 Types of personal pronouns:
(1) the speaker or speakers (first person)
(2) those spoken to (second person)
(3) those spoken about (third person)

Personal pronouns can be singular (one) or plural (two or more) just as verbs and nouns.

Identify the type of pronoun.
1. ourselves________________________
2. yours_______________________
3. he__________________________
4. I___________________________
5. you_________________________
6. him_________________________
7. yourself______________________
8. my__________________________
9. herself_______________________
10. his_________________________
11. themselves__________________
12. your________________________
13. himself_____________________
14. yourselves___________________
15. her_________________________
16. it___________________________
17. hers________________________
18. she_________________________
19. its__________________________
20. mine________________________
21. itself________________________
22. myself______________________
23. we_________________________
24. they________________________
25. me_________________________
26. our_________________________
27. their________________________
28. them_______________________
29. ours________________________
30. theirs_______________________
31. us_________________________

Answers

My daughter loves this song:

Nothing compares ...
The one and only Lord my God.

My son and I have accomplished our resolutions for 2007. I wanted to read the New Testament to my children and my son chose to give me a hug everyday.

History of Black Eyed Peas For New Years
Black-Eyed Peas Salad with Basil Dressing
Happy New Year Peas
Black-Eyed Pea Soup With Cornbread Dumplings
Black Eyed Pea Soup
Black Eyed Pea Salad