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Reflections on Patriarchy and Homeschool Movements

By Angela Wittman Dear friends,  While it is a new year and a time for reflection, here are my thoughts on the patriarchy and homeschool movements.  I wasn't part of the movement as Providence didn't allow me to go that way, but I had many friends who were part of it and I often grieved that my family wasn't as "perfect" as I thought theirs appeared to be. You see, I became a Christian as an adult (approximately 22 years ago) and was not raised in a Christian home.  My mother had been badly abused by her first husband, a youth minister, and was bitter toward the church. My father still laughs as he tells the story of taking me to church as a child on Easter; the pastor asked him if we attended church regularly, to which I replied "Yes sir! We go every Easter!"  My parents then separated when I was 9 years old, got back together, had a stormy relationship and then finally divorced when I was grown. Yet, through the grace of God, I had some knowledge of Hi

Removal of Confederate Flags and Monuments: Straining at Gnats?

By Angela Wittman Image from Wikipedia "Our Heroes and Our Flags 1896" by Southern Lithograph Co., New York  Regular readers of this blog will know that I've been researching my father's family heritage and periodically post my findings at the Somers Family Heritage blog. What you might not know is I discovered my 4th, 3rd and possibly 2nd Great Grandfathers were slave holders. As one who has firmly and consistently denounced any form of racism this information rocked me to the core. In fact, I was so dismayed at the revelation, I almost stopped researching my family tree because I wasn't prepared for the historical truth of my ancestry. You see, I was always taught that my grandfather hid his Native American heritage due to the persecution of the Cherokee. Grandpa was a "half-breed" and looked down upon by others for something he had no control over - his race. It never occurred to me he might have been the grandson of a slave holder. So, after confidi

Have we lost the Culture War?

By Angela Wittman The  Christian Post recently featured an intriguing article called 'The Bible Belt Is Collapsing;' Christians Have Lost Culture War, Says ERLC President Russell Moore . First of all, I think the "Bible Belt" was collapsing a long time ago. I began my Christian life in 1993 with involvement in the Christian Coalition and other conservative groups. I can remember how frustrating it was to try and get local Christians active in cultural endeavors. The few friends I had that were Christian Activists were looked down upon by local clergy and considered as "trouble makers." We consisted of grandmas, grandpas, moms, dads and perhaps a few youth who joined us for potluck dinners held after our meetings. The only trouble we caused was in trying to wake-up those sleeping in the pews; I suppose we were a bit successful or there would have been no need for opposition from the respectable local church and civic leaders, who I might add included the lib

Inauguration 2013: 'a time to mourn'

By Angela Wittman To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn... Scripture from Ecclesiastes, Chapter 3 (KJV) We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. ~ Declaration of Independence While the wicked danced in the streets of our nation's capitol and celebrated the inauguration of our 44th President yesterday, the righteous in America mourned. We mourned because the very things that made our nation great among others has been mocked and disregarded as worthless old rags good for nothing but to be tossed o n a dung heap and burned.  What are these t

Oreo cookies get political

By Angela Wittman Last week ABC News reported that Oreo Cookies had gotten "Gay Pride" and their rainbow stuffed cookie posted on Facebook  sparked some controversy . The article went on to say that some folks are planning to boycott the cookies made by Kraft Foods. I think boycotts are an effective tool for consumers to use. And frankly, the cookies really aren't a good food choice when one investigates their nutritional value : one serving of 34 grams has 160 calories, 7 grams of fat (of which 2 grams are saturated), 14 grams of sugar and 160 milligrams of sodium. The list of ingredients used to make these cookies includes high fructose corn syrup which has been linked to obesity and the many health concerns associated with it in North America . My advice for Christian consumers is to forego the unhealthy cookie that appears to have a political agenda and eat a healthier, tasty alternative that can easily be prepared in your own kitchen.  This alternative gives you cont

'Rejoice in the LORD always'

By Angela Wittman "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!"  - Philippians 3:4 "When witnessing on public sidewalks and singing is "criminal" and "disorderly;" when ripping the arms and legs off of children is protected by law as "orderly;" then crushing judgment from Lord Jesus will soon destroy our once free nation. When churches get too busy to lift a finger to try to get rid of their local abortuaries, then the lack of fire in our hearts will be repayed with fire from the sky like was hurled down upon Sodom. And Sodom had no Bibles." (Cal Zastrow -- June 28, 2004) Dear Friends, We are commanded by God to rejoice in the Lord always and what better way is there to express our joy than by singing Psalms and hymns of praise to our mighty and glorious God? In fact, Scripture tells us in the book of Ephesians (chapter 5: verse 19) to speak "to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melo