Warning- rated R blog ahead

What on earth is she thinking?

If that is what your first inclination is then I already know your position.

I wonder what the general consensus of my few readers would be regarding the position of marijuana use in this country....
Hemp as source of fiber and protein, etc. ........
Or how about the use of marijuana by professing christians?
Hmmmmm......
There is actually a Christians for Cannabis group.
I am just curious where my peers are on the subject.

Some reading for you: Feel free to skim or skip if you want to, just thought I would pass this info on.

4. Marijuana is not a lethal drug and is safer than alcohol. It is established scientific fact that marijuana is not toxic to humans; marijuana overdoses are nearly impossible, and marijuana is not nearly as addictive as alcohol or tobacco. It is unfair and unjust to treat marijuana users more harshly under the law than the users of alcohol or tobacco.

3. Marijuana is too expensive for our justice system and should instead be taxed to support beneficial government programs. Law enforcement has more important responsibilities than arresting 750,000 individuals a year for marijuana possession, especially given the additional justice costs of disposing of each of these cases. Marijuana arrests make justice more expensive and less efficient in the United States, wasting jail space, clogging up court systems, and diverting time of police, attorneys, judges, and corrections officials away from violent crime, the sexual abuse of children, and terrorism. Furthermore, taxation of marijuana can provide needed and generous funding of many important criminal justice and social programs.

2. Marijuana use has positive attributes, such as its medical value and use as a recreational drug with relatively mild side effects. Many people use marijuana because they have made an informed decision that it is good for them, especially Americans suffering from a variety of serious ailments. Marijuana provides relief from pain, nausea, spasticity, and other symptoms for many individuals who have not been treated successfully with conventional medications. Many American adults prefer marijuana to the use of alcohol as a mild and moderate way to relax. Americans use marijuana because they choose to, and one of the reasons for that choice is their personal observation that the drug has a relatively low dependence liability and easy-to-manage side effects. Most marijuana users develop tolerance to many of marijuana's side effects, and those who do not, choose to stop using the drug. Marijuana use is the result of informed consent in which individuals have decided that the benefits of use outweigh the risks, especially since, for most Americans, the greatest risk of using marijuana is the relatively low risk of arrest.

1. Marijuana users are determined to stand up to the injustice of marijuana probation and accomplish legalization, no matter how long or what it takes to succeed. Despite the threat of arrests and a variety of other punishments and sanctions marijuana users have persisted in their support for legalization for over a generation. They refuse to give up their long quest for justice because they believe in the fundamental values of American society. Prohibition has failed to silence marijuana users despite its best attempts over the last generation. The issue of marijuana's legalization is a persistent issue that, like marijuana, will simply not go away. Marijuana will be legalized because marijuana users will continue to fight for it until they succeed.

1a) What is hemp?

For our purposes, hemp is the plant called `cannabis
sativa.' There are other plants that are called hemp, but
cannabis hemp is the most useful of these plants. In fact,
`cannabis sativa' means `useful (sativa) hemp (cannabis)'.

`Hemp' is any durable plant that has been used since
pre-history for many purposes. Fiber is the most well known
product, and the word `hemp' can mean the rope or twine
which is made from the hemp plant, as well as just the stalk
of the plant which produced it.




1b) What is cannabis?

Cannabis is the most durable of the hemp plants, and it
produces the toughest cloth, called `canvass.' (Canvass was
widely used as sails in the early shipping industry, as it
was the only cloth which would not rot on contact with sea
spray.) The cannabis plant also produces three other very
important products which the other hemp plants do not (in
usable form, that is): seed, pulp, and medicine.

The pulp is used as fuel, and to make paper. The seed is
suitable for both human and animal foods. The oil from the
seed can be used in as a base for paints and varnishes. The
medicine is a tincture or admixture of the sticky resin in
the blossoms and leaves of the hemp plant, and is used for a
variety of purposes.




1c) Where did the word `marijuana' come from?

The word `marijuana' is a Mexican slang term which became
popular in the late 1930's in America, during a series of
media and government programs which we now refer to as the
`Reefer Madness Movement.' It refers specifically to the
medicine part of cannabis, which Mexican soldiers used to
smoke.

Today in the U.S., hemp (meaning the roots, stalk, and stems
of the cannabis plant) is legal to possess. No one can
arrest you for wearing a hemp shirt, or using hemp paper.
Marijuana (The flowers, buds, or leaves of the cannabis
plant) is not legal to possess, and there are stiff fines
and possible jail terms for having any marijuana in your
possession. The seeds are legal to possess and eat, but
only if they are sterilized (will not grow to maturity.)

Since it is not possible to grow the hemp plant without
being in possession of marijuana, the United States does not
produce any industrial hemp products, and must import them
or, more often, substitute others. (There is a way to grow
hemp legally, but it involves filing an application with the
Drug Enforcement Administration and the DEA very rarely ever
gives its permission.) This does not seem to have stopped
people from producing and using marijuana, though. In many
of the United States, marijuana is the number one cash crop,
mostly because it fetches a very high price on the black
market.




2a) How can hemp be used as a food?

Hemp seed is a highly nutritious source of protein and
essential fatty oils. Many populations have grown hemp for
its seed -- most of them eat it as `gruel' which is a lot
like oatmeal. The leaves can be used as roughage, but not
without slight psycho-active side-effects. Hemp seeds do
not contain any marijuana and they do not get you `high.'

Hemp seed protein closely resembles protein as it is found
in the human blood. It is fantastically easy to digest, and
many patients who have trouble digesting food are given hemp
seed by their doctors. Hemp seed was once called `edestine'
and was used by scientists as the model for vegetable
protein.

Hemp seed oil provides the human body with essential fatty
acids. Hemp seed is the only seed which contains these oils
with almost no saturated fat. As a supplement to the diet,
these oils can reduce the risk of heart disease. It is
because of these oils that birds will live much longer if
they eat hemp seed.

With hemp seed, a vegan or vegetarian can survive and eat
virtually no saturated fats. One handful of hemp seed per
day will supply adequate protein and essential oils for an
adult.




2b) What are the benefits of hemp compared to other food crops?

Hemp requires little fertilizer, and grows well almost
everywhere. It also resists pests, so it uses little
pesticides. Hemp puts down deep roots, which is good for
the soil, and when the leaves drop off the hemp plant,
minerals and nitrogen are returned to the soil. Hemp has
been grown on the same soil for twenty years in a row
without any noticeable depletion of the soil.

Using less fertilizer and agricultural chemicals is good for
two reasons. First, it costs less and requires less effort.
Second, many agricultural chemicals are dangerous and
contaminate the environment -- the less we have to use, the
better.




2c) How about soy?
Is hemp competitive as a world source of protein?

Hemp does not produce quite as much protein as soy, but
hemp seed protein is of a higher quality than soy.
Agricultural considerations may make hemp the food crop of
the future. In addition to the fact that hemp is an easy
crop to grow, it also resists UV-B light, which is a kind of
sunlight blocked by the ozone layer. Soy beans do not take
UV-B light very well. If the ozone layer were to deplete by
16%, which by some estimates is very possible, soy
production would fall by 25-30%.

We may have to grow hemp or starve -- and it won't be the
first time that this has happened. Hemp has been used to
`bail out' many populations in time of famine.
Unfortunately, because of various political factors,
starving people in today's underdeveloped countries are not
taking advantage of this crop. In some places, this is
because government officials would call it `marijuana' and
pull up the crop. In other countries, it is because the
farmers are busy growing coca and poppies to produce cocaine
and heroin for the local Drug Lord. This is truly a sad
state of affairs. Hopefully someday the Peace Corps will be
able to teach modern hemp seed farming techniques and end
the world's protein shortage.





3a) How can hemp be used for cloth?

The stalk of the hemp plant has two parts, called the
bast and the hurd. The fiber (bast) of the hemp plant can
be woven into almost any kind of cloth. It is very durable.
In fact, the first Levi's blue jeans were made out of hemp
for just this reason. Compared to all the other natural
fibers available, hemp is more suitable for a large number
of applications.

Here is how hemp is harvested for fiber: A field of closely
spaced hemp is allowed to grow until the leaves fall off.
The hemp is then cut down and it lies in the field for some
time washed by the rain. It is turned over once to expose
both sides of the stalk evenly. During this time, the hurd
softens up and many minerals are returned to the soil. This
is called `retting,' and after this step is complete, the
stalks are brought to a machine which separates the bast and
the hurd. We are lucky to have machines today -- men used
to do this last part by hand with hours of back-breaking
labor.





3b) Why is it better than cotton?

The cloth that hemp makes may be a little less soft than
cotton, (though there are also special kinds of hemp, or
ways to grow or treat hemp, that can produce a soft cloth)
but it is much stronger and longer lasting. (It does not
stretch out.) Environmentally, hemp is a better crop to
grow than cotton, especially the way cotton is grown
nowadays. In the United States, the cotton crop uses half
of the total pesticides. (Yes, you heard right, one half of
the pesticides used in the entire U.S. are used on cotton.)
Cotton is a soil damaging crop and needs a lot of
fertilizer.




4a) How can hemp be used to make paper?

Both the fiber (bast) and pulp (hurd) of the hemp plant
can be used to make paper. Fiber paper was the first kind
of paper, and the first batch was made out of hemp in
ancient China. Fiber paper is thin, tough, brittle, and a
bit rough. Pulp paper is not as strong as fiber paper, but
it is easier to make, softer, thicker, and preferable for
most everyday purposes. The paper we use most today is a
`chemical pulp' paper made from trees. Hemp pulp paper can
be made without chemicals from the hemp hurd. Most hemp
paper made today uses the entire hemp stalk, bast and hurd.
High-strength fiber paper can be made from the hemp baste,
also without chemicals.

The problem with today's paper is that so many chemicals are
used to make it. High strength acids are needed to make
quality (smooth, strong, and white) paper out of trees.
These acids produce chemicals which are very dangerous to
the environment. Paper companies do their best to clean
these chemicals up (we hope.) Hemp offers us an opportunity
to make affordable and environmentally safe paper for all of
our needs, since it does not need much chemical treatment.
It is up to consumers, though, to make the right choice --
these dangerous chemicals can also be used on hemp to make a
slightly more attractive product. Instead of buying the
whiter, brighter role of toilet paper, we will need to think
about what we are doing to the planet.

Because of the chemicals in today's paper, it will turn
yellow and fall apart as acids eat away at the pulp. This
takes several decades, but because of this publishers,
libraries and archives have to order specially processed
acid free paper, which is much more expensive, in order to
keep records. Paper made naturally from hemp is acid free
and will last for centuries.




4b) Why can't we just keep using trees?

The chemicals used to make wood chemical pulp paper today
could cause us a lot of trouble tomorrow. Environmentalists
have long been concerned about the effects of dioxin and
other compounds on wildlife and even people. Beyond the
chemical pollution, there are agricultural reasons why we
should use cannabis hemp instead. When trees are harvested,
minerals are taken with them. Hemp is much less damaging to
the land where it is grown because it leaves these minerals
behind.

A simpler answer to the above question is:

Because we are running out! It was once said that a
squirrel could climb from New England to the banks of the
Mississippi River without touching the ground once. The
European settler's appetite for firewood and farmland put an
end to this. When the first wood paper became a huge
industry, the United States Department of Agriculture began
to worry about the `tree supply.' That is why they went in
search of plant pulp to replace wood. Today some
`conservatives' argue that there are more forests now than
there ever were. This is neither true, realistic nor
conservative: these statistics do not reflect the real
world. Once trees have been removed from a plot of land, it
takes many decades before biological diversity and natural
cycles return to the forest, and commercial tree farms
simply do not count as forest -- they are farm land.

As just mentioned, many plant fibers were investigated by
the USDA -- some, like kenaf, were even better suited than
cannabis hemp for making some qualities of paper, but hemp
had one huge advantage: robust vitality. Hemp generates
immense amounts of plant matter in a three month growing
season. When it came down to producing the deluge of paper
used by Americans, only hemp could compete with trees. In
fact, according to the 1916 calculations of the USDA, one
acre of hemp would replace an entire four acres of forest.
And, at the same time, this acre would be producing textiles
and rope.

Today, only 4% of America's old-growth forest remains
standing -- and there is talk about building roads into that
for logging purposes! Will our policy makers realize in
time how easy it would be to save them?




5a) How can hemp be used as a fuel?

The pulp (hurd) of the hemp plant can be burned as is or
processed into charcoal, methanol, methane, or gasoline.
The process for doing this is called destructive
distillation, or `pyrolysis.' Fuels made out of plants like
this are called `biomass' fuels. This charcoal may be
burned in today's coal-powered electric generators.
Methanol makes a good automobile fuel, in fact it is used in
professional automobile races. It may someday replace
gasoline.

Hemp may also be used to produce ethanol (grain alcohol.)
The United States government has developed a way to make
this automobile fuel additive from cellulosic biomass. Hemp
is an excellent source of high quality cellulosic biomass.
One other way to use hemp as fuel is to use the oil from the
hemp seed -- some diesel engines can run on pure pressed
hemp seed oil. However, the oil is more useful for other
purposes, even if we could produce and press enough hemp
seed to power many millions of cars.




5b) Why is it better than petroleum?

Biomass fuels are clean and virtually free from metals
and sulfur, so they do not cause nearly as much air
pollution as fossil fuels. Even more importantly, burning
biomass fuels does not increase the total amount of carbon
dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere. When petroleum products
are burned, carbon that has been stored underground for
millions of years is added to the air; this may contribute
to global warming through the `Greenhouse Effect', (a
popular theory which says that certain gases will act like a
wool blanket over the entire Earth, preventing heat from
escaping into space.) In order to make biomass fuels, this
carbon dioxide has to be taken out of the air to begin with
-- when they are burned it is just being put back where it
started.

Another advantage over fossil fuels is that biomass fuels
can be made right here in the United States, instead of
buying them from other countries. Instead of paying oil
drillers, super-tanker captains, and soldiers to get our
fuel to us, we could pay local farmers and delivery drivers
instead. Of course, it is possible to chop down trees and
use them as biomass. This would not be as beneficial to the
environment as using hemp, especially since trees that are
cut down for burning are `whole tree harvested.' This means
the entire tree is ripped up and burned, not just the wood.
Since most of the minerals which trees use are in the
leaves, this practice could ruin the soil where the trees
are grown. In several places in the United States, power
companies are starting to do this -- burning the trees in
order to produce electricity, because that is cheaper than
using coal. They should be using hemp, like researchers in
Australia started doing a few years ago. (Besides, hemp
provides a higher quality and quantity of biomass than trees
do.)





6a) How can hemp be used as a medicine?

Marijuana has thousands of possible uses in medicine.
Marijuana (actually cannabis extract) was available as a
medicine legally in this country until 1937, and was sold as
a nerve tonic -- but mankind has been using cannabis
medicines much longer than that. Marijuana appears in
almost every known book of medicine written by ancient
scholars and wise men. It is usually ranked among the top
medicines, called `panaceas', a word which means `cure-all'.
The list of diseases which cannabis can be used for
includes: multiple sclerosis, cancer treatment, AIDS (and
AIDS treatment), glaucoma, depression, epilepsy, migraine
headaches, asthma, pruritis, sclerodoma, severe pain, and
dystonia. This list does not even consider the other
medicines which can be made out of marijuana -- these are
just some of the illnesses for which people smoke or eat
whole marijuana today.

There are over 60 chemicals in marijuana which may have
medical uses. It is relatively easy to extract these into
food or beverage, or into some sort of lotion, using butter,
fat, oil, or alcohol. One chemical, cannabinol, may be
useful to help people who cannot sleep. Another is taken
from premature buds and is called cannabidiolic acid. It is
a powerful disinfectant. Marijuana dissolved in rubbing
alcohol helps people with the skin disease herpes control
their sores, and a salve like this was one of the earliest
medical uses for cannabis. The leaves were once used in
bandages and a relaxing non-psychoactive herbal tea can be
made from small cannabis stems.

The most well known use of marijuana today is to control
nausea and vomiting. One of the most important things when
treating cancer with chemotherapy or when treating AIDS with
AZT or Foscavir, being able to eat well, makes the
difference between life or death. Patients have found
marijuana to be extremely effective in fighting nausea; in
fact so many patients use it for this purpose even though it
is illegal that they have formed `buyers clubs' to help them
find a steady supply. In California, some city governments
have decided to look the other way and allow these clubs to
operate openly.

Marijuana is also useful for fighting two other very serious
and wide-spread disabilities. Glaucoma is the second
leading cause of blindness, caused by uncontrollable eye
pressure. Marijuana can control the eye pressure and keep
glaucoma from causing blindness. Multiple Sclerosis is a
disease where the body's immune system attacks nerve cells.
Spasms and many other problems result from this. Marijuana
not only helps stop these spasms, but it may also keep
multiple sclerosis from getting worse.





6b) What's wrong with all the prescription drugs we have?

They cost money and are hard to make. In many cases,
they do not work as well, either. Some prescription drugs
which marijuana can replace have very bad, even downright
dangerous, side-effects. Cannabis medicines are cheap,
safe, and easy to make.

Many people think that the drug dronabinol should be used
instead of marijuana. Dronabinol is an exact imitation of
one of the chemicals found in marijuana, and it may actually
work on a lot of the above diseases, but there are some big
problems with dronabinol, and most patients who have used
both dronabinol and marijuana say that marijuana works
better.

The first problem with Dronabinol is that it is even harder
to get than marijuana. Many doctors do not like to
prescribe dronabinol, and many drug stores do not want to
supply it, because a lot of paperwork has to be filed with
the Drug Enforcement Administration. Secondly, dronabinol
comes in pills which are virtually useless to anyone who is
throwing up, and it is hard to take just the right amount of
dronabinol since it cannot be smoked. Finally, because
dronabinol is only one of the many chemicals in cannabis, it
just does not work for some diseases. Many patients do not
like the effects of dronabinol because it does not contain
some of the more calming chemicals which are present in
marijuana.




7) What other uses for hemp are there?

One of the newest uses of hemp is in construction
materials. Hemp can be used in the manufacture of `press
board' or `composite board.' This involves gluing fibrous
hemp stalks together under pressure to produce a board which
is many times more elastic and durable than hardwood.
Because hemp produces a long, tough fiber it is the perfect
source for press-board. Another interesting application of
hemp in industry is making plastic. Many plastics can be
made from the high-cellulose hemp hurd. Hemp seed oil has a
multitude of uses in products such as varnishes and
lubricants.

Using hemp to build is by no means a new idea. French
archeologists have discovered bridges built with a process
that mineralizes hemp stalks into a long-lasting cement.
The process involves no synthetic chemicals and produces a
material which works as a filler in building construction.
Called Isochanvre, it is gaining popularity in France.
Isochanvre can be used as drywall, insulates against heat
and noise, and is very long lasting.

`Bio-plastics' are not a new idea, either -- way back in the
1930's Henry Ford had already made a whole car body out of
them -- but the processes for making them do need more
research and development. Bio-plastics can be made without
much pollution. Unfortunately, companies are not likely to
explore bio-plastics if they have to either import the raw
materials or break the law. (Not to mention compete with
the already established petrochemical products.)

There is a part two if you are interested.

http://www.faqs.org/faqs/drugs/hemp-marijuana/

Watch Out Emeril! Move Over Chef Joel!

There is a new chef in town. Chef Evan. As some of you know, I have had the pleasure of occasionally keeping the Laughlin boys....I have discovered a hidden talent in of one of them. Feast your eyes on this Pioneer Woman Lovers.....


Here he is on butter saute!



Adding the Marshmallows!


Mixing the Mallows!


Adding the Krispies!



Patting the Treats!



Jaxon trying to help!


Ouila! White and milk chocolate chips added at the end, a Chef Evan original secret!

Post to post

Just because I did not want to see Merry Christmas after New Year's. I am entering a note. I agree with Brandi. 2008 was a hard year for me. I even got really depressed as it winded down. I am not depressed now. I am excited about changes. I am hopeful for 2009. I have started some projects that are going to be completed and I declare happiness, health, harmony, hope, highs, heaven on earth, honor and honest abundance for us all. Blessings to you my friends.

Merry Christmas

The joy comes in the morning! I love watching my kiddoes get so excited! Yes, kiddoes. I drove to Dallas on Xmas Eve and picked my baby girl up. I could not leave her there. I am a dork I know, but I have 6 years before she is grown and I want EVERY HOLIDAY possible. My family just got done with a nerf gun fight. Maybe the kids are just reloading.

May you all have a blessed and beautiful time with your families! Love, Trish, Joel and Kids!

Toumani Diabate 'The Mande Variations'

I find this music extremely moving, thought provoking and basically a brain massage. If you have a few minutes watch this. If you have Pandora, listen to it. Close your eyes and let yourself feel the layers of generations and artistry unfold.....

Baaa Humbug?

I wish I had something sweet or significant to say. I have a hard time in this season. I don't know why. I hate Mia not being here. Bella was allowed by the other parent in this family to go to Dallas for Xmas. As if that would be okay with me. I have been a mess. I wish God would just transport me to the finished product of my heart without having to fumble through being a better person. I am impatient with the process of my heart today. I do not feel good. I know I am not the only one. God I just pray that you would lift the heaviness off of those hearts including mine.

FOOD NETWORK STARLg_Prog.mov

here is the video we submitted, maybe we'll try again next year....

Stars, Toilets, Love and Action

NO word on Food Network. Oh well. It is a good thing my husband has high self esteem. Kind of a bummer. Can't they see how much talent he has? Maybe we just entered too late. It probably got there at the last minute. It is okay because he still has work to do. He is still working with the high school to put in a salad bar. He is also working with Slow Poke to start utilizing the greenhouse. I will be posting videos soon. He is still doing cooking classes in Cisco for the Open Door. And we are planning my second trip to Cambodia and his fourth. I guess you could say I am his number one fan.

We are painfully remodeling our bathroom. It is only painful when it takes forever. I want a shower. I need some tile. Must have. I was hopeful and excited week one. Week two is a challenge. I hope we make progress this weekend or next week will be a bear. This is as close as I will probably ever get to building a house. If anyone wants to nominate us for some kind of house makeover project, I accept.

I had been going through the Yearn, faint, cry - power of a focused life that Francesca suggested. It was incredible, then I accidentally by the power of the Holy spirit, downloaded Song of Songs 20 by Mike Bickle. Whoa. I was blown away. I think I found my life calling. Or it found me. There are actually 20 parts to this study. SO I started back with the first. I am going to be hosting a Bible study on Friday afternoons to include this audio set. I would like to begin in January. My idea is to put an ad in the Journal and see if anyone is interested, of course you are all invited. I have never been this determined to sink myself into something. And if anyone is willing,I would take others on the journey. I know the Song of Solomon is odd. But the allegorical interpretation of it is amazing and exactly what I want to dwell on for the first few weeks of the new year.

The next action thing I am interested in is State park camping trips. I took my kids to Enchanted Rock last weekend. I want to go camping there. I was so excited I got an annual pass. Did you know that for 60 dollars you can take up to eight people to any state park in Texas as often as you would like for one year. AND you can fish in state parks without a license. Cool, huh? I would like to do some family camp outs and some ladies day trip hikes. I will also be posting these in the paper. I just want to connect with women in our community that I normally would not know or in ways I didn't know anyone would be interested in. Looking for like minded ladies in the Big Country.....loving God and his creation.
DO you ever think about the exciting ways of love? Lengths you go to to keep it alive, refreshed and real. Scents, cleanliness, view, setting up the context for the dance. I just can't wait to get deeper in this. This is going to be fun, not for the faint of heart.

My Prized

Wow! I just recently took Wendy up on her offer for portfolio adding. I was blown away by her gift! Don't my gifts look great?!
Thank you Wendy!!!!!

Anyway, I had not said anything lately, so I wanted to post. I am trying to get a plan for :

Mia moving back home- we are remodeling part of the barn as a mini town house for her. She wants to move back home and go to school. Yay! Jeff Hines starts construction next week! Then we can continue our in house remodel.

Expand our business to have a thriving catering business and a local restaurant. And yes we did submit to Food Network the Talented Chef Joel. If we hear anything we will let you know. He is afraid he is not young and buff enough- whatev....

Joel is also putting a salad bar in the High School! Way to go Joel!

Nash has a play off game on Saturday, if they win we go to Mighty Mite Superbowl!

God has continued to provide for us despite our human nature. Sometimes I wonder how he puts up with me personally. Maybe it is because no matter how wrong I am , I always talk to Him and he shows me I am wrong. I would think I might just have a beautiful heart somehow without the constant mirror of reflection. But I guess there is only one way to holiness, purification, like Ethan told Chrissy that day, "turn your heart inside out so God can clean it!!"

Anyway, if I have not spoken with you lately, just know that you are valued in my heart, whether or not I am capable of finding the words to express it.

VOTE

Just Vote.

OIKOS

When I first believed as an adult. They had what was called
OIKOS- it was your list. Who God called you to be family with
-but more in the sense that they did not know it. You knew you were called
to invite them into the "home" to do life with them. I
could not figure out what God was trying to say until now.

I have been hearing the movement and action theme for quite
some time. Some through my husband, my gift from God. And the
rest through His heartbeat in me.

You were created to ride His highway at His speed
with His Sounds.
Part of that includes what you are doing now. You are
serving the generations behind you until he releases you into the next
wave of what He has for you.
You are to give of yourself to
demonstrate to the children how to give of their own talents to perpetuate
the ways of God. It is the spiritual circle of life.

History Makers are Obedient and Intimate. Through their
intimacy in relationship with the Father they are urged into obedience.

Here is where OIKOS comes in......

Oikos means family, house, home, household- in modern
greek, the people you spend the most time with. These kids need all of
us to continually point them to the cross, they need the security
of that, like a night light as they fall asleep in darkness. As they
mature and grow they find comfort in the truth- the word.

No road is long with good company. Turkish Proverb

The Obedience part also comes into play as a challenge to
them to move as history makers. Not just in group, but in life.
Connect is putting shoes on kids feet. Infuse can take that and
multiply in times a hundred or a thousand for other service acts.

A man felt like God told him to plow a field, so he prayed
for a tiller. The spirit of God needed the faithful to plow the
field.

Someone came behind the man and took a hoe and broke the
ground, the first man continued to try to figure out how to get a
tiller.

The man with a hoe found himself with neighbors helping him. The
first man began to form a plan to do a fundraiser to purchase a
tiller. The neighbors came together for the man with a hoe and blessed
him with a tractor. The ground was prepared because the spirit of God
is relentless. It will not rest or put its eggs all in one
basket. We must work with what we have until we have more and keep
moving forward to the call of God.

What we have to learn to do, we learn by doing. Aristotle

Serving others is the heart of God. Feeding the hungry,
taking care
of orphans, widows, motherless, fatherless, poverty
stricken, broken
hearted etc etc.

Only a life lived for others is a life worth while. Albert
Einstein


What is Oikos?



OIKOS= HOUSE=FAMILY

The following verses contain the Greek work oikos.

Matt 9:7 And he rose and went home.

Luke 10:5 And whatever house you enter first say,
'Peace be unto this
house.'

Acts 16:15 KJV ~ And when she was baptized, and her
household, she
besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to
the Lord,
come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained
us.

Luke 1:27 NASB ~ to a virgin engaged to a man whose name
was Joseph,
of the descendants of David; and the virgin's name was
Mary.

Luke 9:61 NIV ~ Still another said, "I will follow
you, Lord; but
first let me go back and say good-by to my family.



O Obedience
I Intimacy
K Kingdom
o OF
S Service

Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that
build it.
PSALM 127:1




Through Oikos we advance the Kingdom, isn't that our
Goal.
If you
miss it, God will get it done, He still loves you, but He
is driving
in the fast lane.

Don Williams - Lord, I Hope This Day Is Good (1981)

Today, I had a blast driving the kids to school- that would be Payton and Nash. Payton probably thinks I am CRAZY. I was having my own sort of School of Rock and other music. It just so happened that multiple good songs of different genre provided optimal
teaching materials. Heart- girl rock. Van Halen, Doors, Motown, WIllie Nelson- "Mama's don't let your babies grow up to be Cowboys!" Of course Payton was wearing a Cowboy shirt, so it was funny. Then we had a little hispanic music, with a Tejano distinction. Don Williams classic- God I forgot how much I loved Don WIlliams. Trip huh?
Anyway, just wanted to drop a note to say I am alive. Hi.

Chicken Fish Sheep

She gathers them unto herself
She scratches the earth to find the meat buried within
something is uncovered to reveal what is to be given
as nourishment to the need of those unable to scratch
at least not in the right places
yet

He told them where to cast their nets
They could not see where the meat beneath the water was for them
He delivered them from the void into abundance
so that they might lead others

He said to feed his sheep

ears to hear
listen
eyes to see
wide open
not stuff
but children
all ages
all sizes
need to be gathered and fed

where will you scratch
where will you fish
where do you feed the hungry




trishtrueblood

illustrator
Patrick Latimer

Home update

Things are rolling along just fine. Marriage is good. Kids are a little on the bratty side sometimes, but generally evoke love and hope for the future. I feel very blessed to be in this peaceful time. I have had so many ups and downs in my life, it is nice to coast!
My husband is having a walk-in closet built for me. How cool is that? It is stage one. I have a renovation plan for my house. Over the next year I believe that God is giving me a physical picture of restoration, starting with my home. I should have my own little special place by the end of the week. Then I will be gutting my bathroom. Anyone that knows me, has known how much I have wanted to do that I am so excited. I guess I questioned so much why so many people so much younger than me had so much more ( materially) and it really bothered, and in some ways embarrassed me. I am ashamed to admit that. But it seems that my level of gratitude has been raised significantly. God really is after your heart. Transforming it room by room if necessary. Then granting the desires of each room it seems. As I have mentioned the last couple of posts this Bible study I am doing is exactly what I needed at this time.

"In scripture building a house means more than stacking bricks. It refers to family line. I am thankful Christ was a carpenter by trade. Even now he is preparing a place for us so that we will have the perfect house to occupy when we get to heaven.
Perhaps your home has been like ours- built on human strength or the pitiful lack of it. Either approach turns out to be in vain. Maybe God wasn't invited from the start to invade every part of your family life and you suffered the consequences. Maybe you feel much like your home is in shambles. In desperation I have cried out over and over to the only dependable home builder I knew, asking him to come to the rescue. At times I felt like he was late to work, but little by little I began to see his hand, pouring some new foundation and tearing down the walls the enemy had tried to erect between members of my family. As you continue to pray, trust and look for signs of His work in your family, keep in mind that Christ is a custom home builder. Your home is not going to look like someone else's. Free Christ to let him tell you how your home will look instead of vice versa. He alone has the blueprint."

Beth Moore

Any have a great day. I am on my way to work on the restoration of my body! I.E. exercise.

New Day.

I am so happy today. I got to snuggle longer than usual. I have my first full day off in 9 days. I know some people work much harder. But I am pretty much a wimp when in comes to days in a row. I headed up a wedding reception on Saturday at a beautiful ranch in Hamilton. I got to set up the flowers and food. How fun is that. Thank God for Kim Peters. She graciously helped me. Of course I could not have done it without Jamal, Kim, Tim, or Jeff. We laughed a lot and had fun. Sunday, I worked walk in. It was busy, I was already tired, but it was good work. I also realized I could not take a walk-in Job full- time no matter what they offered me. I know, I am a woman. I can change my mind. I am sticking with my current job. I am not doing anything different until God makes it very clear. My heart is with the staff and doctors I work with now and I am okay with that. It is still a good job and I can negotiate my hours, never on the weekends unless I want to. So I get to see my kids every night. I like it. I found my peace. I get to have lunch breaks. So I can have lunch dates- anyone?

I am currently doing a Beth Moore Bible Study- Stepping Up. It is a study in the Psalms, Cherith, get this study. That woman amazes me. Fran, you have that gift too. I can't wait to see what blossoms out of you.

Anyway. I just wanted to say Hi!
And Happy birthday to my friends Rachel (21) and Brandi (24). Those are the days not the years! I look forward to another year of friendship with you girls.
I love you both.

On friends

Need more energy and to be PETER

Wow. Who would have ever thought having only two kids at home, being done with school stuff, working "part-time" would allow for less time to do free Trish stuff. Not me. I have been busy with work and football practice and bible study ( Beth Moore- Stepping Up) and youth on Wednesdays ( Helping Ira- I love those girls!) and shuttling Nash to Team Kids in between, working for Joel, barely cleaning anything but dishes and toilets. Of course I wish I could say going to the gym faithfully, getting healthy and fit, becoming the woman that exudes health. I seriously have tried several times to eat better. I do mostly organic, I rarely do hydrogenated, never do aspartame, seriously avoid high fructose corn syrups, begin part of south beach then switch to taco Tuesday at Rosa's with probably everything off the list, then back to vegetables only, then Nash's bday party and cake, then the Insulin resistance diet with balanced protein and carbs and just a small bit of Hansen's natural soda. Would you believe I lost four pounds and then they found me again. Basically, I feel like a reed in the wind with food. I need hope. I really want to look like the health I sell. Instead I am nearing needing medical attention for my fatigue and regular pain.

I am trying to drink 64 0z of water a day. I can do this three days a week and fall the other days.
I am now taking B-total sublingual, zinc, vit c, multi vites, Co Q 10, probiotic blends ad a couple of other things.

I am trying the least restrictive diet, which is the insulin resistance diet, the recipes are great and things I enjoy eating. That is the one with balanced carbs and proteins. The thing I liked about it is that it makes you think about your food relationship. WHy you eat the way you do. WHy you over eat the way you do. Stuff like that. Joel calls them "Food Memories".

I am focusing other thoughts on a clinic idea I believe God has given me vision for- for a long time. I will reveal more on that later.

I am trying to learn how to invite and keep peace in my life.

I am trying to fall in love again with Jesus. I don't want to treat Jesus/ God/ Holy spirit like an old blah marriage. I want to keep it fresh. God is so much bigger than simple relationships. I want to sit and be overwhelmed at the revelation in relationship.

I must sleep. Peace to you all.

voting booth is closed

I made a decision with the help of my husband. One week on, on week off. I am excited and nervous. I have been praying so much for peace, yet it eludes me. I think I might have been having some anxiety related to big decisions and a reaction to a medication I was taking for my dental issues. Anyway, I removed the last post, due to to much personal info. Thanks for the prayers and the words. Just thanks.

Thinking Naturally

Been reading books again. I am somewhat frustrated with the status quo in medicine. I am really looking toward a more holistic approach to care. One that would include naturopathic medicine. It seems that this brings a lot more peace and healing in long term ways. I will keep you updated on my findings.

Toothday

I drank Cokes. At night, while I was pregnant. Lots of them. It is amazing Bella is as calm as she is. I worked twelve hour shifts. By the time I had the money to try to fix my teeth, every dentist told me ridiculous amounts- 4-7,000 dollars. Even when I did have insurance, they had these rules like paying only part, or after one year of paying, due the preexisting condition.Blah, blah, SO again, I waited. It was easier and cheaper to keep paying for my kids and husband to keep their teeth, One day, I realized that I would have dentures if I did not fix my teeth. I started working on my teeth. It is painful and expensive, but I am working very hard to pay for it.

Today, I had a tooth pulled, it went something like this....

I was escorted in to the office, I was nervous. I hate dental work. It is the single most anxiety producing thing I go through. I sit in the chair and talk to the dental assistant, Lee Ann, about Joel playing ball with the Dentist's husband and about how hard it is to pull my teeth. The assistants switch places and Roseanna comes in. We joke a little bit about Roseanna, Roseanna, Danna. Old Saturday Night Live. Then the gas mask goes on.
The gas mask always makes me a little more nervous for a few seconds, then it settles. I am generally a pretty anxious person. I tense up pretty easily, I may not always show it, but at the dentist, it stands out. So when the shots went in, I tensed up. I hate that about myself. I took deep breaths and let go. I started to realize that she probably thought she was hurting me when I did the deep breathing thing.

My dentist, is a lovely lady. I really like her. I have never been treated with such courtesy and compassion. I even had a moment, where I was so proud of her. I was so happy that she went through the effort to become a dentist. I was so grateful. I even felt proud, being that she was a woman. It hurt very little, it was uncomfortable, lots of pressure. I thought about my roots. I am told they are curved. They are long and strong. Thus, it took a really long time to pull.

I couldn't help but start entertaining thoughts about a way to graft fake teeth to the roots. It seems a shame to waste them. In my mind I began to engineer a device that allows the root system to anchor the implanted tooth. Then, I am jolted back to intense pressure. It is kinda like having a baby with no prize at delivery. I breathe again, to cope, again I am quizzed about the pain. I wonder, is it part of the training to ask about pain every time the patient breathes deeply? Or is she just really sweet?
I felt like right in the middle of it God's peace just floated on top of me and I teared with joy. Mouth open, tooth almost out, peace that transcends. Thanks for praying Brandi. God is faithful.

For those of you still having kids- DO NOT DRINK COKES WITHOUT BRUSHING YOUR TEETH AFTERWARDS! And floss...

In the end the tooth was out, I was relieved. My sweet husband had retrieved my pain medicine and we were on the way home.