Movie Review: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

Have you ever wondered how laws are made in this great country of ours? Ever wondered what a Congressman does? Well this movie teaches you about both! Yes, a movie. Ladies and gentlemen: Allow me to introduce you to....

 

Made in 1939, this movie showcases the legendary talent of Jimmy Stewart along with Jean Arthur. It is about an everyday American who finds himself elected as a Senator for his state after one of them dies. Mr. Smith chronicles his journey from small town life to politics on Capitol Hill. Upon his arrival, Jefferson Smith learns about how Congress works and how laws are made.

     
This movie would be a wonderful supplement to a Civics/ American Government class. I learned almost as much as I would reading a textbook. Viewers learn alongside Mr. Smith about the workings of our government including political terms such as filibuster and the complexity of lawmaking.

This movie also includes deeper elements. It discusses the beliefs of our founding fathers for a country where everyone has a chance to be a part of its government as well as the principles on which America was founded. It promotes the idea of courage, integrity, character, and duty. Mr. Smith even has a scene where Senator Smith is reading the "Love" passage in 1 Corinthians 13; additionally the movie has included themes of Providence in the founding of the country.

Personally, I thought this was a fantastic movie. I recommend everyone to go rent it or check it out at your library! Enjoy this clip from Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.

Prophets vs. the Bible

     Have you ever thought about what a treasure it is that we have the Bible- the Word of God- to guide our lives? Many times it becomes too easy to take it for granted. Today, that was brought to my attention when I read Jeremiah chapter 23.
     Before I elaborate, I encourage you to go read it so you have an idea of what I'm talking about. In a nutshell, the chapter is about prophets who have led God's people astray through their false teachings. They prophesy from "the deceit of their own heart" (verse 26), rather than the word of the Lord (see verse 16). They tell everyone "I had a dream!" along with other untrue prophesies. These dishonest prophets even tell evildoers that they will have peace and no evil will ever come to them (verse 17).  As a result, the prophets and the people had forsaken God's commandments and turned to wickedness. God was utterly appalled by their actions.
     What does this have to do with the Bible? I'll tell you. The wicked prophets of Jerusalem were supposed to bring messages from God to His people. The people relied on them to honestly speak the words God had told them. Because of their deceit, however, those who listened to their words were led astray. Those prophets were how God communicated with His people, how He told them how to live. Today, we have the blessing of the Bible. Our Sword is how God communicates with us now. The people of Jerusalem did not have an Old and New Testament to verify what they were being taught, but we do.
     There is still the danger of men teaching from their own deceived hearts rather than the word of God. Unlike Jerusalem, however, we can stand against being led astray by false teachings if we are grounded in Scripture. We don't even have to rely on prophets to bring us the word of the Lord. We have His words and messages in the pages of our Bibles.  Let us be like the church members in Berea in Acts chapter 17, who searched the scriptures to test the validity of what they were taught. Let us also thank our gracious Lord daily for the blessing of the Bible, the freedom to read it, and the freedom to talk about it.

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.  (Hebrews 4:12)

Pictures from this week

Yes I know I've posted twice today, but I just wanted to share some pictures I have recently taken....Enjoy!

Sweet P (P for Pearl)

A stack of old books I found at the home school Blessings Bash on Monday. I was so excited because I'm a big fan of old books!

This  was the best find of them all- what a treasure!

Inside the cover it said it was printed in 1945!

I was taking pictures of the pages and I was actually thinking of  this Scripture and wondering what verse it was.....

..... then I flipped a couple pages, looked down....

.....and there it was! Lookin' me in the eye- Isaiah 40: 8!

After finding this 60+ year-old Bible, that Scripture verse has become very special to me. I think of all the families whose memories and records are held in old Bibles like these, the Word of God that has been passed down through generations...it stands forever.

These two of Emily were going to be for our homeschool co-op photo contest that I was too late in entering :(

I love taking pictures of tiny things!

funny how dirt and acorns can become a cool picture!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thoughts on Veteran's Day

This is a picture of my grandfather, Hank, taken in the 1950s when he was a new airman in the United States Air Force. He served in it for almost 30 years. I am very proud to call him my grandpa because of all he has done for our family and our country.
In addition to Poppy, my family has been honored to be friends with many other great men and women who were and are in the military.
If you know someone who is a veteran or is currently enlisted, don't forget to thank them and let them know we appreciate their service! Enjoy this video from History Channel about the history (no way!) of Veteran's Day and thank a veteran!

Afternoon on the porch

Here it is November 11th and yesterday was so warm out that the sister and I brought our school work and a glass of iced tea out to our front porch! Think I might go and do it again!

. Happy Thursday!

"Coming to Him as a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (1Peter 2:4-5)"

Oh what a lovely day the Lord blessed us with today! All week it has been too warm for October.....until today! It was breezy outside and only reached 75 degrees- perfect fall weather if you ask me. If anyone is reading this, if you haven't guessed by now, I'm a newbie to blogging. I do not know how to add all those cool things to the side, I haven't figured out the configuration, and I'm pretty much confused! I usually also have lots of other things I need to be doing and just don't have the time to sit down and figure this puppy out. Hopefully this explains why the posts are few and far between, lacking in content, and why the blog is pretty boring. Maybe one of these days I'll get around to some real meaningful posts and gussy-ing up the place. But Tchus for now! (that's a casual goodbye in German ;P)

We're Still Here!

So sorry it's been so long since I've posted. We've been busy with many things! Miss Emmy is very (and I mean VERY!) involved in ballet, while I've been doing lots of babysitting! We both are grateful for these opportunities we've been given. The days now are filled with school. I am, and I think Emmy is too, enjoying my subjects. I especially like U.S. Government since I'm interested in politics and current events....Fox News is probably my favorite channel on TV! Besides school at home, we also have co-op every Friday. It's been a good semester so far, I have to say. This year, they decided to have a Student Council and yours truly is running for President! I have one opponent who would make a very good president, so I won't be disappointed if I don't win. It's all in good humor (not the expression I'm looking for but can't think of the right one)! On top of all this, I'm trying to get moving along in Driver's Ed. I need to get it done before November since the account expires then. 


Things I need to do:
1. Driver's Ed (Mod. 7 Lesson 1-2 completed 10/4)
2. Clean my bathroom (completed 10/4)
3. Clean my room (completed 10/4)
4. Read chapter set for Great Expectations this week
5. Read Count of Monte Cristo
6. Call library to get book situation straightened out (working on 10/5)
7. Prepare girls devo talk for 10/17


Maybe I should get off and get goin' on that list!

Until later, take care! Love, Libby

We've been on some fun trips like the Family Retreat and.....

....to my hometown in Oklahoma to see my old friends at the Homecoming Game!

Really?

Alright, so I'm sure we've all heard of this Mosque-at-Ground Zero controversy. Basically, a Muslim imam wants to build a mosque and Muslim community center just blocks from Ground Zero in New York. There has been a vast amount of controversy over it, and for a good reason! Generally, most people on the left side of the political spectrum are supporting/ defending it and the folks on the right are opposed to having a mosque built in sight of the place that was destroyed by Muslim terrorists. That brings me to my big problem with it. WHY? Why do the Muslims insist their mosque be built there? It can't be for religious tolerance-there are about 100 mosques in New York. I mean, really? Could it be a coincidence that they just-so-happened to choose property in that vicinity? Surely not. I have this feeling it is something else. I think they are subtly trying to tell America that they had a "jihad victory" there. If the reasons I previously mentioned are why they are building it, then why can they not build it somewhere else? Why do they have to build it RIGHT THERE- at Ground Zero- where some of their own (however extreme they may be) robbed thousands of their lives? Could they be sensitive to families who lost loved ones there? Think of the pain that would cause them. A constant reminder- day after day- of who murdered their family members. I'm not saying most Muslims are radical murderers. For 9/11 families, however, I think there would be a link between seeing a mosque so near to where family members died because of a Muslim extremist. I just wish the imam would be more sensitive to the feelings  of those 9/11 families. If Muslims truly are what they say they are, then can't they be compassionate and sensitive and build their mosque somewhere else?

Welcoming September!

We are now five days into September, and all five days have been great! Around our house we've been getting ready for school, enjoying the nice weather God's given us lately, and having fun with football starting. For Fitness Friday this past Friday, it was especially fun because Daddy had the day off! So all 4 of us (plus Pearl :)) made our way down to the "park" in our neighborhood. Momma walked Pearl while Emmy, Daddy, and I  played football! We threw the ball around and then we ran plays that Dad made up-it was so fun! Yesterday our Oklahoma Sooners played against Utah State for the season opener. We didn't get to watch the game because it wasn't on TV, but Dad tracked it on the internet. It was a rocky start for the Sooners, they definitely struggled with their offense and defense, but they barely hung on and came out with a 31-24 win. I'll write later and update on how school goes when we start! Looks like a busy week ahead!

Friday Ramblings

Our furry friend Pearl, who thinks she's just another person in the family!

Good Friday afternoon to you! We have been having a very active day at our house. After breakfast this morning Mom and I did an old Jane Fonda workout record from the 80s. Despite its age- and the fact she's wearing a striped leotard, leggings, and legwarmers on the cover- it is a great workout! When that was finished, we decided to go for a walk and explore around the tennis courts in our neighborhood. Pearl (our sweet dog) had fun sniffing around and she found herself an old tennis ball to play with! On our way back I decided to run the rest of the way, so by the time I got home I was hot and sweaty. Know what I did then? I ran straight outside and jumped in the pool. I consider it a blessing from God that the water temperature had cooled down a few degrees from the usual 91! Emmy joined me and Pearl when she finally got home. We decided to declare Fridays this school year our Fitness Friday! So now, every Friday after our co-op we will come home and do something active like ride bikes, walk, run, yoga, swim, or other workouts.

Other things going on....yesterday we went to the library on base and we checked out Lord of the Rings. I'm hoping we can watch it tonight or tomorrow night. I also got some cool books including The Count of Monte Cristo. I thought it sounded interesting and I've been wanting to read it for a while now. I write a review on it when I finish and let y'all know how it is! Emmy has been very busy with ballet- she has it every day except Saturday and Sunday! It's getting very serious for her now. Among everything else, we (at least Daddy and I) are anxiously awaiting next Saturday which marks the beginning of.......FOOTBALL SEASON! For our Sooners anyway. I'm very excited for college football season; sometimes I wish we could just fast forward through baseball season to the most wonderful time of the year!

I hope I can think of better things to write about in the future....but until then, Cheerio Darlings!

Thoughtful Thursday

Our thought for today comes from Dietrich Bonhoeffer's book, Life Together, which talks about the fellowship we have with other believers through Christ.

"We pray for the big things and get to give thanks for the ordinary, small (and yet really not small) gifts. How can god entrust great things to one who will not thankfully receive from Him the little things?"

What a great reminder to count every blessing and thank our gracious Lord for each one He bestows on us! Hope y'all had a blessed Thursday and hope Friday is fantastic!
Love, Libby

Introducing the Dutch Umbrella!

Hey there, Libby here....

This is yours truly-Libby

This is the ballerina-Emmy

Welcome to our blog! Let me tell ya how we got here. Today Emmy and I were outside experimenting with my camera and different settings when it started raining. So Emmy ran inside to get her umbrella which is black with white polka dots. But it's not just any umbrella. No ma'am, it is an umbrella from a street market in Amsterdam. Anyway, we were piddling around outside, Em with her umbrella, and she said something about her "Dutch Umbrella." And somehow, we both thought the same thing and said, "That sounds like the name of a blog!" That is the journey of getting here today and the story behind the blog name. I don't know what this will be about. Probably a little of this and some of that. Whatever it is, my friends, I hope you enjoy it! Bear with me as I try to figure out post pictures and the blog configuration!