Today is a much shorter post.

Today we are doing four activities (stations), the kids will go to Spur to go swimming and then we have our evening service under the tent tonight. Today's Stations are: Archery (bows, arrows, shot at the target. This is my station) Horseshoes (the game horseshoes where you throw them at metal spikes in the ground for points.), Craft (day one of building a walking stick) and High Ropes (cat walk and zip line). The campers should have lots of fun and I will get the afternoon off so I ALWAYS enjoy Day 2 (a.k.a. Tuesdays)

Joshua R

Today we start our open middle school camp, the campers will get here around 11:00am and we will do orientation and lunch. Before they get there all the Staff has lots of chores to do to prepare the camp for the week. Today's Stations are: Flags (painting a team flag), Water Slide (a big 50+ foot water slide), Canoeing (teams race canoes around four poles set in the pond) and Fire Drill (each team gets the 1 hour of this station to make and practice their fire drill. A fire drill is a song/yell/rap/skit that is about the camp theme and their team). Today I am doing Flags, that means I'll be out in the sun all day messing with paint and kids with paint. We also have a campfire tonight where I will be starting a fire with a metal match (kinda like flint and steel), at least I am planning on starting it that way... We will see how it goes, it has worked about half the time this summer (it doesn't work very well when it is wet/damp or windy)

Here are a few prayer requests:


If you get a chance I would love to talk on tuesday afternoons (1:00pm - 4:00pm). or just send me an email. I hate being out of touch with my Real family and all my Friends.

Joshua R

Today we start our open middle school camp, the campers will get here around 11:00am and we will do orientation and lunch. Before they get there all the Staff has lots of chores to do to prepare the camp for the week. Today's Stations are: Flags (painting a team flag), Water Slide (a big 50+ foot water slide), Canoeing (teams race canoes around four poles set in the pond) and Fire Drill (each team gets the 1 hour of this station to make and practice their fire drill. A fire drill is a song/yell/rap/skit that is about the camp theme and their team). Today I am doing Flags, that means I'll be out in the sun all day messing with paint and kids with paint. We also have a campfire tonight where I will be starting a fire with a metal match (kinda like flint and steel), at least I am planning on starting it that way... We will see how it goes, it has worked about half the time this summer (it doesn't work very well when it is wet/damp or windy)

Here are a few prayer requests:


If you get a chance I would love to talk on tuesday afternoons (1:00pm - 4:00pm). or just send me an email. I hate being out of touch with my Real family and all my Friends.

Joshua R

Today was the beginning of the Liberty Rock Elementary camp. On the first day of camp each week we do four stations; Fire Drill (the work on their fire drill a.k.a. song, and team name), Flags (they paint a team flag), Water Slide (self explanatory), and Canoeing. Today I did canoeing with Jordan, it was tiring and quite funny. Here is a picture that I took of Jordan:


Tomorrow I will be running Archery, I'll try and get a few pictures. The campers will also be making a walking stick at craft, doing some of our high ropes elements (cat walk, zip line, etc.), and playing horseshoes. Then we will have swimming (which I won't be doing) and then then evening service.

Tomorrow is also my afternoon off so from 1:00pm till 4:00pm I will be resting (either watching a movie or taking a nap) so if you want to talk (chat, phone) that is the best time for me.

Missing everyone,
Joshua

Joshua R

With Gov. Huckabee out of the presidential elections many people are feeling discouraged and beaten. They feel that Huckabee was our only chance at changing our nation for the better and turning it back to the values that our nation was founded upon. Many have already signed a petition saying that they will not vote for Sen. McCain and have vowed to vote their values not what the media tells them to vote. To some this seems like a dark time for the conservative voice in America. We are left without a candidate who holds our values and beliefs and it seems like there is only more bad in the future. However, I would like to voice a different opinion.

America as we know it today has been wounded, it has taken wounds from a anti-christian culture that has damaged both it's foundational values and it's outward functions. By allowing abortion, illegal immigration, and self-centered lifestyles, America has lost much of what once made it a great nation. This was once a place where every life was valuable, we did whatever it took to care for our soldiers in battle, wounded or not. We gave our children the best we had to offer and gave them the best chance possible at living a full and prosperous life. We welcomed people from all over the world to enter our country and become law abiding citizens that benefited the economy and nation as a whole. We used to have friendly relations with all our neighbors and helped them when they were in need, and we cared for others even to the detriment of ourselves. But these values have become increasingly rare and undervalued. America today does not value anymore the inalienable right to life that is given to everyone by their Creator. We no longer ask that everyone living in our country be a citizen and contribute to our society. We are so obsessed with self that we don't notice when our neighbor is hurting and in need. We focus on what we don't have instead of being the nation where we are so thankful for what we have that we create a national holiday to give thanks for our blessings.

America's wound goes deeper than just the surface, many of our core values are now under attack and our foundation is at risk of being overwhelmed. The last eight years have functioned much like a band-aid, they have covered up the wound. President Bush has done a wealth of good in our country, but it has been more on the surface and hasn't dealt with the issues that are fundamental. America's skin looks mostly healed but inside is an infection that is killing us from the inside out. Many people would say that America has never been better, we have the strongest military in the world, we have one of the largest economies and have the most freedoms for our citizens. On the surface all looks well, but a closer look reveals otherwise.

America, once the place where life was valued at all stages is now a place where thousands of babies are murdered everyday. Whereas, we once valued marriage as sacred and between one man and one woman, this fundamental truth is now contested and questioned. As many will tell you America is sick and in need of a healer, and they are right. That healer is God, the healer of hearts and the forgiver of sins. What many Christians don't see is that sometimes you have to cut to heal, sometimes you have to cut away the seemingly healed skin to expose the infection within. Sometimes healing is painful, when Jesus died on the cross it wasn't a pleasant and painless experience. But His pain and death bought our Salvation and healing. Sometimes God uses a bad and immoral leader to cut away the apparently healthy skin so that he can bring in a Godly leader that He can use to heal a nation.

As I stated earlier, many people are feeling discouraged and beaten that Gov. Huckabee has pulled out of the presidential election. But my Bible says that God is in control and that He appoints rulers and authorities and that all things work together for the glory of God. God will bring His plan to pass and sometimes that plan requires that a bad ruler be placed in power to prepare the way for healing and restoration. God is Sovereign and His Word never fails (Isa. 55:11), He has said that if His people will humble themselves and pray then He will heal their land (2 Ch. 7:14). What He doesn't say is how He is going to bring about that healing. We are told to pray and the rest is up to Him.

As the time comes when we are going to remove the "Bush Band-aid" and start the healing process I ask that you join me in praying that God's will be done, even if it means that we experience pain in the process. I believe that my God is bigger than the supreme court and bigger than congress, and I believe that my God will do what He promises even when He doesn't do it my way.

Joshua R

This morning I went to the Mike Huckabee Rally in Lubbock, Tx with my mom, Jonny and Daniel. The morning started out kind of cold, but warmed up as we listened to music by the Josh Abbott Band and waited for Huck to appear. After about a half hour of music Mike got on stage and played the Bass with the band including a couple of bass solos (which were quite good by the way). After the music Mike delivered yet another heart warming speech to the delight of the crowd (which was very polite and let Mike speak without too many interruptions). After speaking Mike, his wife Janet, Chuck and his wife Gena walked along the front of the crowd shaking hands and signing their autographs. I got to shake Mike and Janet Huckabee's hands and Jonny got to shake Mike, Janet and Chuck's hands. We also got several autographs.

Joshua R

Tuesday night at 7:00pm VOCL held a Voter's Clinic in the Springtown/Azle area.
The event was held at Real Family Fellowship Church in Azle, Tx and was moderated by Mr. Jon Moffett.
There were twelve candidates at the Clinic including:
Larry Kilgore (U.S. Senate)
Phil King (State Rep.)
Deeia Beck (2nd Court of Appeals)
Barcus "Barc" Hunter (2nd Court of Appeals)
George Conley (Parker County Commissioner Precinct 1)
Barry Bobo (Parker County Commissioner Precinct 1)
Richard Pettigrew (Parker County Commissioner Precinct 1)
Jerry Mitchell (Parker County Commissioner Precinct 1)
Keith Springfield (Parker County Commissioner Precinct 1)
Clint Hall (Parker County Commissioner Precinct 1)
Larry Lippincott (Parker County Tax Assessor/Collector)
Marjorie King (Parker County Tax Assessor/Collector)

All Candidates were given 4 minutes to give a brief speech after which was a question and answer session using questions from the audience asked by a team of our young adults. You can read more about the clinic at the Real Families for Huckabee blog. The VOCL Voter's Clinic was also featured in the Azle News

Joshua R

Yesterday I was reminded of how simple life is through the eyes of a child. While we were getting dinner ready and getting all the ingredients together my mom asked one of us to get the evaporated milk. When Stephen (my little brother) heard that he got a great idea, we should make some evaporating cheese! in his mind it made perfect sense, if regular cheese comes from regular milk then you should be able to make evaporating cheese out of evaporating milk. Very logical.

Sometimes I think that "grownups" should take a few lessons from kids, we tend to think of things in illogical ways. "Don't be silly you can't make evaporating cheese out of evaporation milk, that's just stupid." No it isn't, it is imaginative and creative. Kids have an amazing ability to see things outside of the box, they aren't limited by what everyone else says is true or acceptable. I think that this is one of the reasons that Jesus said "Let the little children come to me..." children are not hindered by impossibilities. It doesn't matter if it is physically impossible to make evaporating cheese or fly to the moon in a cardboard box, in the mind of a child anything is possible. This is true faith, the kind of faith that can move mountains, faith that is not limited by what we see with our physical eyes or what others tell us. This kind of faith comes by seeing life through the eyes and mind of a child, a place where impossibilities do not exist and where "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me"

Joshua R

In the business of everyday life it is often hard to remember to pray for Life in the Supreme Courts and pray for the Justices of our Supreme Courts. To help you remember I would like to share this resource.


I designed this poster for me and my family to use as a reminder in our house but I would like to share it in the hope that it will be useful to others. The file is a PDF and is 4.5 MB in size, you can either download it here or from the resources section of my website.
Print out this poster on 8.5in by 11in paper to use as a visual reminder to pray for the leadership in our Supreme Courts and to pray for a ruling of Life to be made by them.

Joshua R

Yesterday while browsing through my news feeds I saw this post on the White House website:

"A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America


White House News
On National Sanctity of Human Life Day, we recognize that each life has inherent dignity and matchless value, and we reaffirm our steadfast determination to defend the weakest and most vulnerable members of our society.
America was founded on the belief that all men are created equal and have an inalienable right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and our country remains committed to upholding that founding principle. Since taking office, I have signed legislation to help protect life at all stages, and my Administration will continue to encourage adoption, fund abstinence education and crisis pregnancy programs, and support faith-based groups. Today, as our society searches for new ways to ease human suffering, we must pursue the possibilities of science in a manner that respects the sacred gift of life and upholds our moral values.

Our Nation has made progress in its efforts to protect human life, and we will strive to change hearts and minds with compassion and decency. On National Sanctity of Human Life Day and throughout the year, we help strengthen the culture of life in America and work for the day when every child is welcomed in life and protected in law.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim Sunday, January 20, 2008, as National Sanctity of Human Life Day. I call upon all Americans to recognize this day with appropriate ceremonies and to underscore our commitment to respecting and protecting the life and dignity of every human being.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this eighteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord two thousand eight, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-second.

GEORGE W. BUSH"

So it is now official, National Sanctity of Human Life Day. A day dedicated to the celebration of the sanctity of human life.

This may seem like a small thing to some but there are several key phrases in this proclamation:
1)

"and we reaffirm our steadfast determination to defend the weakest and most vulnerable members of our society."

The weakest and most vulnerable members of out society are our unborn children, those who have no voice.

2)

"we must pursue the possibilities of science in a manner that respects the sacred gift of life and upholds our moral values."

Stop using the dead bodies of unborn in scientific research under the invalid claim of helping others. Helping others is a commendable goal but not at the expence of human life, no one should involuntarily give their life for the sake of others.

3)

"On National Sanctity of Human Life Day and throughout the year, we help strengthen the culture of life in America and work for the day when every child is welcomed in life and protected in law."

Strengthening the Culture of Life, for to long we have heard that we cannot change our culture, that our culture is bent on destruction with no hope or a restoration to it's Godly foundations. I think that it is about time for a change, we are the light of the world and light changes things, this is a great step in the change of our culture from it's current state as a culture of death back to it's original design as a culture of Life.

4)

"I call upon all Americans to recognize this day with appropriate ceremonies and to underscore our commitment to respecting and protecting the life and dignity of every human being."

I really like the key phrases here "all Americans" and "our commitment" this is a statement to our country and the world from the top of our goverment that we support life as a country. This is one of the privileges we have given the President of the USA, the authority to declare the stance of our nation on certain topics and ideals. An example would be the war on terror, our President has declared that we will not stand for attacks on our citizens, Period. And now he has declared that we are for protecting the life of every human being.

Please continue to pray about the value of life and the overturn of abortion in America and continue to share the message that life is valuable and that it starts at conception.

Joshua R