A Letter to the President of the United States of America

Dear Mr. President,

How are you?  I am so happy with what you have been doing as President since I last wrote to you.  I am following your activities with much interest! 

First of all, thank you for negotiating with Chairman Kim Jong Un regarding the denuclearization of North Korea.  This is an issue that citizens of my age group are very concerned about!  I ask you to continue your negotiation efforts with this country and its leaders so that our country is more secure and safe. 

Secondly, I applaud you for honoring the military!  I hope to serve in the Air Force one day, and your support of the troops thrills all of us in the Civil Air Patrol.  I have served in the search and rescue division now for almost a year. I hope to serve my country to the fullest extent of my ability all of my life. Having a strong leader like you makes it something positive, because you have our backs!

A concern that many of us younger citizens have is that our country is under attack by various groups.  One of our issues  (my peers and my concerns) is that the country is at risk for falling into a worldview of Islam.   In America, many look at Islam with wonder and glowing interest.  That is how it is presented in our classrooms, and other places in our community.  I have learned that we have several predominant Islamic leaders in our government.  Ninth graders are noticing!  Some of the statements made by these leaders are shocking.   I find the ideology of Islam to be toxic to our republic, and potentially damaging to our freedoms.  I want you to know that I pray about these things daily.  I pray for this nation, and for you, Mr. President!  

This is a confusing and challenging time to live in American culture.  Please hold fast to your promise to your citizens that the USA will NEVER be a communist country.  I support you in this wholeheartedly!

Mr. President, I admire you and thank you for putting America first… to make America Great Again.  I, too, care so much about America, the leaders, and the citizens of this country.  I want to challenge you to continue to fight for freedom, for small business owners, and for a safe planet for all of us.

I humbly thank you for taking time to read my letter. 

Most respectfully,

Blaine Michael xxxxx

Ninth Grade Homeschooler in xxxx

Junior Boot Camp at CAP

 

First Day of Boot Camp at Ft. Indiantown Gap


 

 

Meeting the Chaplain

 

Lunching with my Squadron
 

 

 

 

 

Cooling us down by hosing us with cold water
after a   5 mile run

 

 

This summarizes one of the most difficult weeks

of my life thus far

 

Civil Air Patrol Training School 2018

at Fort Indiantown Gap, PA

Bring Your Own Sunshine

 

 

Wherever you go, no matter the weather,

always bring your own sunshine.”

~ Anthony J. D’Angelo

 

 

My mom always tries to make our meals look colorful.  She believes in bringing Sunshine into the home, even on the gloomiest of days.  She loves to mix her dishes, and she trained me to know how to set a formal table when I was 4 years old. 

 

 

Many made fun of her in the early days of our Home Education experience.  They laughed when they found out that we wrote out checks for fun (early economics class in 5th grade), memorized Chinese characters (Foreign Language), and/or included baking and cooking skills in our curriculum (home economics/nutrition/Life Skills). 

 

 

 

Studying these things made our schooling more exciting, and my mom always said that the

"added sunshine to our days."

 

Simple Home School Lunch

 

I think that "Bringing Your Own Sunshine" means being POSITIVE and MEANINGFUL.  It takes self governance to be positive instead of Negative in this current culture.  Many times, I was sent back to my room for being NEGATIVE at the dinner table.  My Mother called the Dinner Table the "No Negative Zone."  She had a zero tolerance for glumness and grumpiness during supper. 

 

This No Negative Attitude helped when supper turned out to be BURNED or YUCKY.  She did not make us eat the foods we found distasteful, but she forbade negative comments about the messed up food!   Later, when I went to Summer Camp and heard some of the negative comments about some of the foods that were served to us campers, I nearly choked on my food.  I challenge you, reader, to change the way you think and change the world by being positive at the Dinner Table.

Let me know if you accept my challenge in the comments below!

 

 



Independence Day

“Our government was founded on the essential religious idea of integrity of the individual. It was this religious sense which inspired the authors of the Declaration of Independence: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights.'" 

 -John F. Kennedy, July 4th, 1946

In his inaugural address on January 20, 1961, in Washington, D.C., Kennedy said,

“The same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe — the belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state but from the hand of God.”

I love the Fourth of July.  Our family celebrates it in much the same ways as any other family in the country:  A picnic, a dip in the pool, a campfire with roasted (burnt) marshmallows, and finally, fireworks.  But we also celebrate the MEANING of the day.  And we celebrate the God who inspired the day.  In studying our History books, our family has become much more motivated to share the significance of the 4th of July.

The Declaration of Independence included four separate references to God


In addition to the “endowed by their Creator” line mentioned by JFK in his July 4 speech, there is an reference to “the laws of nature’s God,” an appeal to “the Supreme Judge of the World,” and a closing statement of “firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence.”

I love that we have historical documentation of the fact that the USA started with a definite belief in God.  Despite all of the arguments citing "separation of church and state," the Founders’ believed in rights that are God's gift to us.

When George Washington announced the Declaration of Independence from Britain to the troops in an Order dated July 9,  he wrote this:  “The General hopes and trusts that every officer and man will endeavour to live, and act as becomes a Christian Soldier defending the dearest Rights and Liberties of his country….knowing that now the peace and safety of his Country depends (under God) solely on the success of our arms.”

I believe that one of the most important themes in our country, and that which makes us different from other countries is that the majority of our people have a strong belief in God.  This leads to a strong moral fiber in schools, communities, and even the government.  I know we still need improvement in many areas, but if we truly take a look at the faith of our Founders, the ones who built this unique country and helped make it free, then we can know that the American Revolution began with a desire for freedom... of religion, and freedom from oppression.

Have you ever read some of the founder's documents, or the Declaration of Independence?  I challenge you to do so, and perhaps you will learn to love our country and freedom more than you presently do!



(from my English Composition Notebook from 8th Grade English Class Assignment on Essays about American History)
 

Snaps from Summer Camp

 

"We were equipped by our Creator not only to live on this earth,

but to live in touch with Heaven."

 

--Billy Graham

 

 

On the Yellow Breeches Creek

 

 

 

 

Repairing a Lawn Mower

 

 

 

 

 Practicing the Bow and Arrow Skills

 

 

**These photos were taken during my week

at Survival Camp at "Camp Hebron"

in Halifax, PA this summer.

Editorial for L2L "I AM"

Over four thousand years ago, a booming voice proclaimed an important message to a humble shepherd in the wilderness.  Moses was hiding in the land of Midian after he had murdered an Egyptian man.  While tending his father in law’s sheep, Moses saw a bush on the mountain that was on fire, but the branches of the bush were not consumed by the flames.   The flaming bush told Moses to take off his sandals, and then commanded him to go to Egypt and deliver the Israelites from bondage and lead them into the land he promised to Abraham.  This event became one of the most important things that happened in the history of the Jewish people, because during this talk that he had with Moses, the one true God described and named himself with these two words, “I AM.”   

     In our day and time, the words “I am” have a completely different meaning.  On any given day, I hear people proclaim, “I am hungry,” or “I am happy.”  When meeting a new person, I might say, “I am in 9^th grade.”  But we use these simple words differently than our creator did when he used them.  We usually use the words “I AM” to describe our feelings or our position.  I have read many, many articles about the meaning of these two tiny words in Exodus 3:14.      

There are lots of theories about what God meant when he spoke them to Moses, but I believe that we must look at the words and their meaning in the Hebrew language, which was the language of the Jewish people, and the first language that Moses learned as a small boy.  The simplest explanation is that God was telling Moses, “I will be what I will be.”  This was an important message for the Israelite people because they had been treated terribly as slaves of the Egyptian people for four hundred years.  They knew the promises of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but they were starting to doubt that this same God heard their prayers anymore.  God told Moses to tell the Jews that “I AM” sent him to rescue them from their desperate life.  God wanted his people to know that he was all they needed, that he would give them what they needed to escape their slavery, and that he would deliver them safely to Canaan if they believed and obeyed.  Basically, God was telling Moses that he would provide them (“I will be) with everything they needed to escape bondage, and go to the land of milk and honey. 

     “And God said to Moses, ‘I AM who I AM.’  And he said, ‘Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM’ has sent me to you” (Exodus 3:14).  These were ancient words to an ancient people, but today, they are meaningful to us all the same.  I AM has provided a way for us to be delivered from the bondage of our sins in his son, Jesus Christ.  All we need to do is to believe and obey the gospel, and we will be delivered, too. 

God Inhabits Praise

"Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you,

in order to bring praise to God." 

 

Romans 15:7 (NIV)

 

 

 

 

 

Lately my Mom and I have been talking about praising our Creator, the Almighty God.  Did you know that He "inhabits Praise?"  That means He loves it when we praise Him, and He almost HAS to come near us when we praise Him!

 

Pretty Cool!

 

There is this old song that I know that talks about the "chains that seem to bind you... serve only to remind you... that they drop POWERLESS behind you... when you praise HIM."

 

I love that song. 

 

When we accept others, we bring praise to God, too!  As the verse in Romans states (above), Paul tells us to accept one another as Christ accepted us."   For me, Jesus accepted me without reservation when I was filthy with sin.  That is what I mean. 

 

Shining our light means that we accept others where they are so that we can bring them closer to the Lord. 

 

 

 

What about you?  Do you accept others the way you were accepted by Jesus when you were saved?  I find so many of my church friends to be a bit prideful in this area.  Christ did NOT lift us up so that we could look DOWN on others!  NO WAY!

 

So go out there and Love those who need it!  Accept them and welcome them and shine the light of Jesus toward them so that they can be accepted by Him and know Him and praise Him, too!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Life is in You, Lord (a video of our youth group's time at the L2L Convention

 

Video for L2L Competition 2018 'Remember Me"

 

I am pleased to present my Video Submission

for the 2018 L2L Convention

for Mass Media Category

of Video



Theme:  In Remembrance of Me

I Cor 11:24-25

The Anchor Holds

"My Hope is Built on Nothing less

Than Jesus' Love and Righteousness!

In every high and stormy gale: 

My anchor holds within the vale..."

This picture was taken of me when I was 5 years old...
It had flooded our front yard when we lived in Arkansas.
Instead of a disaster, my clever Mom thought of an adventure...
and so I floated all around my front yard that morning!

 

 

God does not promise that there will be no Storms,

 no discouragement,

BUT He did promise that when these times come, 

He will give us an Anchor…

 

 

 

"On Christ the Solid Rock I stand, All other ground

 

is

 

Sinking Sand,

 

 

All other ground is sinking sand.

 

 

 

 

Friday is Good Samaritan Day

On Fridays, we finish up our schooling activities early, and do random (or not so random) acts of kindness, which we call "Good Samaritan" deeds. 

Sometimes we do them as a family, and other times we invite friends to do them with us.  Some of our deeds are done in secret, some are not.  One Friday we made cupcakes and cards of thanks, and delivered them to our local Firehouse to show appreciation to our Fire Fighters.  They were really grateful, and now when I see them around town, they know me by name. 

Once a month, I take my friends over to the local Nursing Home, and we visit with the residents, sing with them, pray with them, and sometimes we make a craft with them.  I have become friends with many of these residents, and the nurses there say it makes their day  when we visit.

One Friday, I helped my dad paint the Living room.  I learned how to tape off the baseboards, use a roller, and how to clean the paint brushes afterwards.

We have done this for many years.  When I was a little kid, I enjoyed washing my parents' cars on Fridays. 

One Friday we made an herb garden with seeds and tiny pots for an elderly lady down the street who couldn't get out in her yard easily, but wanted to grow herbs.  It was fun, and later she baked some bread for us using those same Herbs that grew from our seeds.  That was fantastic, and it tasted delicious. 

Here are some other ideas of kind acts that can be done anytime:

Put together zip-lock bags of basic toiletries, snacks, reading material to hand to the homeless. Introduce yourself and shake each person’s hand when you give them one.

Send a handwritten letter to a shut in person.

Take someone a homemade "Picnic" lunch at work. Maybe your parent, or maybe just the overworked lady at the Post Office.

Next time you go for a Happy Meal at McDonalds,  bring an extra bit of money (if it takes a while to save this up, that's ok... it will be worth it!), then pay for a stranger’s meal.

Leave a huge tip for a waiter/waitress, even if all you bought was a donut.

Leave cookies for your mail delivery person or garbage man/men.

Visit a rest home and listen to the residents’ stories.

Next time you cut your lawn or shovel snow off the walk, do the same for your neighbor.

Put coins in meters for cars that are about to expire.

Hide dollars in hiding places in the dollar store!  I like to hide them in the toy aisle.

Write a letter and make a care package for a deployed soldier.

Take brownies to the police station for the officers.

.

ONE Truth

 

 Albert Schweitzer was a German Doctor who operated on sick African people. 

 I read a book about him for my home schooling.

 

 He helped...

 

 

See more of this post on my previous blog at
 

http://mytreasureisjesus.blogspot.com/search?q=German+Doctor

Would you like to join Lads to Leaders?

This was our Youth Group in Kentucky last year at convention.

Have you ever thought of becoming involved in Lads to Leaders? 
We have a great time, and learn so much about life! 

Go to L2L.com and read all about the organization.
You'll be glad you did!

 



Winter scenes I love...

This was a little scene outside our front door today after it snowed.

A Good Friend is a Rare Treasure



My Grandma says, to have a friend, I must be a friend. 

 

I wrote about this here, double click to read:

 

 

My Treasure is Jesus: A Good Friend is a Rare Treasure:  

A Tough Challenge

Proverbs 16:3

 

"Commit your ways to the Lord

and your plans will be established."

 

 

Can you believe I have NEVER had TV,  Cable,  or Satalite TV in my house?  Before I was born, my parents gave up TV watching to read and talk more. 

 

 They are not that weird!  They found lots of other things to do in life (rather than to watch other people's lives). I encourage everyone to join the TV Turnoff Week (August 21st to 27th), or if not,  just try to scale back on TV dependence.

 

Reading is a favorite hobby around our home
 

Here are some surefire conversation starters to try

when you or your family are "Bored."

 

 --Ask fun questions, like:

 1. Would you rather... be too hot, or too cold?
...go without the sense of smell or the sense of taste?
...the possibilities are endless
2. If you could meet anyone, living or dead, who would it be?
... what woud you talk about wth this person?
3. Name the most important qualities a friend should have.
... what about a teacher? ...a Parent?
4. What 3 things mad you Laugh today?
5. Describe what you think the world will be like in 50 years.
...what about 1,000 years?

 

We grow much of our own food

We throw fun parties

We Bake Cakes

We read to each other

 

We act crazy

We have outdoor cookouts

 Information and questions were taken from the book by Barbara Brock,

 "Living Outside the Box: TV-Free Families Share their Secrets"