Samantha Pierce

I received the following comment on my Parents of unbelieving children post: "Some of the 'best' hell raisers I've met have been the children of pastors." Now as the child of a pastor I've got a bit of insight into this phenomenon. Christians tend to put their pastors up on a pedestal and worship them almost as if they were gods. And take pot shots at them. Pastors are expected to be all and do all for their congregations. Their families are put on those pedestals with them as well. Their wives and children are expected to be perfect at all times and in all things. From on top of that pedestal pastors and their families have to contend with the fact that they are indeed human and will make mistakes. They also have to deal with the sniping, back biting, and gossiping that is all too often a part of internal church politics. When they fail, as all humans do, they fail publicly and are run through the gossip mills and hung out to dry. Pastors' children are n...

I twisted my ankle chasing Isaiah at church today. The next few days are going to be interesting as I can't put any weight on my left foot. Hopping isn't a very effective mode of locomotion. Especially with small children looking to do mischief about.

I left my computer open in the middle of a post to go make dinner (at 4:53 PM). I came back later to find my post gone with the following in its place. Hubby says he didn't do any of the typing for Ethan. He just showed him where some letters were when he asked for them. ggo313333333333333ggggggggggggggggggggggggg1234 gggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg88EREgggggggggeeee 12344445678890"3ETRDEYFURTDYT CFFRTTYYUIO0PPETHANPRERCE ETHANPRERCE EDQ 1234567890- 1234567fgffffffhhi [I had to alter this slightly because it was messing with my template. Or maybe not.]

The Conservative Brotherhood website has a sleek new look. Go check it out.

Shol'vah! Kneel before your god.   I'm not the first one to make the goa'uld connection with this picture (others made it here and here ) but it was the second thing I thought when I first saw this picture. Right after I thought, what the heck were they thinking? This is what you get for leaving the interns unsupervised with the equipment.

I'm thankful for/that: This . We found a babysitter! I can go back to my dance class now. Homemade applesauce. Ethan stays in bed when I put him to bed. Sophia seems to understand the power of the pointer finger. She's always pointing at things and asking, "What's that?" (How do you explain a computer screen to a one year old?) My cold is gone. I didn't realise it until a friend commented that I sounded much better than I did last week. Hubby is recovering from his cold as well. The kids have runny noses but that seems to be it. What are you thankful for?

I was going to save this for this week's Thankful Thursday but it was just too cute. And I was afraid I would forget if I waited to post it. This is a short interaction I had with Isaiah this morning. Me: (upon finding Isaiah raiding the sock draw yet again) Ay! Isaiah: Ee see ee! (translation: "b c d!") He didn't even pause! He just went right into it. Isaiah's been practising singing the alphabet song a lot lately.

You scored as Capt. Lee Adama (Apollo) . You have spent your life trying to life up to and impress your Dad, shame he never seemed to notice. You are a stickler for the rules. But in matters of loyalty and honour you know when they have to be broken. Capt. Lee Adama (Apollo) 100% CPO Galen Tyrol 75% President Laura Roslin 69% Commander William Adama 56% Number 6 38% Lt. Kara Thrace (Starbuck) 31% Tom Zarek 19% Col. Saul Tigh 13% Dr Gaius Baltar 13% Lt. Sharon Valerii (Boomer) 13% What New Battlestar Galactica character are you? created with QuizFarm.com I love that picture. (Via Respectful Insolence )

While most Iraqi women live in fear of terrorists and criminals, one small band of women has taken up arms and is prepared to fight back. Employed by a private security company, the women ride in the front passenger seat posing as ordinary housewives when the company's drivers transport customers around the city in nondescript vehicles. But their firearms are always close at hand, and they are trained to respond with force if they come under attack. "When I hear a bullet, I want to know where it came from."

Galadriel Possessing a rare combination of wisdom and humility, while serenely dominating your environment you selflessly use your powers to care for others. Even the smallest person can change the course of the future. There's a list of character stats here . I'm a little bit disturbed by how many people tested as the Shadows and Morden even when you consider ballot stuffers. How much of a nerd am I that I recognised all but 4 (probably from the same series) of the characters on the stats list? (Via Keer "Unplugged" )

At my church's women's retreat a few weeks back one of the women prayed for the parents of unbelieving children. As my mind wandered off to think about the Christians I know who have children that are not believers I came up against the sobering fact that I am a parent of unbelieving children. My children are young (4,3, and 1). They go to church because they have no other choice. They pray and sing songs because we make them. They sit in Sunday school and listen to the lessons because they have no other option. At this point they don't know God from Adam. Being cute and cuddly doesn't count for much towards salvation. I have no guarantee that they will choose to pursue a relationship with God when they are aware enough to make that kind of choice. All I can do for them in that regard is to try to model a healthy relationship with God for them, pray (like their lives depend on it because they do), and trust that God will some day answer my prayers. The burden of being a...

Rosa Parks died yesterday at the ripe old age of 92. Just a few weeks short of the 50th anniversary of that fateful bus ride which sparked a boycott that brought Jim Crow to its knees. When I was a kid I would watch the PBS documentary Eyes on the Prize ( wiki entry ) every year during Black History month. I will always remember the footage of those empty buses making their rounds through deserted streets. All of it started by one woman. Every time I get on a bus I look down its length with the knowledge that I can take any free seat I want because of what Rosa Parks started. I wonder if I would have had the courage to do the same not knowing what the consequences of my actions would be. Thank God for Rosa Parks. Rosa Parks 1913-2005 Rosa Parks is dead at 92 Remembering the Original Rosa Parks

The local NPR weather dude has been using the S word the last few days. Eight inches of the stuff has already fallen in the mountains north of here knocking out power in some places. We could have some of the S word this week in the city. I'm not ready for the S word. With home heating costs expected to go through the roof this winter (literally and figuratively) they (the ones who spend their time figuring these kinds of things out) are predicting a really cold winter this year. I told Sis 2 this and she wanted to know how it could be worse than last winter. We haven't turned the heat on yet (except for that one time that hubby went down stairs in the morning and just flipped the switch but it was only on for a few minutes before I turned it back off.) That delay ought to save us a few bucks on our energy bill. I'm compensating by dressing myself and the kids in several layers of clothing. There are at least three blankets on every bed. And I'm baking a lot. I'm ho...

I remember praying fervently for God to teach me patience when I was in college. I also remember thinking as I prayed, do I really want God to answer that prayer? Was I ready for God's answer to that prayer? Nope. Some lessons aren't easy to master and take a life time of learning. These days I pray for the strength to put one foot in front of the other as I stumble through my lessons.

La Shawn Barber is blogging about The Da Vinci Code . The book has been making quite a stir in popular culture and sending many a Christian into a tizzy over its claims about Jesus and Christianity. The Da Vinci Code movie is on its way. Are you ready to blog knowledgeably about it? Unbelievers (and not a few Christians) may scoff at us for taking The Da Vinci Code phenomenon so seriously. But pop culture is powerful, and although we surely have more productive things to do, setting the record straight and offering a reasoned defense for the faith and correcting historical inaccuracies are also important, even when the subject is fiction. Being one of the scoffers (I scoff at the book more than people making a big deal about it) my eyes went into automatic glaze over right around "pop culture is powerful" but I pulled them back long enough to read the rest of the post. It is a crying shame that Christians abandoned academia so long ago after such a good start (all of the ...

I'm thankful for/that: Nyquil. Dayquil. Actually it's the store brand equivalent. Store brand items that cost much less than name brand items. Teething doesn't last forever (even if it feels like it sometimes). Ethan hasn't flushed any more of his underwear down the toilet. The chance to go apple picking (I feel like making some pies). The sun has come back. What are you thankful for?

I'm out of Nyquil. Hubby forgot to bring home some more. Sophia is cutting a new tooth. It's going to be a long night. At least the boys went to bed with out much of a fight.

I've been thinking for awhile now that I should write about exactly who I'm being thankful to in these Thankful Thursday posts. I never seem to find the right words. Thankfully (heh) some have written some marvelous words for me. Ascribe to the Lord Glory A Psalm of David. 29:1 Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. 2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness. 3 The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord, over many waters. 4 The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty. 5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon. 6 He makes Lebanon to skip like a calf, and Sirion like a young wild ox. 7 The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire. 8 The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness; the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. 9 The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth and strips the...

Bird Flu Pandemic Likely, U.S. Says So does this mean that we will begin to secure our borders in an effort to reduce the effects of a future pandemic? The threat of terrorists blowing us to bits doesn't seem to be much of a motivator on the border issue. Bird Flu FAQs: Ten Questions, Ten Answers

A Syrian government official has committed "suicide" . Suicide is in quotes because it is apparently common for people in Syria to commit suicide by shooting themselves several time and/or in the back of the head.

New York City Subway Threat: Fabricated Fear NBC: Too early to call subway threat a hoax It may or may not have been a hoax but the NYPD needs to be paranoid enough to think that it could happen at any given moment. It's funny that at the same time that New York City officials were being critised for over reacting they were also being critised for not acting sooner (officials had known about it for a few days before they said anything to the public). I'm still not too pleased with the federal officials for leaving those in NYC to twist in the wind. So the feds weren't totally convinced that the threat was credible. The least they could have done was say that they were working to confirm the threat but NYC couldn't afford to take any chances with people's safety. Yeah it's all spin and we would have seen throw it instantly but they could have at least tried to put up a unified front.

La Shawn is blogging about 'Christian' Elements in Fiction . I've blogged recently about Christians and the sci fi/fantasy genre of books. Being a fan of the genre I've kind of been there and done that with regard to the conflict that some Christians see between their faith and this genre. Perhaps you can add something to the conversation.

This is why Christians, especially prominent ones, need to put a certain amount of distance between themselves and political dealings. I think we have a responsibility to exercise our civic duty to vote and discuss our opinions on any of the issues at hand. I think Christians serving in political office (note the choice of the word serve as in being a servant to the people) can be a good thing. But this kind of involvement has too much of an appearance of impropriety. It is make Christians appear to be just another interest group trying to push our agenda. The cause of Christ is far too important to sully for mere political gain.

Happy birthday dad.

You are a Social Liberal (60% permissive) and an... Economic Moderate (41% permissive) You are best described as a: Centrist Link: The Politics Test on Ok Cupid Also: The OkCupid Dating Persona Test Er, that's really not what I expected. So I took it again. You are a Social Liberal (60% permissive) and an... Economic Moderate (56% permissive) You are best described as a: Centrist Link: The Politics Test on Ok Cupid Also: The OkCupid Dating Persona Test I guess it just comes down to that I don't expect very many people to agree with and I'm not willing to harass them about it. I'd rather live my life as an example to others of what I believe. Or something like that.

El Salvador and Guatemala . (They are also dealing with the after effects of a hurricane. Did you know that? Hurricane Stan didn't get much coverage in the States. This leads me to wonder, if a hurricane comes across the Atlantic and doesn't hit the US did it ever really happen?) Pakistan , over 1000 dead . Indonesia , again . Papua New Guinea . Just about everywhere .

So the saga unfolds. Penn Station was closed for a while because of suspicious packages which turned out to be a soda bottle a bag of trash. Bloomberg Defends Terror Threat Decision . Face it dude, you're an elected public official, in New York City of all places, for some people you can't do anything right. But I'm curious about just what it would take for us to go to red alert (cue the Star Trek red alert klaxon!). La Shawn's not particularly impressed by the response of the feds. Can't say I blame her. The whole "it's a credible threat, no it's not, yes it is, no it isn't, is, isn't, is, isn't" dance just doesn't look good. I know there's some butt covering going on here but can we at least keep it out of the press until after the situation is resolved?

Ok, I'll admit it... I cheated and took the express bus home yesterday and to work this morning. Does that mean I am worried or scared about the "threat" to the New York City Subway system? Nope, not in the least. To be perfectly honest, I couldn't really care less. I just don't like to deal with people in general and stressed, crazy people specifically. Getting on the train with a bunch of cranky, on edge New Yorkers really was not something I cared to do. The way I see it, if someone is really, seriously intent on doing something, then short of my catching them before they can hit the detonator, wrestling the device from their evil clutches, and pushing them in front of the on coming train, I don't really see how I could stop them. So what will I do? I will continue to only carry a small purse, because getting searched by the cops would just tick me off, and go about my business. So as quitting time nears, all I can say is... All Aboard!!!!

So there's some serious, credible, but unknown (to the public) threat to the NYC subway system according to Fox News. Sis 2 (who is still at the office in Manhattan) and I are currently discussing potential defense strategies. News conference is scheduled for 5:30 PM EDT. A sample of the conversation: Me: if you see anybody shady take 'em out Me: you can always apologise later Sis 2: apologise for what.. if it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, and it is duck hunting season... Me: roast duck Blood thirsty? Heck yeah! Didn't anybody tell you that we're at war? New York subway under threat, says transit agency New York increases subway security Police Investigate New York Subway Terror Threat According to sources in intelligence, emergency services and police headquarters, when three Iraqi insurgents were arrested several days ago during a raid by a joint FBI-CIA team, one of those caught disclosed the threat. Because it slipped out during the arrest, the plot was dee...

I'm thankful for/that: The cold weather seems to be taking its time getting here. That's good for our energy budget. Homemade bread, hot out of the oven. Fresh butter to go on that bread. Lactase pills so that all the butter I've consumed doesn't make me sick. Homemade pumpkin pie. Friends to share a meal with. The last time that Isaiah wandered off he chose to go indoors instead of down to the nearby highway. (I've got to have earned at least one grey hair by now for being that boy's mother!) The yarn catalog my mother-in-law sent me. I'm happily drooling over all of that yummy looking yarn. And it has patterns too! Oh joy! The way Ethan eats a chocolate chip cookie. Chip first. Crazy parenting stories, such as, being awoken at dawn to find your almost one year old rolling around in your bed waving her diaper over her head. The afore mentioned diaper was clean. When the doctor says like, "You're right. We know what that is. We can fix it easily....

This is good for a laugh. Are southerners really that crazy about football?

What's the point of having a blog if people need a password to read it?

Every time I hear some one talking about Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita this song starts playing in my head. Hindsight (Livgren) © 2000 Kerygmatic Music From Collector's Sedition Volume I The blunders and the oversight Could turn the brightest day to night Can't grapple with reality, our grasp is way too slippery We bit the hand that always fed Turned out the light and went to bed We made our share of bad mistakes Then threw away the decent breaks You might say it's just bad luck, but it's much worse than you think If we could do it over, we could turn back from the brink Hindsight, everything is clear in hindsight Twenty twenty Hindsight, we could be so wise in hindsight Looking back I can see, everything in focus The opportunities have gone, the warning light is always on We missed the boat it left the port We never got our day in court It vanished right before our eyes, they really brought us down to size We took the bait, we paid the fine We signed above the ...

Fellow Conservative Brotherhood member Joseph C. Phillips asked us a question as part of research for a book he's working on. I thought long and hard about my answer and when I finally got to writing it it got kind of long. Being that I'm always looking for blog fodder I decided to share it with all of you good folk. Why do I love America? America, oh how I love thee. Let me count the ways. No really. I don't know if I can really say that I love America but I sure do appreciate being here. A few years back I was returning from an overseas trip. As I waited to go through customs I took a look at the people around me. In the area where citizens and permanent residents were processed stood people from nearly every ethnic group on earth. I lost count of how many languages I heard spoken. And these people were all either American citizens or could be American citizens if they so chose. Anywhere else in the world the citizenry is pretty homogeneous. That's what I appreciat...

This is over two weeks old but it is so bloody stupid I think it needs to be perpetually made fun of. Ice cream offends mulism . Come on now. How can any adult take this seriously? Why would any child take this seriously? Some people have no shame. (Via Black Republican )

Almost three years to the day of the first Bali bombings there are blasts in Bali . People suck. That's why I like plants. When was the last time you saw a tree blow something up because it had a disagreement with someone? And Fox News is running un-edited video of it all. No doubt hoping to get something really gruesome to play over and over and over again. MSNBC is running documentary about some female murderer and CNN seems to be running mostly commercials and domestic news. I can't decide which is worse, the voyerism on Fox or the ignoring of the incident by the other two. Updates Terrorism In Bali, Again BALI ATTACK LATEST HEADS, FEET LOCATED BOMB AFTERMATH