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It was 1978, twelve years ago, when we embarked upon a study of Paul's epistle to the Ephesians. It's been nearly that many years since we gave attention to a very very important verse in Ephesians that speaks well to the matter of this particular day. Open your Bible, if you will, to Ephesians chapter 6...Ephesians chapter 6, verse 4.
The verse says, "And fathers," or better, parents, "do not provoke your children to anger but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord."
An old Chinese proverb says this, "One generation plants the trees, and another gets the shade." You and I are still living in the shade of some trees that were planted by our parents and grandparents and great-grandparents. We are shaded, to some degree, by their moral standards, their spiritual commitment, their value system, their sense of right and wrong, their commitment to duty. We are shaded by what our parents and grandparents planted.
The question that faces us today is what kind of trees are being planted today to shade the future generation from what may well be the blistering heat of an Antichrist dominated world. Are we planting anything or are we leaving our children totally exposed? It is obvious or should be to every one of us that our culture as to morals, values, ethics, duty, commitment is disintegrating. The very systems on which we base our life are convoluted, skewed and out of sync with God's divine order. We allow in our country the massacring of millions of unborn children while at the same time sentencing a man this week to six months in jail for killing a hummingbird, which demonstrates to us that we don't understand that man is made in the image of God, very different than any animal.
I was reading an article this week in Reader's Digest about animal rights. One of the people quoted in the article was extolling the equality of all created things with this statement, "A rat is a pig is a dog is a boy." The article went on to say that there are those people who are howling far and wide that the killing of six million roasting chickens is the modern equivalent of Hitler's massacre of the Jews. What in the world kind of values is our culture going to have?
I was also told two weeks ago that there are more people in law schools today in America than all other graduate programs combined. It is unthinkable what the future holds in a society that is going to litigate itself to death without a moral standard by which to determine what is right. Are we going to be sentencing people to prison for killing birds and let them run free who kill children?
Where is our culture going? What kind of value system, what kind of morality, what kind of standard are we establishing to shade the next generation? Are we planting anything? Or are we leaving them totally exposed?
Well Scripture is certainly clear when it speaks of our responsibility to our children. God has set the standards. And any mother knows that children are supposed to be a blessing. And they are usually when they arrive. There are some mothers who don't want them at all and so they have them aborted. There are some mothers who even having given birth to them don't want them so they dump them in a trash bin or give them away. And there are most mothers who want them at first and then after a few years aren't sure they want them anymore. Children are supposed to be a blessing. Children are supposed to be a joy. Children are supposed to be a benediction from the Lord to grace our lives with fulfillment and meaning and happiness and satisfaction. They are given for our joy and yet they turn out to be heartbreak upon heartbreak upon heartbreak. Left exposed to this world and unshaded by the proper kind of protection they will indeed break your heart.
But let's get back in touch with God's basic perspective. Genesis chapter 4, when we go back to the very beginning of God- giving children we read in Genesis 4:1, "The man...that is Adam...had relations with his wife Eve and she conceived and gave birth to Cain. And she said, I have gotten a man-child," literally with the Lord. In other words, the Lord was the source of this child. The Lord gave me a child. In verse 25, "Adam had relations with his wife again, she gave birth to a son, named him Seth, for God has appointed me another offspring." She saw her children as gifts from God. Chapter 17 of Genesis and verse 20, "And as for Ishmael, I have heard you, behold I will bless him and make him fruitful and multiply him exceedingly. He shall become the father of twelve princes and I will make him a great nation." Even to Ishmael God says I will bless him. How will You bless him? By giving him children, twelve princes I'll give him. That is a great blessing.
Genesis chapter 29, in Genesis 29 and verse 31, "The Lord saw that Leah was unloved and He opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. Leah conceived and bore a son and named him Reuben for she said because the Lord has seen my affliction, surely now my husband will love me. She conceived again and bore a son and said, Because the Lord has heard that I am unloved He has therefore given me this son, also." She thought when she had her first son her husband would love. She found out only her child loved her. By the time she got the second son she got the second son and knew that the second son was to fill again the void of love she felt not from her husband. The point is this, that God gave her children so she could enjoy their love. Children are a blessing. Children are a source of love.
Rachel was feeling this barrenness in chapter 30 verse 1 and she said to Jacob, "Give me children or I'll die." Verse 2, "Then Jacob's anger burned against Rachel and he said, Am I in the place of God who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?" The point is only God can give children, God gives them for joy, God gives them for blessing, God gives them to fulfill our lives. Verse 6, Rachel finally said God has vindicated me and has indeed heard my voice and has given me a son. Again, a gift from God. Verse 17, God gave heed to Leah, she conceived and got a fifth son and said, "God has given me my wages because I gave my maid to my husband." Verse 19, "Leah conceived again and bore a sixth son, Leah said, God has endowed me with a good gift." Children are to bring goodness, joy, blessing, benediction, promise, hope, fulfillment, meaning to life.
In chapter 33 and verse 5 and here Esau meets Jacob and Jacob says that those with him are the children whom God has graciously given your servant. Gifts from God. Graciously given to be a blessing and a benediction.
In Ruth, that wonderful book, in verse 13 of chapter 4, listen to this, "So Boaz took Ruth, she became his wife, he went into her and the Lord enabled her to conceive. She gave birth to a son. Then the women said to Naomi, Blessed is the Lord." Children are to be a blessing. Always it has been that way. God gives them for our encouragement. God gives them for our joy.
Proverbs 23:24, "The Father of the righteous will greatly rejoice and he who begets a wise son will be glad in Him." That's God's purpose. Children are to make us happy. "Be wise, my son," says Proverbs 27:11, "and make my heart glad." A wise son indeed gladdens the father's heart. Proverbs 29:3 says, "A man who loves wisdom makes his father glad." And so it goes.
Now how is it that with God's purpose that children are to bring us joy and happiness, contentment, satisfaction, and love, that instead they become a heartbreak? Marriages and families in our time tend to be war zones, disaster areas. Homes aren't havens. There isn't peace and joy and contentment and bliss. Rather conflict, intimidation, estrangement and a generation of people being raised today exposed rather than shaded by any kind of proper God-ordained standard of living.
To make this practical, let me just talk to you a little bit before we look at our text. The Houston Police Department published a timely little booklet called "How to ruin your children." Tongue and cheek it says, "And guaranteed to be 99 percent infallible." This is what the Houston Police Department experienced dealing with delinquency and criminals has led them to conclude. Here's how to ruin your children. Number one, begin with infancy to give the child everything he wants. Two, when he picks up bad words, laugh at him. Three, never give him any spiritual training until he is 21, then let him decide for himself. Four, avoid using the word "wrong," it may develop guilt feelings. Five, pick up everything he leaves lying around so he will be experienced in throwing all responsibility for everything on others. And it goes on and on. Even the culture sees that a child without discipline and instruction is a potential disaster.
Another book written by a medical doctor also takes a somewhat sarcastic approach to this and suggests how to create a tragic child. First, here are ten easy steps for developing your normal healthy baby into a drug addict, or alcoholic. Here they are, ten steps. One, spoil him, give him everything he wants if you can afford it. Two, when he does wrong you may nag him but never spank him. Three, foster his total dependence on you so drugs or alcohol can replace you when he's older. Four, protect him from your husband and from all those mean teachers who threaten to spank him from time to time or discipline him and sue them if you wish. Five, make all of his decisions for him since you are a lot older and wiser than he is, he might make mistakes and learn from them if you don't. Six, criticize his father openly so your son can lose his own self respect and confidence. Seven, always bail him out of trouble so he will like you. Besides, he might harm your reputation if he gets a police record. Never let him suffer the consequences of his own behavior. Can I stop and inject that that to me is one of the most important issues in child raising, children must suffer the consequences of their misbehavior or you'll never alter their conduct. Number eight, always step in and solve his problems for him so he can depend on you and run to you when the going gets tough. Then when he's older and still hasn't learned how to solve his own problems he can continue to run from them through drugs or alcohol. Nine, just to play it safe, be sure to dominate your husband and drive him to drink, too. Number ten, take a lot of prescription drugs yourself so that taking non- prescription drugs won't be a major step for him. That's how to develop your normal healthy baby into a drug addict or alcoholic.
He further says, "Here's how to develop your normal child into a homosexual. One, start out by using the ten easy steps followed by the alcoholic's mother. But this won't be enough. Further, show your love for your son by protecting him very carefully. Don't let him play football or baseball with the other boys, he might get hurt. Don't let him have a paper route, or work outside, he might catch pneumonia in bad weather. Three, be sure he spends lots of time with you and very little with his father or any other adult males."
Then he suggests, here's how to develop your normal child into a sociopathic criminal. One, start with the same ten easy steps the alcoholic's mother uses with the following exceptions and additions. Never spank your child. Physical punishment is a thing of the past. In fact, spanking is now considered immoral. By the way, it's against the law in Sweden which also has the highest teen-age suicide rate in the world. Let your child express himself any way he feels like it, he'll learn from your example how to behave, he doesn't need any discipline. Don't run his life, let him run yours. Let him manipulate you. Let him play on your guilt if he doesn't get his own way. And don't enforce the household rules, if there are any, that way he'll be able to choose which laws of society he will break when he's older and he won't fear the consequences since he never suffered any. Don't bother him with chores. Do all of his chores for him then he can be irresponsible when he's older and always blame others when his responsibilities don't get done. Be sure to give in when he throws a temper tantrum, he might hit you if you don't. Don't ever cross him when he's angry. It will also help if you choose to believe his lies and you may want to tell a few yourself...particularly on your Income Taxes. Criticize others openly and routinely so he'll realize that he is better than everyone else. Give him a big allowance and don't make him do anything for it. He may get the idea that he'll have to work for a living later on if you make him work for it. If he does do anything worthwhile around the house, be sure you pay him richly for each and every good deed, you wouldn't want him to think that a feeling of responsibility is its own reward.
And then the doctor says, "Here's how to develop your normal child into a hysterical daughter. Use the same ten easy steps the alcoholic's mother used, point by point, but also do this: spoil her, always let her get her way especially if she pouts or cries. Marry an immature husband and never meet his physical needs, for warmth and affection he'll become very close, too close, in fact, to his daughter instead. Lie to yourself a lot so she can learn to use the technique of denial also. Always praise her for her looks, never for her character. Put a mirror on every wall so she can continually admire herself. This is one of the most important rules for producing hysteria. And whenever she runs away, and she probably will do this frequently, be sure to run after her and apologize for not letting her have her own way in the first place. Whenever she pretends to be sad and feigns a suicide attempt by swallowing a couple dozen aspirins or sleeping pills, be sure to save her dramatically and show her how guilty you feel for not letting her have her own way in the first place. Encourage her to become a movie star, by now she's so dramatic that acting would be quite natural. Get divorced and remarried two or three times so she can learn what you already know, that all men are good for nothings but you might as well live with one anyway.
And you can go on beyond that. Instruction on how to raise an adult schizophrenic. Show no affection. Have a weak father, weak mother.
How do develop an obsessive child, rigid and inhibited. Be critical, snobbish, domineering, legalistic.
How to develop an accident prone child. Fight with each other and the child will wind up having self-inflicted punishment in the form of accidents.
How to have an obese child. Feed him lots of food and leave him home alone.
How to have an anerexic child. Same way and throw in, have no respect for your husband.
How to have a hyperkinetic child. Don't ever spank and have an absent father. And so it goes.
Some studies have even indicated that bed wetting children are somehow more frequent in the homes of women's libbers. Amazing.
The point is this. God has given us children and unless we obey God's standard, we will produce a disaster. Now sometimes it's not really the mother's fault. Some husbands are weak and witless, some husbands are absent. Some husbands have left all together. But unless you obey the standard that God has laid down, that child that God has given you to be a joy and a blessing and a benediction and a comfort and a consolation all your life long will turn out to break your heart.
Now we need to go back to our text to find out how to raise that child right. We've seen how to do it wrong, how do we do it right? Let me read you the first three verses. "Children, obey your parents and the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother which is the first commandment with a promise that it may be will with you in that you may live long on the earth."
Now the first thing he says, and I'm only going to briefly mention it is, that children are called to obey and honor. Obey is the act, honor is the attitude. So what we want out of children is obedience and honor. They need to learn attitudinally to honor their parents and in terms of action, to obey their parents. They don't know this naturally. Do you understand that? The Minnesota Crime Commission acknowledges this when it writes, quote: "Every baby starts life as a little savage...(except my grandson, all the rest)..." Then they said this, "He is completely selfish and self-centered. He wants what he wants when he wants it, his bottle, his mother's attention, his playmate's toys, his uncle's watch. You deny him these things once and he seethes with rage and aggressiveness which would be murderous were he not so helpless. He's dirty. He has no morals. Doesn't know anything and has no developed skills." Sounds like a bum on skid row. "This means that all children," says the Minnesota Crime Commission, "all children, not just certain children, all children are born delinquent. If permitted to continue in their self-centered world of infancy, given free rein to their impulsive actions to satisfy each want, every child would grow up a criminal, a thief, a killer, a rapist," end quote.
So, folks, if you want to prevent that, you've got a little work to do. Children develop in four areas. And it's indicated to us in Luke 2:52, "Jesus grew in wisdom, stature, favor with God and man." Right? Wisdom, that's mentally. Stature, that's physically. Favor with God, that's spiritually. And man, that's socially. Mentally, physically, spiritually, socially, children develop. When they come into the world they are undeveloped. They have to be taught to obey, for this is right. And God gave this commandment and put a promise in it for long life if they would have the right attitude. Honor means the spirit of obedience, obedience means the act of obedience. They are to honor their parents which means they have such respect for them they want to do what is right and then they're to do what is right. But they aren't going to do that automatically. They have to be trained to do that. The key, of course, is the Lord Jesus Christ and the Spirit-filled life, even for a child. Children need to be under the control of the Holy Spirit but they need to be taught that by their parents. We have a tremendous task at hand. And if you don't teach your children to honor and obey you, then your children will break your heart. This is absolutely essential.
Go back with me to Proverbs for a moment. And let me just give you a little bit of a refresher on what it says in the book of Proverbs, just a few key verses. Proverbs...you don't have to look them up if you just want to listen...Proverbs 3:11 and 12, "My son, do not reject the discipline of the Lord or loathe His reproof, for whom the Lord loves He reproves, even as a father the son in whom he delights." Any father who really loves and delights in his son will discipline him, will reprove him, will correct him. Proverbs chapter 10 verse 13, here's the means, verse 13 says in the last part of the verse, "But a rod is for the back of him who lacks understanding." Now in this modern culture we would say, "No, a computer is for him who lacks understanding...or an encyclopedia for him who..." No, a rod is for the back side of him who lacks understanding. And what he means here is not that they don't have information but they don't apply it. If you have a child who demonstrates a lack of wisdom in living, get out a rod and use it on his backside, or her backside. That's what the Bible says.
Chapter 19 verse 18, and this is so practical, verse 18 of chapter 19, "Discipline your son while there is hope," cause there's going to come a time when there's no hope. You can't do it anymore. Your son gets too old, you try to hit him with a rod, he'll break it over your head. And notice verse 18, "Discipline your son while there is hope and do not desire his death." If you don't discipline your son while there's still hope, you're desiring his death. What do you mean by that? One, he'll grow up to be a drug addict and he'll die of an overdose. Two, he'll grow up to be an alcoholic and maybe at the age of 19 run his car into a tree or a wall somewhere and kill himself. He'll grow up to be a homosexual at 25 and die of AIDS. He'll grow up to be a criminal and end up killed. No, you discipline your son while there's hope. The alternative is to desire his death.
Chapter 22 of Proverbs and verse 15, "Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child," that is right. "Foolishness is bound up in the heart, the rod of discipline will remove it far from him." You see, again corporal punishment is the consequence for disobedience which modifies behavior...painful, immediate consequence alter behavior. Proverbs 23:13 and 14, "Do not hold back discipline from the child, although you beat him with the rod he will not die." He'll tell you he's dying but he's not. He won't die. "You shall beat him with the rod and deliver his soul from Sheol." You're not talking now about only saving his life, you're talking about saving his soul...the whole person, when you use that rod.
Proverbs 29:17, I love this, "Correct your son...and your daughter certainly implied here...correct your son or daughter and he will give you comfort, he will also delight your soul." Let me tell you something. I hear all of this discussion about how to raise your children and all this cleverness and how to have your children love you, and how they can turn out to delight your soul and they can give you a thousand psychological ways. Let me make it simple. The Bible simply says if you correct him, in other words, if you correct him with a rod and discipline him or her and make them live an obedient life, they will delight your soul. It isn't that tough. It isn't that complex. Set a standard, live by that standard and correct to that standard.
That's it. And he'll give you comfort. In your old age he'll support you. He'll love you, call you blessed and delight your soul. If you don't do that, Proverbs tells you what will happen and I won't look up all the verses I'll just give you the list. Proverbs says if you don't do this, if you don't discipline your child and raise your child properly, he will be a grief to his mother, a rebel to his father, a sorrow to his father, a disaster to his father, a disgrace to his parents, a humiliation to his parents, a user of his parents. And then look at chapter 29 verse 15, "The rod and reproof give wisdom but the child who gets his own way brings shame to his mother." He'll shame you. He'll be an embarrassment to you.
If you want a child who is a grief and a rebel and a sorrow and a disaster and a disgrace and a humiliation and a user and a shame, then don't do anything. But if you'll discipline that child, set a standard, live by the standard, discipline to the standard, your children will love you, delight in you and comfort your heart.
Now, let's go back to Ephesians and see the specifics of what the Apostle says. We have a tremendous gift from God in our children. They are to bring us immense joy. They are to bring us delight, blessing, happiness, fulfillment, comfort, consolation, satisfaction. And we're looking at a society where children for most people are a pain, a disaster. They break their parents hearts with their drinking, with their drugs, with their sexual promiscuity, with their moderate or extreme criminal behavior, with their lack of values, with their lack of honor and regard for their parents. They shame their parents. They terrorize their parents in some cases. They manipulate and monopolize the home. That's not God's intention.
How you going to take that little savage as cute and cuddly as he is or she is and guarantee that this one is going to be a joy to you? Here's the principle stated in verse 4, negatively, "Do not provoke your children to anger," positively, "bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord." That's it. It isn't that complicated. You don't have to be a child psychologist to figure it out. You don't have to go to a thousand seminars and buy all the books on the shelf. It is not that difficult.
You say, "Well that was a different time and place." No. In Paul's day they had a very very difficult situation they were facing in that terribly pagan culture. For example, in the Roman world there was what was called Patria Potestes which is Latin meaning "the father's power." And in that society the father had total power, absolute power over his entire family...without any judication in any court of law he could sell off any member of his family into slavery. He could make them work in the fields in chains. He could take the law into his own hands, he could punish them, he could inflict the death penalty on his own children as long as he lived...even if he was 60 and his children were 40. There was no age limit on the patria potestes, the father had right and power over all his children even the power of life and death.
We are told that when a child was born it was placed before its father's feet. And if the father stooped to lift the child it meant that he acknowledged the child and wished it to be kept. If he turned and walked away, the child would be thrown out. Children which were thrown out, very commonly in ancient times, were thrown on dump piles, thrown in the street or left in the forum in Rome and they were collected by people who raised them to be slaves and prostitutes for the business of prostitution and slavery in Rome.
To show you this there's a letter that's been discovered from 1 B.C. from a man named Helarion(?) to his wife Alis..A-l-i- s. This is what that letter says translated: "Helarion to Alis his wife, heartiest greetings." Gals, when you get that letter you're in real trouble...heartiest greetings? Then he writes, "Know that we are still even now in Alexandria. Do not worry if when all others return I remain in Alexandria, I beg and beseech you to take care of the little child and as soon as we receive wages I will send them to you. If good luck to you you have the child, if it is a boy, let it live, if it is a girl, throw it out." Unwanted children were common, commonly left on the streets of the city. Seneca wrote and I quote, "We slaughter a fierce ox, we strangle a mad dog, we plunge the knife into the sickliest cattle, children who are born weak and deformed we drown." Their world wasn't much different than our world. We just have the medical technology to do it before they're born. Same process.
So, Paul was speaking to a world where children were severely abused and unwanted. And in our world they are also severely abused and murdered, and even the ones that are born are very often unwanted. Let me tell you something. The greatest abuse of a child is not physical, the greatest abuse of a child is to leave that child alone. That's the greatest abuse because that child cannot develop physically, spiritually, socially, mentally on its own. It will be the savage all its life long. You throw your child away when you don't spend time with your child, when you don't bring that child up in discipline and instruction from the Lord you throw that child away. That's common in our day. Even the children that are born are thrown all over the place. The mother wants to go here, go there, go here, go there, the child is in the way, farm the kid over to this baby sitter, take the kid over to this neighbor, move the kid over to grandma, just don't cramp my style. That is a throw- away child. Raising a child is a full-time responsibility. That's how mothers in the past put up the trees that shade us.
Notice verse 4, the word fathers there is patera, it normally is used for the male head of the family. But sometimes is used of parents, that's how it's translated, for example, in Hebrews 11:23 where it talks about the parents of Moses. It includes, of course, the idea of the father's headship but also of the mother's partnership. And really we should translate it that way here. Verse 1 says, "Children, obey your parents," and implied in verse 4, "And, parents, do this with your children." So he's talking to mothers and fathers. And he's giving them the responsibility together. Remember what I told you in 1 Thessalonians how Paul took the mother metaphor and then the father metaphor in speaking of his relationship to the Thessalonians? Talked about how the mother is the gentle, nursing, tender, caring, loving, nurturing person and the father gives the exhortation, the encouragement, the commands, sets the standard. That's the partnership. They do it together. Proverbs 4:3 brings the father and the mother together in the instruction of the children. Both have to be involved in that mental, physical, social, spiritual development.
To try to give some practical feet to that, a few years back two sociologists at Harvard University named Glick(?) identified the crucial factors in predicting future delinquency of children ages five and six. And then in their study tracked that for a number of years and they found to be 90 percent accurate. They could take a five-year-old, six-year-old kid, look at the factors in their life and with 90 percent accuracy predict future delinquency...future...we don't use the word delinquency anymore, future anti-social behavior, anti-social conduct. And then they came back and presented four necessary factors to prevent delinquent anti-social disfunctional children.
Here are the four, these are Harvard sociologists. One, the father's discipline, it must be firm, it must be fair and it must be consistent. Where you have a father doing discipline firmly, fairly and consistently, you work against the future disaster. Second, the mother's supervision. That's the word...the mother's supervision. The mother knows where they are at all times and she knows what they are doing at all times, and she is in involved in their lives personally, continually supervising them. In her presence she controls them. And even when they're out of her presence she knows where they are and what they are doing and they know she knows. The third factor they said to guarantee against a future disfunctional child is the father and mother's demonstrated affection...the father and mother's demonstrated affection. Where the father and the mother love each other and demonstrate that affection before the children, there is a healthy response. They feel secure. They feel there's a loving control of their world. They also feel good about marriage for themselves. And the fourth, very simple, the family's cohesiveness, time spent together.
Now is that very complicated? It took Harvard sociologists to figure that out that the father is in charge of the discipline, that the mother is there to supervise, that the two are to love each other and the family is to be together and that guarantees that you're not going to raise a delinquent. How hard is that? That's what the Bible says. That's what the Bible says. The husband is the head of the family. The mother obviously nourishes and cherishes her children. And they are to love each other, husband loving wife, wife loving husband, and they are to do things together as a family. That's so basic. But that's what makes healthy children.
Paul Meier M.D. said the key to right parent/child relationships can be summed up in these five things. One, love, parents loving each other and their children. Two, discipline, setting a standard and making people live by that standard or pay the consequence. Three, consistency. Consistency is very very important. When you're dealing with a child it isn't important that you be perfect, no one expects that. It is important that you be consistent. Both parents need to stick together, use the same rules, consistently enforce those rules so that a child doesn't get away with something one time and get punished for the same thing another time, it needs to be consistent. You have love, discipline, consistency. The fourth thing is example...example. In healthy families the parents never expect children to live up to a standard they themselves do not keep. That's what devastates pastors' families because it's so intensified. If a guy is in the pulpit preaching preaching preaching all the time, goes home and lives some other kind of life before his children, that's just devastating. They hypocrisy of it is devastating. They cancel out the whole thing. That's true in the life particularly of a Christian. And the fifth thing, said the doctor, love, discipline, consistency, example, the fifth thing that makes a healthy child is a man at the head of the home. God never intended a home without a man. Why do you think in the Old Testament if a man died that woman was never to be left, what was she to do? Immediately she was to marry his next of kin. Why? For her sake? Not primarily for her sake. Surely for her sake in part. But so that there would be a father in the home. The vast majority of neurotics, both children and adults grow up in homes where there's no father or the father was absent or weak and the mother was dominating. And again I say, sometimes you can't help that and we have support ministry to assist those mothers who have literally have been dispossessed by an unfaithful husband. It's a tragic thing.
So, both parents are involved. Both parents. Now what do they do? Negatively, do not provoke your children to anger, that's the negative thing. You say, "Well, what does that mean? Don't make them mad?" Well yes, but it means more than that. The word "provoke" used only twice has the idea of irritating them. It has the idea of making them intensely angry underneath, exasperating them, embittering them, disheartening them so they become frustrated, angry. We have a lot of people like that. Oh, we have a lot of angry people, a lot of hostile people. Did you read last week about the man driving down the Harbor Freeway, some guy drove up alongside him and just put a bullet in his brain? That's a very angry person. That's a young person, filled with anger, hostility, bitterness.
How do you do that? How do you provoke your children to that kind of anger? Let me give you some ways so you can avoid them. One, by over-protection. You want to really frustrate your child, fence him in, don't trust them, don't give them enough opportunity to develop their own independence so they can find out who they are. You want to really frustrate them, don't let them take any risks and you'll create an angry mood, especially when they compare themselves with what other children are allowed to do. They need to be themselves, they're people, there are persons there. They need to express themselves little by little by little they need to learn to face life on their own. Give them that rope, let them do that. They'll learn and they'll learn the best way they learn, by hitting the wall now and then. But if you over-protect them you'll exasperate them and an exasperated child is an angry child and an angry child isn't going to have a loving relationship with his parents.
Secondly, another way to provoke your child to wrath is by favoritism, favor one child over the other. That is very frustrating. Don't ever compare your children. You want to see the tragedy of that, read again the story of Jacob and Esau. Don't compare your children with each other. Each is unique. Each is a gift from God. Each to be loved and be loved because they are special.
Another way to exasperate your children is by pushing achievement. Push them in the area of achievement. Just keep pushing and pushing and pushing until they never have a sense of having accomplished anything. Nothing is ever enough. If they get C's, you demand B's. They get B's, you demand A's. You demand A's, you demand all A's and they can't satisfy you. Some parents literally crush their children with pressure, school, sports, academic achievement, music, whatever it is. The child gets very very bitter.
I remember a young girl and I was visiting her in the UCLA psychiatric clinic. She eventually killed herself. A beautiful girl but she could never achieve the grade point that her parents pushed her to achieve and finally she killed herself and that was her way of saying, "I'm so angry at you because of the pain you've put in my life because I can never succeed, I never have a sense of accomplishment that I'm going to make you hurt the rest of your life." And so she killed herself and in effect said, "Now live with that." She gave back the hurt.
Another way you can exasperate your child is by over- indulgence. Give them everything they want and you know what, if they don't get the next thing they want, they get angry. Have you noticed that? Have you noticed at Christmas when they get way more than they can possibly get that when some other kid picks up one thing that they've got out of a dozen they get angry? That will just move on in to adulthood. Over-indulgence leads to anger when they don't get what they want. And then when they grow up and they get in an environment where they work and they're paid by somebody else and it's not mom and dad anymore and you've got to earn what you get and they don't get what they want, they get so angry they'll hurt to get it, even kill to get it, steal to get it.
Another way to make an angry bitter child is by discouragement. Just remind them all the time they'll never amount to anything. Just remind them all the time that they're not any good, they're useless, they're in the way. Don't give them any rewards. Don't give them any approval. Don't do any nice things for them. Don't honor them. You'll destroy their initiative. You'll destroy their incentive. You'll destroy their motivation.
Another way to provoke your children to anger is to make them feel like an intrusion in your life, fail to sacrifice for them. Leave them all the time. Make them fend for themselves. Make them fix their own meals, make them clean their own room, make them buy their own stuff, make them take care of their own deals, get their own transportation. Don't take them places because you can't be bothered. Don't let them get in your way because you've got to do your stuff. Have them become slaves around the house to do all your work. Make no sacrifice for them and they'll resent you.
Another way to provoke your children to wrath is by failing to allow them to grow up, by not letting them make mistakes, not letting them goof up. Have you ever been at a table where some kid spilled milk and you thought the parents had just seen the holocaust? Such an unbelievable over-reaction. Or when some little kid gives a stupid idea and you say..."Boy, that's a stupid idea." Now wait a minute, let them share some of their ridiculous ideas and not be condemned. Don't expect perfection, just progress.
You can also exasperate your children by neglect...by neglect. The story of Absalom is probably the story of neglect, as sad as any I know of. I remember a pastor...a youth pastor friend of mine overheard his little boy in the back yard talking to the friend next door. The friend next door said, "I'm going to the park with my dad." And this youth pastor's little boy said to his friend, "Oh, my dad doesn't have time to go to the park with me he's too busy with other people's children." Just shattered him, changed the framework of his life. I tell people all the time, you know, I've had a deal with my two sons, both my boys went through school playing baseball and the simple deal was I go to your games, you come to my sermons. That's the way it goes. I'll be a part of your life, you be a part of my life. It's not that complicated. Don't neglect them. I believe it's the greatest sin today, just neglect your kids, just leave them alone. That's a throw away child. Be involved in their lives.
Another way that you can provoke them to anger is by bitter words and physical cruelty. Physical cruelty ought to be obvious, bitter words might not be as obvious. Your tongue is so much sharper than a child's that you can use ridicule, sarcasm, you can slice them up with your tongue because of your superior vocabulary. Just like you can beat them up because of your superior strength. Do you realize that we say things to our kids that we wouldn't say to another human being on the face of the earth, except our wives or our spouse? We would never say the things we say to our children, probably not even those things to our spouse. That should not be. That should not be. A wife who refuses to submit to her husband in love as to Christ will destroy the whole authority submission principle in the child's life, a husband who refuses to love his wife as Christ loved the church will destroy the authority submission principle in the child's life. The family just needs to be what God says it to be, husband loves wife, wife submits to husband in love, those two love each other, those two raise the children in the things of Christ. They don't provoke them to anger. And in the end the child is the blessing, the joy, the comfort, the consolation that God intended.
One other simple thing, you need to set an example and live it. Someone wrote, "If a child lives with criticism he learns to condemn. If a child lives with hostility he learns to fight. If a child lives with ridicule he learns to be shy. If a child lives with shame he learns to feel guilty. If a child lives with tolerance he learns to be patient. If a child lives with encouragement he learns confidence. If a child lives with praise he learns to appreciate. If a child lives with fairness he learns justice. If a child lives with security he learns to have faith. If a child lives with approval he learns to like himself. If a child lives with acceptance and friendship he learns to find love in the world."
We don't want to provoke our children to anger, to bitterness, discouragement. What do we want to do? Let's go to the positive, raise them up, bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. That's very simple, isn't it? The discipline and instruction of the Lord assumes the Scripture. The law of the Lord, Deuteronomy 6, meditate on it all the time, teach it to your children. This idea of discipline is an interesting word...the word discipline, paideia, means to rear a child and it implies training. And training is an interesting concept. Let me see if I can give you a definition. Training means rules and regulations enforced by rewards and punishment. That's training. Rules and regulations enforced by rewards and punishment. That's what you have to do with a child. You say here's the standard, we set it, we follow it setting an example, we hold you to it. If you meet it we reward you. If you violate it we punish you. Plain and simple...plain and simple.
Discipline then is training. By rules and regulations enforced by rewards and punishment and we have to do that. We say here's God's standard of right behavior. We will live it, mom and dad, that's the example, and we will hold you to it and reward you when you follow it and punish you when you don't.
But what about the word instruction? That's obvious...that simply means teaching with warning in view. The word is admonition, verbal instruction with a view of judgment. We warn you, that's teaching with teeth in it. If you keep doing that, there's going to be consequence.
Susannah Wesley, the mother of 17 including both John and Charles Wesley once wrote, "The parent who studies to subdue self-will in his child works together with God in the renewing and saving of a soul. The parent who indulges self-will does the devil work, makes religion impractical, salvation unattainable, and does all that in him lies to drown his child soul and body forever," end quote.
Now God forgives our mistakes. We make mistakes with our children. But if the general format is right, we have a standard, we live by that standard, we hold you to that standard, and all of this an environment where mom and dad love each other and love you, you've got the makings of godly children. A mother might look back at her life and say, "If I could do it over again, how would I change it?" Maybe some of you could identify with this mother who said, "I would love my husband more in front of my children, I would laugh with my children more at my mistakes and joys. I would listen more, even to the littlest child. I would be more honest about my own weaknesses, never pretending perfection, admitting I was wrong. I would pray differently for my family, rather than focusing on them I'd focus on me. I would do more things together with my children. I would do more encouraging. I would bestow more praise. I would pay more attention to little things, deeds and words of thankfulness. I would share God more intimately out of every ordinary thing of every day I would move toward God."
On this Mother's Day in 1990 when we still have a little shade from the trees of the past, it would be well if parents would again commit themselves to be planting some like this for the future. Let's bow together in prayer.
Our Father, we thank You again this morning that Your Word comes to us in such a penetrating way. We know that we cannot be all that we ought to be but by the grace of God through Christ and in the Holy Spirit we can be sufficient for the task of parenting that You've given us. Forgive us for our failures. Forgive us for the times that we hurt our children, our life partner. And, Lord, we thank You for the grace that covers our failures and mistakes. We pray too for those dear friends who exist in families where one parent is not a Christian or where one parent is absent, the struggle is so difficult. We pray, O God, that You might be to them the Father that family needs, the mother that family needs. And we do pray, Father, that You might cause us to so invest our lives in our children that they are the delight, the blessing, the joy, the source of love, comfort, consolation all our life long, that You gave them to us to be so that we might know the full joy of godly children, knowing full well that if we train them up in the way they should go they'll not depart from it. And that those for whom we cared in their infancy will in love care for us in the latter years of our lives. May the bonds of our family be built so tightly and strongly that we shall all enjoy the best that You intended with marriage and family to be in all its joy. We'll thank You for that possibility in Christ. Amen.
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LED Decorative Lamps
LED Decorative Lightbulbs have become the future of lighting, with such a wide range of colours and styles, you can make your house a home by personalising the mood that you want with a simple touch of a button, but it doesn't stop there! There are also a huge range of outdoor/garden decorative lamps available from porch/wall lamps to garden posts.
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Friday, December 9, 2011
Bento lunches: Christmas twins
Anywho, these were the lunches I packed for Paige and Tyler, who went to the babysitting place while I stimulated the local economy.
Tyler's lunch:
Paige's lunch:
They are exactly the same! So much easier to pack lunches quickly that way.
Packed in Sassy boxes, they both have:
- mixed fruit: clementines, strawberries, blueberries
- pretzels
- sandwiches
I love how the sandwiches turned out! I used ice cream sandwich molds to make them. So easy! To add just a little extra touch I used a tiny diamond-like mini cutter to take out the center of the snowflake.
Twin Christmas bentos. Aw.
5 comments:
- charsiubau (Bento-Mania) said... [Reply to comment]
The little sandwiches are so cute!
- December 9, 2011 at 12:18 PM
- Jenn @ BentoForKidlet said... [Reply to comment]
The sandwiches are so so cute!!! What a fun way to make a holiday lunch :D
- December 9, 2011 at 8:33 PM
- mbug said... [Reply to comment]
ok this might be a really silly question, but here it goes. i do not currently have the ice cream sandwich molds, but it has been sitting in my wishlist for some time. i might have to purchase them now since you've created so many cute things with them. question is...how do you make the sandwiches with them? everything you make looks absolutely adorable and equally perfect hehe.
- December 13, 2011 at 9:10 PM
- Melissa said... [Reply to comment]
Hi mbug!
To make the sandwiches, first I use the outer shape piece to cut the shape from a slice of bread, just like you would do with a cookie cutter. With the bread still in the shape I press the plunger piece into the mold and press down hard. It leaves a perfect impression of the design into the bread. It's really easy! :)
- December 13, 2011 at 10:22 PM
- mbug said... [Reply to comment]
thnx so much Melissa! as always love your lunches.
- December 14, 2011 at 12:16 AM


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Books, Movies, Music
JCPL Catalog
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Main Content
Surprising old tech
Last week we invited local teens and families to check out our old (outdated, ancient) technology for Teen Tech Week. Of the dozens of folks who stopped by, some remembered the tech from their own childhoods, others were seeing it for the very first time.
Typing on a manual typewriter, using a rotary phone, holding a heavy camera, or a walkman that had both a radio and a tape player, or using a record player and listening to what happens on the wrong rpm setting were all experiences older adults take for granted.For our teens however, they were a chance to explore technology that was maybe not so old, but was definitely not so familiar.
We asked them what surprised them, and here are some of their responses:
"The stereo, cause I've only seen it once." - Karlee
"How phones would go all the way around." - John
"How old Apple really is, woah!" - Zack
"How slow the typewriter was." - Christina
"The gameboys were like big and had bigger parts. Wow!" - Berea
"How hard it is to type on a typewriter." - Georgia
"That gameboys had lights." - Beth
"How the computers look like and their size." - Beth
"The computer from the 1980s was portable." - Carlie
Thanks to everyone who donated to this display, and who helped introduce our teens to some of the experiences of the past. Thanks to all of the teens who stopped by and took a few minutes to see what it was all about.


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Mom: Heidi Krueger
Athlete: John-Henry Krueger
Sport: Short track speed skating
Skating runs in the family for Pittsburgh native John-Henry Krueger.
For the last 30 years his mother, Heidi Krueger, has taught figure skating on the same rink that her mother helped build.
She's coached hundreds of figure skaters, but two students took a different route.
Her son, John-Henry, and his older brother, Cole, learned the basics at mom's second home.
"The first time they got on the ice, it wasn't love at first skate," Heidi Krueger recalled.
John-Henry never did take after his mom's love of figure skating. Instead a sport Heidi knew nothing about became her boys' obsession...speed skating.
And John-Henry's road to the Olympics started with a four hour and fifteen minute commute to practice.
Twice a week she would drive her sons from suburban Pittsburgh to Washington, D.C.
"They would sleep all night and I would drive home. And we'd get home probably at about 4:30 in the morning and then they would get up and go to school," Heidi described.
Those long journeys were worth it, when Heidi watched John-Henry punch his ticket to PyeongChang.
"When he crossed that line, I just bent in half and started to cry."
The 22-year-old qualified for the Olympics in three individual speed skating distances.
As her son packs his bags for the Winter Olympics, Heidi is packing the same advice she's used on the ice. "Enjoy it. Embrace the experience without allowing it to derail your focus. And I guess, you know, that sounds more like a coach than a mom, doesn't it? That's so bad! You know, I put that coach hat on, that just happens. I can't help it!"


text: Who knew laptops could make a fashion statement? Hewlett Packard teamed up with designer Vivienne Tam to create the "Butterfly Lovers" digital clutch with the functionality of a notebook computer and the elegance of a clutch. The case is matte metallic gold decorated with colorful butterflies, large and small. As it's just under an inch thick and weighs 2.69 pounds so it's easy to carry under your arm. Pricing starts at $599.99. You can add a matching mouse for $39.99 or matching high end earbuds by Monster for $199.99. If budget is more of a concern than fashion check out the Best Netbooks under $499


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WASHINGTON (NNS) -- The Navy announced Feb. 21 that the March 8 graveside interment ceremony of the remains of two unknown Sailors recovered from the USS Monitor shipwreck will be open to the public at Arlington National Cemeterey.
The unknown Sailors were lost along with 14 of their shipmates when Monitor sank off Cape Hatteras, N.C. on Dec. 31, 1862.
All 16 Sailors will be memorialized on a group marker in section 46 of the cemetery, which is between the amphitheater and the USS Maine Mast memorial.
The specific date of the interment was chosen to recognize the Monitor's role in the Battle of Hampton Roads 151 years ago.
It is Navy custom and tradition to honor the service member's final resting place by conducting an official burial ceremony.
The chapel service is by invitation only. Members of the public may attend the interment, which begins at approximately 4:30 p.m., but will not be involved in and/or participate directly in the funeral procession or graveside service.
Driving to the gravesite will not be permitted. Attendees may park in the ANC Welcome Center parking garage and either walk or take, for a fee, the Martz tour tram to the Amphitheater.
For those wishing to attend in period costume, cemetery regulations stipulate that no weapons, to include historic weapons, are allowed. Groups should contact Stuart McLean, director, Ceremonies and Special Events for Naval District Washington at (202) 433-4690.
For more information on the cemetery location, parking and transportation, visit www.arlingtoncemetery.mil.


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Recently two men esteemed in the business world pointed up one of the issues mentioned in Ian Bell's article on page 11. Should multinational corporations be controlled by the countries in which they do business, and if so, how? George W. Ball, former Assistant Secretary of State, spoke at the Harvard Business School Club of New York. Herbert C. Knortz addressed a symposium at the University of Virginia School of Law. The following are excerpted from their talks. that present political institutions are too narrow. There are indications that a universal world needs an economic agency which reaches beyond the rule of individual countries. Other structures of society are internationalizing, and perhaps it is time that there be a world organization which will regularize operating discipline and encourage high moral standards in international business. Various procedures currently exist for the investigatory review of many facets of international business. The existing system of reviews might be expanded to cover such things as publication of financial statements, disclosure of interlocking directorates or agreements, public reporting of imports and exports, existence of monetary guarantees As the western world talks about the potential impact of a recession, the nations of the Middle East are experiencing a business boom. Surplus funds accumulating from the huge oil revenues are creating an Arab renaissance in trade and commerce. The Arab states that will benefit are Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia. The latter seven states and Iran are the oil producers. With such revenues available to develop the area, these nations have won the interest of business people throughout the world. In putting an additional $65 billion a year to work, the Arab countries are giving top priority to industrial and agricultural projects on a massive scale. In this boom, both industry and agriculture will be bottlenecked by shortages of skilled people. The Arab business community will need the services of consultants, personnel training firms, and middle managers. Number one in the Middle East as far as requiring a business infra-structure is Saudi Arabia. Because of its inability to absorb the expenses of its annual budget, it would welcome, at a price, any services offered to it by the international business community. The second country which is of great promise in the Middle East is Iraq. It has a well-balanced and structured economy. It has oil, water, vast areas of fertile agricultural land and is rich in mineral resources. The third country of promise is the United Arab Emirates, which is a federation of several emirates: Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ras El Khaimah, El Fujarah, Ajmam, and Um El for continuity of employment, registration of patents and licenses, and the nature of various funds for pension, training, and medical benefits. In general, such "openers" would not be opposed by the multinationals. An international consulate service staffed by knowledgeable internationalists has been suggested. It could review and subsequently intercede with national governments to protect or comment on the business rights of the multinational trader. The multinational corporation customarily accepts responsibility for maintaining high standards of moral conduct and of economic efficiency. It asks only that it may proceed in a disciplined and effective manner to accomplish its mission in the worldwide community. & Quaiwam. United Arab Emirates recently has been expanding its oil explorations, and its discoveries are at a rate which would render the other countries envious. This country will need to import manpower, and even residents, to utilize its enormous wealth. Lebanon, which has no oil resources, is one of the Arab countries which has enjoyed political stability. Its economy is run by the free enterprise system. It has an effective bank secrecy law and is becoming the financial and business center of the Arab world. These countries of the Middle East, which are financially wealthy and materially poor, need to translate their oil and paper wealth into capital and consumer goods and projects. All this, together with either a very moderate taxation in some countries or no taxation at all in others, makes business opportunities in the area unlimited in scope and diversification. Moreover, the Arab government's attitude to private business varies from virtual non-intervention, as in Lebanon and Dubai, to moderate centralized planning, as in Syria and Egypt. It is up to the industrial nations to offer the Arabs items that they would be willing to accept. Offers of genuine basic industrial projects, technology, export-oriented industry, and agricultural development projects would certainly be attractive to them. Foreigners planning to enter and do business in the area should be advised to enter the market with a local partner to be totally secure. The local partner offers markets, cheap labor, and capital, while the contribution of the foreign partner is technology. & WHAT ARE MIDDLE EAST BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES? By ADIB Y. KHOURY, Director, Touche Ross International, Lebanon 35
Object Description
|What are Middle East business opportunities?
Khoury, Adiby
Middle East -- Economic conditions
Touche Ross. Lebanon Office
|Geographic Location
Middle East
Tempo, Vol. 21, no. 1 (1975), p. 35
|Originally published by: Touche Ross, & Co.
|Copyright and permission to republish held by: Deloitte
|PDF page image with corrected OCR scanned at 400 dpi
|Deloitte Digital Collection
|Digital Publisher
|University of Mississippi Library. Accounting Collection
|Date-Digitally Created


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Construction work on the 82-year-old Pulaski Skyway likely caused a fire at the base of a bridge pillar Friday, sending smoke billowing over the area but not causing any structural damage to the span, a state transportation official said.
Flames engulfed wooden supports that provide a buffer around the base of the pillar and protect it from objects in the water, Department of Transportation spokesman Steve Schapiro said. The fire began at about 1:20 p.m. and was contained by 2 p.m.
Schapiro said sparks created by welding activity on the bridge deck above are believed to have fallen onto dead grass and debris and started the fire. He said there was no damage to the bridge structure and that construction wasn't likely to be delayed as a result of the fire.
The 3.5-mile steel truss bridge crosses the Passaic and Hackensack rivers and connects Newark and Jersey City. It is undergoing a two-year, $1 billion upgrade that requires the detouring of all inbound traffic.
The Pulaski Skyway opened in 1932. It was featured in Orson Welles' 1938 "War of the Worlds" broadcast and in the opening credits of the television series "The Sopranos."


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Hello, Throners.
I see you've entered my personal Game of Thrones recap room through the unguarded window. Well, then. I'm going to pour a glass of wine, replace it with a slurpee because I'm not actually into wine, and then I'm going to let you do what you do best.
Take off your clothes.
Oh yes, Throners. I'm in control here, and I'm going to be doing a lot of staring at your firm, supple physiques. What's that you say? Inappropriate in a recap? That's probably true. I'm valuing your worth based solely on your appearance. I'm treating you like incredibly buff meat. Frankly, it's offensive. But you know, Throners, I'm still seeing clothes covering your well-chiselled obliques and gently sloping glutes.
Now, that's better. Pass me my smelling salts.
If you are genuinely upset by sexual harassment in online pop culture blog form, remember my introductions often reflect my theme, which this week is "jokes and lies".
So you see, I'm only joking about you needing to remove your clothes to read on. It's up to you how seriously you take that joke...
But back on track. There is a housekeeping matter to attend to regarding upcoming recaps as well, so if you do make it to end, please have a look and leave a comment if you can.
In the meantime, let's kick over some snowcastles and get slappy with another Raven On Game of Thrones recap.
Reminder: spoilers will be included below, so only read on if you've seen the episode. We're discovering the storyline through the TV series (reading the books after each has finished), so no dropping important future plot points in the comments, or we'll give you what they refer to in the Vale as an "extreme mooning").
I thought we might launch straight into Tyrion Lannister's big trial by combat battle royale, but of course, he can't do that until he finds a champion.
Jaime Lannister is not up for it, despite the temptation to screw over his Dad's precious family name by fighting and falling for his younger brother in front of all of King's Landing. He's annoyed at Tyrion for blowing off the deal he struck with Tywin Lannister to save him, but seems to understand his brother's rationale that it is still all part of the game of power - that it is a joke, just not a very funny one (insert jokes about this recap series here).
I'm back to almost admiring Jaime again for his complete calmness about the whole "sister-shagging" thing – I mean, there's Tyrion saying Jaime's still the golden son even though he does the dirty with Cersei, and he merely replies "Careful, I'm the last friend you've got".
Bronn's no good either, because he's gone and picked himself up new threads and a new fiancé (both from Westfield King's Landing probably), and isn't much interested in risking his neck in trial by combat again, particularly since his combatant would be the Mountain - a giant killing machine who bulges more than Theon post-chop and speaks in barely perceptible grunts.
This request was stretching their friendship too far and Tyrion and Bronn part with a long handshake.
Now book readers and people with IQs greater than a packet of Mint Slices will probably be rolling your eyes at me, but I'm still impressed with myself for guessing that it would be the Mountain who would be employed to slice Tyrion in two.
Cersei Lannister just rocked up to Gregor Clegane mid gut-skewering duty and said "Yo. Big fight's tomorrow, Klitschko, how's the Steelhammer hands?"
Tyrion's champion, meanwhile, emerges after one of the most heart-rendering monologues the show has seen.
Oberyn Martell, beard glowing in the firelight, recalls his first meeting with Tyrion – when the little lion was a newborn babe at Casterly Rock.
He tells a tearful Tyrion how his childish imagination had been disappointed when the little lion turned out to be just a little different than other babies, not the bizarre, malformed freak that he had been told to expect.
Cersei, though, hated her infant brother, and it turns out put the squeeze on him literally from birth.
Tyrion agrees that his sister will rejoice in his death, but the Prince of Dorne doesn't see why Cersei should get everything she wants.
Not when there is something our own Inigo Montoya wants: revenge.
Oh yes, Gregor Clegane. You killed his sister. Prepare to die.
And tough luck Cersei – the joke's on you.
I tell you what did make me smile – Hot Pie! All hail the return of Hot Pie! Looking healthy, happy and surprisingly alive, everyone's favourite gluttonous minor character was a sight for sore eyes and rumbly tummies.
Grabbing a tavern stool and striking up a conversation, Hot Pie espoused his culinary virtues to an exhausted Brienne of Tarth and squire Podrick Payne, completely oblivious to their pained expressions and desire to be left more alone than Greta Garbo.
It was such a joyous exchange that I now declare "You CANNOT give up on gravy!" my new house motto.
Brienne's truth tactics proved beneficial too, despite Pod's fear they could be targeted for publicly voicing their mission.
For while Hot Pie did not know Sansa from a fresh pair of buns, he knew both Arya and Arya's favourite type of freshly-baked wolf-shaped bread.
Pod's training in family dynamics set the Tremendous Twosome on a path to the Eyrie, where let's hope they run into the Deadly Deuce sooner rather than later.
The Arya and The Hound had meanwhile encountered a dying man, a soothsayer and truthsayer who seemed to cast a spell over the burned backyard in which they found themselves.
Everything slowed down, and there was no oxygen for lies, only sombre truth.
There was some philosophy about nothing being better than something or something, or something being nothing but nothing (I don't know, I didn't take Advanced Nihilism at uni).
It was inevitable that in this case it would be the dog who put the man out of its misery, but the slow and languid pace of the exchange meant the sharp stabbing into the heart still came as a surprise.
As did the sudden attack on The Hound, who had no sooner wiped the blood from his dagger than was gashed in the neck by a random bad guy.
Quickly dispatching him with a twisting technique called "The Owl", Sandor Clegane was told by the second random bad guy that there was a price on his head and that King Joffrey was dead.
I was hoping Arya would have more of a reaction to this news, given Joffrey had been numero uno on her big list of mega-douchebags that must perish.
But it turned out random bad guy number 2 wasn't so random (although to be fair he was a massive number 2). Learning his name, Arya promptly pierced him through the heart in a flurry of Needlework that would make my grandmother envious (not because she's into knitting, more than she's finder it hard to wield the rapier these days).
Did anybody else want to give Arya a standing ovation for copying the Hound's blood-wiping action?
Always do it on their clothes; don't get your own bloody if you can help it.
Speaking of clothes, or rather the lack thereof, it was great to see fire god priestess Melisandre - aka Kate Bush - quietly bobbing in the bathtub on Dragonstone.
She's preparing to accompany Selyse and Shireen Baratheon on a journey – I imagine to join Stannis in Braavos.
Melisandre's sense of humour might not have captured Selyse, but her Live Nude Chemistry Show certainly perked everyone up.
It turns out the Red Witch's magic is all smoke and mirrors; smoke from the powders she uses to frighten men; mirrors from the shiny milky skin she stuns them with.
But did Melisandre need potions to lure Stannis into bed?
Oh no, darling, she purrs. This is all me.
OK, Melisandre actually said "It's just flesh, it wants what it wants", but that's what a totally hot person WOULD say. I doubt Melisandre's ever had to wear Spanx to disguise bloat.
Selyse tries to push down her jealousy, saying hot shadow-assassin-making-table-top nookie can't be a sin, and petition Kate Bush to leave daughter Shireen behind.
But Shireen must be there, the priestess answers. The Lord of Light needs him.
Oh HELL. When the Lord of Light needs someone, it's generally about as fun as a porcupine sandwich.
I tell you what is fun – giving Jon Snow a hot stone massage with sensual oils and steam treatment. Just putting my hand up to volunteer for the task, given I noticed him limping back into Castle Black after the raid on Craster's Keep.
Despite his success, Thorne and Slynt continue to be complete arse faces about the impending attack by 100,000 wildlings, and reject J-Sno's proposal to block the castle's tunnel.
Even the chief builder, who frankly looked as confident as a large-busted woman in a soft-cup bra at a skipping contest, agreed that they should leave it open. Poor Jon is relegated to night patrol with Sam Tarly, which dramatically reduces the chance he might be shirtless next episode. It's cold up there on the wall.
Finally, to the part of the program that I've been putting off because I just can't bear it. I just ... ugh. Shudder.
OK. Rip it off like a bandaid.
PETYR BAELISH KISSED SANSA STARK and by all the seven gods it was the most repulsive thing ever.
Things for Sansa had been looking up, if only for a few minutes. She realised that her new home was pretty much Hogwarts, high in the mountains and covered in snow.
She even got to slap that little gimboid cousin of hers went he went all Godzilla on her snowy Winterfell.
But then, ugh, Baelish appeared, and started doing all of the worst moves from that sleazy pick-up book The Game at once, plus adding his own lines in like "I loved your mother more than you could know" and "You're more beautiful than your mother" and "Please call me Petyr" and ARGH HE'S KISSING HER I JUST THREW THE REMOTE AT THE SCREEN.
Of course, like any good soap opera, an illicit kiss never goes unwitnessed, and Sansa is summoned to see Lysa Arryn, who's casually hanging out beside the giant open moon door with the uninviting kilometre drop to the rocky ground below.
Pretty soon Lysa has shoved Sansa over the gap, yelling that she was a whore and she was going to kill her and basically being Chief Lady Batshit Cuckoo Crazy.
Then Baelish, ever the strategist, appears to save Sansa, convincing Lysa that she had no cause to fear, and that he'd only ever loved one woman. Relieved, Lysa threw Sansa aside and cried to Baelish that no one will ever love him like she does.
And she was right, no one will ever love him like she does, as Littlefinger, evil yet inscrutable, told her he loved Catelyn then pushed her backwards. Bye bye, Lady Lysa. Turned out you'd pledged your troth to the ultimate Joker. And there ain't no Batman to scoop you out of the sky.
Yay! Best Moments
Everything about Daenerys getting freaky with Dario Naharis was fabulous. His romantic-in-a-stalker-way entry. The crumpled flowers. Dario's declaration that his only talents were war and women.
Daenerys' erotic wine-pouring. Dario's abs. Dario's buttocks. Daenerys' eyes trailing down from his eyes to his … well, yes, quite. It was superb.
Daenerys' dark side may have had a good night, but by light of day, it was white knight Jorah Mormont who helped her remember that brutal revenge was perhaps not a sustainable strategy for government.
Zing! Best Lines
"She's dim-witted!"
"If I wanted wit I'd marry you."
In Tyrion and Bronn's final sweet scene, they were able to drop the lie of their employer/sellsword relationship, and acknowledge that they are, in fact, friends.
Ewww, gross
Friends, I need to ask your opinion regarding upcoming Thrones recap coverage. Next week there is a break for the US Memorial Day holiday. Then on Monday June 2, I shall be away for Episode 8. I will be in China, and while I'm hoping HBO might be on the hotel room cable subscription, I can't be certain. I will still recap the episode (it's an addiction), but it will probably be delayed. However I know most of you love to read your Game of Thrones breakdown the morning after. So would you like me to recruit another writer for that episode instead? Let me know in the comments. And never fear, I shall be back for episodes 9 and 10 as usual. Valar Morghulis!


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It starts with an idea that grows into a concept, which develops into a tangible expression of your brand experience. Since 1994, we have worked with the world's biggest brands to develop commemorative gift products that embody their brand values. From creation and development to manufacturing, shipping and delivery, we maintain our hands-on approach every step of the way.
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All persons intending to emigrate to Oregon are requested to meet at the Court House (in conjunction with citizens friendly to the cause) on Thursday evening next, the 7th inst., at half past seven o'clock.
Throughout the 19th century the Old Courthouse in St. Louis served not only as a house of justice, but also as a public gathering place for pioneers planning their westward trek across the plains. Thirteen courtrooms were in use from 1845 until 1930. The courthouse dominated the city's skyline until the turn of the 20th century, when skyscrapers rose to challenge it. The iron-framed dome was the forerunner of many similar domes erected on government buildings throughout the country. For many years the courthouse rotunda was one of the largest and most ornate rooms in St. Louis, and it was used for many city activities.
An editorial in the Missouri Republican of May 2, 1855 read, "the Rotunda...is well adapted to popular assemblies. No room of the same dimensions in the city is better suited to the voice. In the upper tiers every word uttered with common force is plainly distinguishable." At a time when commercial amusement was limited, public events held at the courthouse were well attended. Debates, speeches, and even court proceedings were considered forms of entertainment. This 19th-century courthouse brought national concerns to the people and provided a forum where they could actively participate in the shaping of their country's future.
About This Lesson
Getting Started: Inquiry Question
Setting the Stage: Historical Context
Locating the Site: Maps
Determining the Facts: Readings
Visual Evidence: Images
Putting It All Together: Activities
How the National Register
Jefferson National Expansion Memorial
This lesson is based on the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, one of the thousands of properties listed in the National Register of Historic Places.


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A man tries to escape from a bull during a running of the bulls event of a festival in Huamantla in the Mexican state of Tlaxcala August 21, 2010. REUTERS/Henry Romero (MEXICO - Tags: SOCIETY ANIMALS)
I was just browsing through my latest edition of Philly Magazine, when right in front of me I read about the 'Phils Secret Weapon.' The article in the August 2010 edition is one about nutrition and what some Phillies have done to bring their nutrition up a notch.
You said you had hamburgers for dinner tonight? Well, there is a new meat in town and that is buffalo. Katie Cavuto Boyle, Phillies dietitian, tells of some superstar Phillies who love the bison burger. Chase Utley and Jayson Werth apparently are big fans of the leaner, more digestible, buffalo meat.
Boyle owns a company called, Healthy Bites ToGo. Whatever is in that burger sure most be working for Chase and Jayson.
Read the original article here.


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Experience a stay at a Real Wisconsin B&B!
The Wisconsin Bed and Breakfast Organization is devoted exclusively to promoting the Real Bed and Breakfasts of Wisconsin. Unlike other B&B sites, there are no hotels, motels or tourist rooming houses listed here: Because they're just not bed and breakfasts!Every inn here is the real deal. Each Wis. B&B is legally licensed and regularly inspected by qualified professionals from the Wisconsin Department of Health. What differentiates Wisconsin bed and breakfasts from other lodgings is that you are staying within the private home of the owner/innkeeper, not in a cabin, hotel or a motel. A delicious complimentary breakfast is always included in your stay. Because authentic Wisconsin bed and breakfasts have eight or fewer guest rooms they are in a unique position of offering personalized hospitality in a warm and intimate setting.
Real Wisconsin Bed and Breakfasts are in a class by themselves.
Our innkeepers provide guests with warm hospitality you won't find in any other lodging option. Just like our innkeepers, our homes are unique. They range in style from Victorian cottages, historic mansions, north woods log homes, secluded farmhouses, contemporary and eclectic homes. Some guests may want to stay at a B&B in a city close to its urban attractions. Others may choose a peaceful rural or farm B&B to get away from it all.
If the local attractions interest you, your Wisconsin B&B innkeeper will be happy to direct you to whatever the area has to offer. From the Mississippi River to the western shore of Lake Michigan, attractions abound in our great state. Be it wineries, breweries, museums, shopping, restaurants, beaches, nature and bike trails, antique malls and other worthwhile pursuits, your innkeepers are knowledgeable about the area.
Because you're a welcome guest in our homes, our friendly onsite innkeepers are there to help make your stay comfortable, enjoyable and even memorable. We love pampering our guests but you can also expect as much private time as you wish. Many of our Wisconsin Bed and Breakfast innkeepers are also gourmet cooks who delight in tantalizing your taste buds with their scrumptious breakfasts.
Once you experience a Real Wisconsin Bed and Breakfast getaway, you won't want to stay anywhere else. It can become addicting!
While it's true guests love to stay at B&Bs for romantic weekend getaways, escapes and special occasions, consider one of our inns for your business or other travel and lodging needs. A wide variety of pricing options makes Wisconsin B&Bs affordable for everyday budget travel or that special occasion luxury stay.
Whatever the season, you'll find the right Wisconsin bed and breakfast to help make your Wisconsin romantic getaway or vacation a memorable experience.
The innkeepers of the Wisconsin Bed and Breakfast Organization welcome you to our homes!
(This is a new website. Keep checking back with us as we welcome new member inns.)
View our newsletters
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Real Wisconsin Bed and Breakfasts blogLast Posted: 21-Apr-2015 | Total Posts: 11


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HOUSTON - State Sen.Mario Gallegos posthumously won re-election Tuesday against Republican challenger RW Bray.
However, Gallegos' victory means Gov. Rick Perry will have to call for a special election to determine who will represent the voters in State Senate District 6.
Gallegos passed away in October.
"It was very important to him and to my family, my children, because he worked so hard to get where he was," said Gallegos' widow, Theresa Gallegos.
Gallegos' family worked until the last vote was counted to ensure a victory. Gallegos' family provided the late state senator a well spring of support for every election since he was first elected to the state Senate in 1994. This was an emotional victory for the family, all acknowledging this would be the last time they would vote for him.
"It's been very bittersweet the last couple of weeks, the loss of my husband and all the people coming out to support him," said Theresa Gallegos.State Senate District 6
Theresa Gallegos said her husband asked his supporters to help keep his legacy alive and to help keep the district in the hands of a Democrat. Gallegos' supporters said they already know who they want to run in the special election.
"Before he passed away, he acknowledged to me, that he was wanting the family to endorse Ms. (Carol) Alvarado," said Theresa Gallegos.
That would be state representative and former Houston City Council member Carol Alvarado, who ran unopposed in this election. Alvarado declined to speak about the family's endorsement out of respect for the late state senator's victory.
"I think everything with Mario was sometime out of the norm, in the way he was an activist for his community and the way he fought on so many issues, so many battles, which is why the people of this district came out to support him," said Alvarado.
Perry will now have to appoint someone to serve the rest of Mario Gallegos' term and he has 20 days to call for a special election.
Copyright 2012 by Click2Houston.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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#1 Farmingdale State - 5, #4 Maritime - 0
Farmingdale, N.Y. - Top-seeded Farmingdale State earned a 5-0 victory over Maritime this afternoon in their first game of the Skyline Conference Playoffs. The Rams will face the winner of #2 Old Westbury/#3 Purchase.
In the bottom of the third, the Rams (26-11) took a 1-0 lead on an RBI triple by senior left fielder David Zilnicki (Riverhead, N.Y.), which scored Eric Wiener (Deer Park, N.Y.).
Freshman designated hitter Dalton McCarthy (Manorville, N.Y.) led off the fourth with a single through the right side and a pair of stolen bases moved him to third with one out. Senior first baseman Ron Remi (Massapequa, N.Y.) converted a suicide squeeze to increase Farmingdale State's lead to 2-0.
In the bottom of the seventh inning, a 2 RBI single to left field by sophomore shortstop Anthony Alvino (Lindenhurst, N.Y.) gave the Rams a 4-0 advantage.
Farmingdale State scored their final run of the game as Remi stole home in the eighth inning.
Senior pitcher Anthony Eilers (Bay Shore, N.Y.) improved to 4-2 on the year after throwing six scoreless innings, allowing five hits and striking out two.
Zilnicki was 2-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI, while Alvino was 1-for-4 with 2 RBI.
The Rams will play the Old Westbury/Purchase winner tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m.


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BALTIMORE — Here is how the 49ers depth chart looks entering their exhibition opener Thursday against the host Baltimore Ravens (4:30 p.m., PT):
QUARTERBACK — Colin Kaepernick, Blaine Gabbert, Josh Johnson, McLeod Bethel-Thompson.
Comment: Kaepernick won't play more than a series or two, allowing Gabbert to show what progress he has made since being acquired from Jacksonville in the off-season. Johnson last appeared in a 49ers uniform in the 2012 exhibition finale, where he played great but got cut in favor of Scott Tolzien.
WIDE RECEIVER 1: Anquan Boldin, Stevie Johnson, Chuck Jacobs, Devon Wylie, Bruce Ellington.
Comment: Boldin won't make more than a cameo in his Baltimore return. No idea on how much they'll allow Johnson to show in his 49ers debut. Jacobs not only must be sure handed at wideout, but his special-teams play is what could win him a job. Ellington should make for a fun debut.
WIDE RECEIVER 2: Michael Crabtree, Brandon Lloyd, Quinton Patton, Kassim Osgood, David Reed, L'Damian Washington.
Comment: Injuries will keep Crabtree and Lloyd out. Patton showed promising signs as a rookie but may need a big preseason to solidify his job. Reed had a strong week of camp.
TIGHT END: Vernon Davis, Vance McDonald, Derek Carrier, Asante Cleveland, Kevin Greene.
Comment: McDonald has had such a hot-and-cold camp that it could allow Carrier to leap into the No. 2 role, at least as a receiver. Cleveland and Greene have had (too) quiet camps.
RUNNING BACK: Frank Gore, LaMichael James, Carlos Hyde, Jewel Hampton, Alfonso Smith, Glenn Winston.
Comment: The exhibition season is no place for Gore's 31-year-old legs. James (right elbow dislocation) likely will skip the exhibitions. Hyde will be unveiled, but odds are that Hampton will reprise his role as the team's preseason workhorse (team-leading 113 yards in 2013 exhibitions).
FULLBACK: Bruce Miller, Will Tukuafu.
Comment: Miller looks fully healed from a fractured scapula that prematurely ended his 2013 season.
LEFT TACKLE — Joe Staley, Carter Bykowski.
Comment: Staley is too valuable to see extensive action, and the 49ers need to learn what they have in Bykowski.
LEFT GUARD — Mike Iupati, Adam Snyder, Al Netter.
Comment: Iupati has been impressive in his return from a leg fracture in the NFC Championship game, but no reason to test that leg much here. Snyder and Netter will get lots of action.
CENTER — Daniel Kilgore, Marcus Martin, Dillon Farrell.
Comment: Kilgore has had a really clean camp as the new first-string center. Martin was delayed by an ankle injury but now can show if he's a legitimate contender to start.
RIGHT GUARD — Joe Looney, Snyder, Michael Philipp.
Comment: How Looney fares could dictate how much longer Alex Boone holds out. Snyder has battled a leg injury this week so don't expect much.
RIGHT TACKLE — Anthony Davis, Jonathan Martin, Ryan Seymour.
Comment: Davis (shoulder) won't play but reported on Instagram he'll be ready for Week 1 at Dallas. Keep a close eye on Martin, who'll start and make his first foray into game action since his Dolphins exodus. Seymour was poached off the Seahawks practice squad in December (and is not a free agent guard, despite what his Wikipedia profile says).
* * *
LEFT DEFENSIVE TACKLE: Ray McDonald, Tony Jerod-Eddie, Tank Carradine.
Comment: Carradine (No. 95) makes his debut, and aside from admiring his brute strength, 49ers coaches want to see him execute his assignments. McDonald is working through an injury. Jerod-Eddie is a coaches' favorite.
NOSE TACKLE: Glenn Dorsey, Quinton Dial, Mike Purcell.
Comment: Dorsey is out indefinitely with a torn biceps, so the 49ers need to see as much as they can from Dial and Purcell at a position that's on the field typically only 40 percent of the time.
RIGHT DEFENSIVE TACKLE: Justin Smith, Demarcus Dobbs, Lawrence Okoye.
Comment: Smith (shoulder) won't play, and that affords more snaps to his top backup Dobbs. Okoye, the former British discus thrower, plays for the first time since last exhibition season and must show he can get low and use more than a bull rush.
LEFT OUTSIDE LINEBACKER: Ahmad Brooks, Corey Lemonier, Chase Thomas.
Comment: Lemonier added 10 pounds of muscle and should look more refined since his one-sack rookie year.
INSIDE LINEBACKER: Patrick Willis, Chris Borland, Shayne Skov.
Comment: Willis' cameo will give way to necessary competition to see how well rookies Borland and Skov look as tacklers.
INSIDE LINEBACKER: Michael Wilhoite, Nick Moody, Blake Costanzo.
Comment: The process of filling NaVorro Bowman shoes, for at least half the season, starts with Wilhoite. Moody needs to exhibit his athleticism and physical play to have a chance at that job and roster spot. Costanzo returns to the special-teams corps (see: 2011).
RIGHT OUTSIDE LINEBACKER: Aldon Smith, Dan Skuta, Aaron Lynch.
Comment: Smith has been absolutely dominant in camp, but the bigger news with him comes Friday, when he reportedly will meet with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell about disciplinary measures related to his off-field issues. Skuta will deliver his typical blue-collar performance. Lynch looks imposing, but his stamina will be tested.
LEFT CORNERBACK: Tramaine Brock, Perrish Cox, Darryl Morris, Dontae Johnson.
Comment: Brock won't play. Cox has made more plays than any corner in camp — in practice. Johnson, with his size (6-foot-2), will be most intriguing to watch.
RIGHT CORNERBACK: Chris Culliver, Chris Cook, Kenneth Acker.
Comment: Culliver, who missed all of 2013 with an ACL tear, is expected to play for the first time since the 49ers' Super Bowl loss to Baltimore. Cook, acquired in the offseason as a free agent from Minnesota, must show better ball skills than he did in his Vikings days.
FREE SAFETY: Eric Reid, Jimmie Ward, C.J. Spillman, James McCray.
Comment: Hard to believe that Reid was making his debut as a first-round pick a year ago. Now it's Ward's turn, though the 2014 first-rounder is likely to play just play nickel back in this one.
STRONG SAFETY: Antoine Bethea, Craig Dahl, Bubba Ventrone, D.J. Campbell.
Comment: Say hello to Donte Whitner's replacement, a similar-sized Bethea. Dahl and Ventrone are special-teams aces.
* * *
PUNTER: Andy Lee, Colton Schmidt.
Comment: Lee is entering his 11th season, and his leg will get relief from Schmidt for a second straight preseason.
KICKER: Phil Dawson, Schmidt. Comment:
Most pertinent to Dawson's exhibition season are the next two games, when he can get a feel for Levi's Stadium.
PUNT RETURNER: Cox, Ellington, Patton.
Comment: Cox has looked the most fluid in practice, but Ellington seems ticketed for this role, at least until James is healthy.
KICKOFF RETURNER: Cox, Hyde, Ellington.
Comment: Again, Cox seems comfortable back there, a lot more so than Hyde, who has fumbled a lot in practice.
LONG SNAPPER: Kevin McDermott, Kyle Nelson.
Comment: McDermott is entrenched since unseating Brian Jennings last preseason.
* * *
Physically-unable-to-perform list: LB NaVorro Bowman, TE Garrett Celek, NT Ian Williams, DT Kaleb Ramsey.
Non-football-injury list: RB Marcus Lattimore, FB Trey Millard, CB Keith Reaser, G Brandon Thomas.
Injured reserve list: RB Kendall Hunter, G Fou Fonoti.
For more on the 49ers, see Cam Inman's Hot Read blog at blogs.mercurynews.com/49ers. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/CamInman.