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Semicolon’s Tweets of the Year: 2010

Dec30

This is the year I joined Twitter, for better or for worse. At least Twitter enables me to look back over the year and see some of the things that happened and that made this year, 2010, significant:

Perfectionim/legalism can kill, folks. http://tinyurl.com/yl3t6af GRACE!
2:23 PM Feb 21st via TweetDec

Studying Esther on retreat He is present when not seen and in the business of rescuing His people
7:47 AM Mar 7th via mobile web

Thanks to Melissa at Mental Multivitamin for saying what I’m thinking again: Get real http://bit.ly/b8FFlq
2:56 PM Mar 16th via TweetDec

Put together loans, aid, our contribution, expenses for DD’s college next fall, and we’re xthousand short. Praying . . .
8:43 PM Apr 2nd via TweetDeck

It’s Poem in your Pocket Day. Are you carrying?
7:17 AM Apr 29th via TweetDeck

52 Things That Fascinate Me http://bit.ly/bcHf04 What are your obsessions?
8:17 AM Jun 21st via TweetMeme

Daughter says we have to find a new TV series to watch as a family since LOST is over. Suggestions?
7:35 PM Jun 22nd via TweetDeck

Bliss List, Book Hooks, Fascinations http://bit.ly/9j6Tum What are yours?
8:56 AM Jun 29th via TweetMeme

Been listening to pop music for 1200 miles/now suicidally depressed #road trip
2:37 PM Jul 8th via Echofon

AT&T covers 97 percent of all Americans. The other 3 percent live in SD.
11:28 AM Jul 16th via Echofon

I like rain but sitting here in my van in the intermittent rain is making me sad –with no book to read
7:31 PM Jul 27th via Echofon

Judge Walker: “Marriage under law is a union of equals.” So what is basis for outlawing polygamy now?
9:50 AM Aug 5th via TweetDeck

If, theoretically, I were going to Nashville for a few days for the first time ever, what people, places, and events should I not miss?
1:15 PM Sep 6th via TweetDeck

“There are 100’s of connections & meanings & implications in the Bible that do not leap off the page at 1st reading . .slow down.” J. Piper
1:04 PM Sep 21st via TweetDeck

I’ve lived here (in Texas all my life), but still feel like I’m not old enough to be a m’am. I look behind to see who the grown-up is.
6:19 PM Sep 29th via TweetDeck

Thank you , Lord, for beautiful weather, flashes of insight, #Cybils and healthy sleeping children.
October 4, 2010 8:43:43 AM CDT via TweetDeck

Avoiding a fight is a mark of honor; only fools insist on quarreling.Pr20:3 I think make a wall-sized poster & hang in the kids’ bathroom?
October 8, 2010 3:29:30 PM CDT via TweetDeck

I’m ready for history class tomorrow, but are my students ready? Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Madison . . .
October 14, 2010 8:25:47 PM CDT via TweetDeck

Sunday Salon: Miscellaneous Fascinations http://bit.ly/bm8hTb retro library T, awards, Zambia and (not) pink. Oh, and a Christian actress.
October 17, 2010 4:16:06 PM CDT via TweetMeme

Books for Zambia http://bit.ly/cCA2ug I’ll be accepting books thru end of the year. Would you like to give children the gift of reading?
November 15, 2010 10:34:45 PM CST via TweetMeme

Mature Christians are those who realize the depth of their brokenness and cling all the more tightly to Jesus. http://bit.ly/aQh4wt
November 16, 2010 8:52:43 AM CST via TweetDeck

Lost in Middle Earth http://bit.ly/bs3pVC What books do you wish you could read again for the first time?

C.Colson: “In a culture marked by radical individualism & the dictatorship of relativism, obedience to [Christ] is a revolutionary act.”
November 19, 2010 9:54:30 AM CST via TweetDeck

I seem to have misplaced my JOY; has anyone seen it lying around?
December 16, 2010 12:02:50 AM CST via TweetDeck

52 Ways to Read and Study the Bible in 2011 http://bit.ly/gMurcI
4:10 PM Dec 27th via TweetMeme

Semicolon’s 12 Most Crucial News Stories of 2010

Dec29

1. On Jan. 12 a magnitude 7.0 earthquake hit the town of Léogâne, approximately 16 miles west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, leaving 250,000 dead. The presidential palace, the United Nations headquarters and the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption were destroyed. Around 300,000 were injured, and more than a million Haitians were left homeless; those whose homes survived slept outside for months as aftershocks continued into March. It’s been almost a year now, and Haitians are still experiencing homelessness, joblessness, and political turmoil. Pray for Haiti.

2. On April 20, 11 workers were killed and 17 others were injured when an explosion aboard the Deepwater Horizon Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit caused the unit to burn and sink, precipitating the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history.
Although the BP well was finally capped in mid-August, cleanup of the Gulf is still ongoing and scientists are beginning a yearlong study of the ocean and shore environments, seeking to identify long-term effects.

3. On March 23, 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act became law. Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi blithely remarked, “we have to pass [the health care bill] to see what’s in it.” Pro-life Democrats in the House provided the deciding votes in return for . . . nothing. Republicans are promising to try to overturn the act and rescind it in 2011.

4. Ongoing holocaust: More than 50 million American babies have been aborted since 1973. THis “story” may be the most significant and consequential of this year, or any year since ’73. How can we escape the horrific consequences of killing our own children, year in and year out? God forgive us.

5. War and persecution in Afghanistan.

6. An 8.8-magnitude earthquake on Feb. 27 released 500 times more energy than Haiti’s quake and became the fifth-strongest earthquake ever recorded. But Chileans fared better than Haitians because of better building codes.

7. The last of U.S. combat forces in Iraq left in mid-August. Some non-combat troops and Special Forces remain. “The day after the 2nd Infantry Division left, bombers and gunmen killed at least 55 Iraqis and wounded hundreds in nearly two dozen coordinated attacks across the country.”

8. On Oct. 31, attacks on a Baghdad church service left 58 dead and more than 70 wounded. Christians have been leaving and continue to flee Iraq.

9. The European Union and the International Monetary Fund bailed out Greece in May to the tune of $145 billion. Then, in November, the EU and the IMF bailed out Ireland’s economy, $130 billion. They say either Spain or Portugal or both are next.

10. WikiLeaks began releasing portions of 250,000 diplomatic cables after Thanksgiving, 2010, to select newspapers and via its own website. The head of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, has yet to be charged with treason or any other crime in the United States.

11. The Third Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization, held October 17-25 in Cape Town, South Africa brought together enthusiastic participants from Latin America, Africa, and Asia —and some from Europe, North America, and Australia, too. “Participants devoted much of Saturday to repentance and prayer as they responded to a call to reflect on the movement’s lack of humility, integrity, and simplicity.”

12. iPhone 4, iPad, e-Readers of all kinds, apps, Facebook, Twitter, Google, and tablets are all changing the way we communicate and the way we use technology to relate to one another and to educate and amuse ourselves. Maybe the technologies are also changing us, but it’s difficult to know how or how much.

World Magazine’s Top Ten News Stories of 2010.

Actually, these are only the stories we know about that might be significant influences on the future of our world or of God’s Kingdom. The real story may be a baby born somewhere in China or Albania or Venezuela, or a young woman born again in a tiny church near an obscure village, or two or three gathered together faithfully to pray for God’s deliverance and for revival. It’s amazing to me to think that someday in heaven, we may be able to see and hear about all those really crucial events and people that God used to bring about His will and His plan for our little planet.

God is in control.

Moral Opposition Is Not the Same as Bullying or Hating

Nov22

. . . there is a profound difference between moral objection to the behavior of homosexuality and the physical intimidation or abuse of those tempted by same-sex attraction. Warning against and opposing the societal embrace of certain sexual behaviors is not bullying.

If it is, Ms. Behar, I look forward to your upcoming show in which you will chastise First Lady Michelle Obama for being a willing accomplice of the brutal bullying of obese children. After all, the most bullied group of young people in our country remains the overweight children. Mrs. Obama’s warning against the societal embrace of unhealthy eating habits is only ostracizing and stigmatizing the fat kids, thus inviting more bullying. And her opposition to overeating couldn’t be born out of love and concern for those kids’ well being, could it, Ms. Behar?

‘The View’ of Incoherence by Peter Heck

Great analogy. I am so tired of people being called “haters” (and worse) whenever they say anything in opposition to homosexual behavior. I believe that homosexual behavior is harmful to society, to the family, and to the person who chooses, yes, chooses, to engage in such behavior. I don’t believe that being attracted to a person of your same sex is a sin or is morally repugnant. I do believe that acting on that attraction is wrong and harmful. I am no more hateful for expressing that opinion than I am for saying that overeating is wrong and harmful whenever I engage in that behavior, a choice I make too often and repent of frequently.

‘

Vote Early, Vote Often

Nov2

Ha! Not really. You just get to vote once, but please do vote today if you haven’t already done so.

DownloadedFile

Badge - 2008 election

Encouragement from some of my friends:

“Remember everyone, today is the day to vote! Don’t let a little rain get in your way! Vote make a difference, your voice does count!” ~Suzanne

“Lots of people have already voted. If you haven’t, please do. In reading Romans 13 some time ago, I realized that “being in subjection to the governing authorities” in our nation at least partially involves voting since that’s the way our system is run.” ~Marge

“Vote! May God’s grace be with us today and may he guide each hand that votes. Pray before you go!” ~Joanne

“Put not your trust in princes, nor in mortal man, in whom there is no help. His spirit departs, he returns to the earth; in that very day his thoughts perish. Happy is he whose hope is in the Lord his God which made heaven and earth, which keepeth truth forever, which executes justice for the oppressed.” – Excerpts from Psalm 146:3-7 ~Hannah

Let the Christians Vote as Though They Were Not Voting. ~John Piper

Pro-Life Country

Mar10

You might find this country song a bit too sentimental and simplistic, but I thought it showed how the message of the value of human life is resonating in all sorts of sub-cultures, even country music.

Links and Thinks

Feb3

Melissa at Book Nut has an interview with Roseanne Parry, author of one of my favorite Middle Grade Fiction books of 2009.

This movie sounds good. Has anyone seen it?
Actually, Brown Bear Daughter went to see it with some friends from church and she said it was pretty good. She didn’t rave about it; however, she wants me to see it so that we can discuss.

Haitian author Edwidge Danticat: “My cousin Maxo has died. The house that I called home during my visits to Haiti collapsed on top of him.”

Sarah Palin on Rahm Emmanuel’s hate speech: “His recent tirade against participants in a strategy session was such a strong slap in many American faces that our president is doing himself a disservice by seeming to condone Rahm’s recent sick and offensive tactic.”
I tend to not agree that people should be fired from their jobs because of the words they use, no matter how crude, rude or socially unacceptable. However, Mr. Emmanuel really doesn’t get it, does he?

Heroes for Haiti

Jan27

Haitian Doctor Takes 100 Patients into his Home. “The injured sing Christian hymns as they huddle close together beneath sheets strung up as tents, but the earthquake still haunts them. Aftershocks rattled the city as recently as Friday morning.”

Couple Donate Wedding Reception Money to Haiti: “Guests at the Bogen-Nicholson wedding in June will have an interesting tidbit when they describe the couple’s big day: The bride and groom served peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.”

Matt and Mandy Poulter bring Maya home. They’re members of an E-free church, and they homeschool their five children. Yeah!

Quotes of the Week

Jan18

“Something happened a long time ago in Haiti. People might not want to talk about it. They were under the heel of the French, uh, you know, Napoleon the third and whatever . . . and they got together and swore a pact to the Devil. They said, ‘We will serve you, if you get us free from the Prince.’ True story. And so the Devil said, ‘Okay, it’s a deal.’ . . . Ever since they have been cursed.” ~Pat Robertson
O.K. I think Pat was wrong about his story and wrong about the way God works. God doesn’t curse a whole country with an earthquake or any other disaster because some evil people got together and did a little voodoo ceremony, if they ever did.
However, I listened to the clip, and Mr. Robertson is obviously concerned for the suffering of the people of Haiti, asking people here to pray and to donate money for relief. Even though his theology and his history are both a bit (a lot?) wonky, he doesn’t deserve the lambasting he’s received from some quarters. See this blog post by David Sessions.
Gene Veith on what really happened with Haiti and Napoleon and why we owe Haiti.

Al Mohler: “Does God hate Haiti? God hates sin, and will punish both individual sinners and nations. But that means that every individual and every nation will be found guilty when measured by the standard of God’s perfect righteousness. God does hate sin, but if God merely hated Haiti, there would be no missionaries there; there would be no aid streaming to the nation; there would be no rescue efforts — there would be no hope. . . . In the midst of this unspeakable tragedy, Christ would have us rush to aid the suffering people of Haiti, and rush to tell the Haitian people of his love, his cross, and salvation in his name alone.”

Google reconsiders China: We have decided we are no longer willing to continue censoring our results on Google.cn, and so over the next few weeks we will be discussing with the Chinese government the basis on which we could operate an unfiltered search engine within the law, if at all. We recognize that this may well mean having to shut down Google.cn, and potentially our offices in China.
I don’t know what they mean by finding a basis for cooperation with the Chinese government, but it’s about time Google refused to be stooges for the censors in China.

Blogs from Haiti

Jan18

Adventures in Life: “Hymns were rising up all around us by groups of people singing praises in the streets, calming themselves with their faith, relying on spiritual strength to hold them up. It did not cover up the wailing. The sirens.”

The Livesay (Haiti) Weblog: “The Haitians say, “kenbe fem” or hold/stand firm. Our prayers in the days ahead are for exactly that. And for those coming to their aid – that they will be able to do the same.”

There Is No Such Thing as a God-Forsaken Town: “Please, please pray. Things are worse than anyone can imagine. Our whole family is fine and our house and school are standing and apparently undamaged. 14 others at our house.”

Ellen in Haiti: “There needs to be a massive aid effort to restore order (I saw random incidents of mass hysteria), feed people, and get clean water to the population. Large refugee camps need to be set up throughout the city and it will be important to have security forces that can restore order, especially as time goes on. There also needs to be a huge effort to evacuate people who were injured by falling debris and concrete.”

Real Hope for Haiti Rescue Center blog.

The Apparent Project: “Haitians pray with hands waving and eyes open, much like the early church “orant” posture for prayer. The hills and streets were alive with waving hands, and above the wailing and weeping, we could hear many people saying “Meci Jezi, Meci Senye” (Thank you Jesus, Thank you Lord).”

Buxman Haiti: “Shock can carry you a long way – you feel numb and just function. I keep waking every morning hoping it was just a bad dream. I have a home, water, food.”

Life and Times of the Mangine Many: “Everyone here mourns. The Bible says, “Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted.” I ultimately trust God and believe his word is truth… but man, right now– there just is no comfort to be found… everyone has lost someone. There is no one here to be the comforters.”

Rollings in Haiti: “The reality is that no one has any answers right now about anything. We don’t know what food supplies will be like in two weeks or even a month. We don’t know how much fuel will be available. Nobody knows much of anything right now.”

Cry Haiti: “Haiti is a country in which so many people had nothing, and yet now, these people have lost everything. The Haitian staff tell me that schools, universities and workplaces have been obliterated. The government buildings have all been damaged or completely destroyed. None of the government ministers can be located. When all is said and done, there will be no return to normal in Haiti.”

Abortion: A Justice Issue

Jan7

From now until the 18th of January, I’m keeping this video at the top of the blog. I believe abortion is an issue of justice: justice for the unborn and justice for those mothers who are made to feel that getting an abortion is the easy way out, instead of being shown how they can choose life for their unborn child.

How dare they come to my hometown and build The Second Biggest Abortuary in the WORLD! Planned Parenthood is certainly not building this death trap in hopes of turning it into an adoption and prenatal care center. No, as Abby Johnson, who until recently worked for Planned Parenthood, has said, “One of their goals was to make money, and the way they make money is to increase the number of abortions.”

Houston (USA), we have a problem.