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I’m taking my family on a trip this year: not across the country or even across town, but through the season of Advent. Advent, a season focused on both the joyful anticipation of Jesus’ birth and on his return, begins 4 Sundays prior to Christmas Day and ends on Christmas Eve. Celebrating Advent with my parents and church family is a cherished childhood memory. Each Sunday, we lit the candles on our Advent wreath, read scripture, and sang favorite carols. It kept me focused on the real meaning of Christmas, an antidote to the toy commercials and sugar-charged lures of...

Last night Sarah spoke to a packed house at the College of the Ozarks in Missouri. Although these things are off limits to reporters, and who can blame ‘em, the tweets were flying.

Wednesday December 2, 2009 New Major Study Catalogues How Porn Harms Marriages, Children, Communities and Individuals By John-Henry WestenWASHINGTON, December 2, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Family Research Council (FRC) has released a comprehensive study on the devastating effects of pornography, identifying its harms to countless marriages, children, individuals and communities. "Pornography corrodes the conscience, promotes distrust between husbands and wives and debases untold thousands of young women," explains the study's author Dr. Pat Fagan, Senior Fellow at FRC and Director of the Center for Research on Marriage and Religion.  While it is often said that it is harmless entertainment,...

Meeting the demand for family planning in poor nations is a cheap and effective way to cut CO2 emissions, a new website initiative claims. The UK-based Optimum Population Trust says fast-rising population levels lead to growing emissions. The website is urging wealthy people to offset their own CO2 emissions by funding contraception programmes

The acclaimed new video game Dragon Age: Origins features a "secret" scene in which a man and an elf have gay sex, it has been disclosed. Players of the fantasy game can only access the steamy footage by seducing the warrior elf Zevran with the correct combination of cheesy chat-up lines. In a clip posted online, the gamer-controlled human character opens with the old favourite "I want to discuss something personal" - one of four dialogue options available He then makes his intentions explicit with "Can you join me in my tent?", before pressing home the point with the unequivocally...

Staff Sgt. Heriberto Gonzalez, a force protection escort for the 332nd Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron, holds the American flag his father and grandfather both carried during wartime. Photo courtesy of the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing. JOINT BASE BALAD — Staff Sgt. Heriberto Gonzalez, 332nd Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron, possesses an American flag that was carried by both his father and grandfather during wartime. "Gonzo," as he is referred to by his flight line coworkers, is on his eighth deployment since joining the Air Force. An avionics craftsman by trade, he volunteered to deploy to Iraq to provide security for local...

What began as an experiment in 1992 has become 5,043 charter schools in 39 states and the District of Columbia, providing nearly 2 million American families with opportunity not available in the public school system. Jeanne Allen, president of The Center for Education Reform, said parent demand fueled the rise. "No other form of school choice has provided such a dramatic impact on the lives of so many students," she said, "and no other reform has had the teeth to push conventional public schools to be better like charters have."

A Vermont judge rules Lisa Miller must turn over her daughter to her former lesbian partner. Superior Judge William Cohen ruled last week that Lisa Miller, a former lesbian who is now a Christian, must hand her daughter, Isabelle, over to her former partner, Janet Jenkins by Jan. 1. Miller conceived Isabella through artificial insemination while she was in a civil union with Jenkins. About a year later, Miller left homosexuality. Jenkins sued for custody, even though she has no biological tie to the child. Miller admits she made mistakes, like signing a custody agreement while still in the relationship...

The philosophical basis of Hegelian/Marxist philosophy is antithetical not only to the family; it is irreconcilable with the rights of women everywhere. The philosophy is, at its core, misogynist. Hitching the feminist wagon to Marxism was, and is, the feminine mistake. In this article, I will dig deeply into the Marxist notions about women, the family, and the workplace. As I will show, Marxism, and the far left, are not female friendly. First a little history: Betty Friedan (1921-2006) is often cited as the pioneer of the modern women's rights movement. Friedan co-founded the National Organization for Women (NOW) in...

Elizabeth Smith says she cooked the ham the night before and asked her father-in-law to wake her up on Thanksgiving morning so she could cook the rest. But when she woke up at 7 a.m., she said, Donald "Junior" Smith was already stuffing the turkey. With celery. Elizabeth's husband, Tristan Smith, is allergic to celery. "It makes him sick," she said. She started crying. Junior yelled. Elizabeth's husband shouted at his dad for yelling at his wife. "You're not going to step in my wife's face," Tristan hollered, according to Elizabeth.

A German couple who tried to teach their children Christian values at home has been fined by a Kassel court for refusing to send them to school. The couple from the Hessian village of Archfeld bei Herleshausen has seven children between the ages of two and 17, who they told the court they had hoped to “give the Bible their unlimited trust” through lessons at home. Rosemarie (43) and Jürgen D. (48) were sentenced on Wednesday to pay a daily €1 fine for 60 days for defying the country's compulsory school attendance. The ruling was a lenient judgement compared to...

Wednesday November 25, 2009 Britain's Chief Rabbi Warns of Fall of Europe due to Demographic Collapse By John-Henry WestenLONDON, November 24, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Speaking at the Annual Theos Lecture in London on November 4, Britain's Chief Rabbi Johnathan Sacks, warned that Europe was bound to meet the same fate as ancient Greece due to its abysmal failure to inspire larger families. "Parenthood involves massive sacrifice: of money, attention, time and emotional energy," he said.  "Where today, in European culture with its consumerism and its instant gratification 'because you're worth it,' in that culture, where will you find space...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 25, 2009 – Amanda Bailey has a lot to thankful for this Thanksgiving, with her husband, Army Spc. Christopher Bailey home from Iraq for rest and relaxation leave. And as head of his National Guard unit’s family readiness group, she’s helped to galvanize a communitywide show of appreciation for families of its deployed troops. Army Spc. Christopher Bailey, his wife, Amanda, and children are looking forward to spending Thanksgiving together during Bailey’s rest and relaxation leave from his deployment in Iraq. Ardmore, Ala., November 2009. Courtesy photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Bailey, a military policeman with...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IDRSkBOuuc

You may recognize these names from recent headlines: Sen. John Ensign, Rep. Bart Stupak and Rep. Joe Pitts. Stupak and Pitts have become familiar names through the media's health care overhaul coverage; their abortion funding amendment introduced an 11th-hour twist as the House of Representatives approached a vote on a landmark health care bill. Ensign was the focus of media attention over his affair with a campaign staffer. Just last night, a Nevada man disclosed that he found out about his wife's affair with the state's junior senator — his best friend — via a text message.The common factor among...

Sign The Declaration! Christians, when they have lived up to the highest ideals of their faith, have defended the weak and vulnerable and worked tirelessly to protect and strengthen vital institutions of civil society, beginning with the family. We are Orthodox, Catholic, and evangelical Christians who have united at this hour to reaffirm fundamental truths about justice and the common good, and to call upon our fellow citizens, believers and non-believers alike, to join us in defending them. These truths are: --the sanctity of human life --the dignity of marriage as the conjugal union of husband and wife --the rights...

TETON COUNTY - An 11-year-old boy has shot and killed a black bear at point blank range in Teton County. The Teton Valley News reports that the boy was home alone with two younger sisters and was afraid the bear would make its way into the house just like the bear that Fish and Game trapped and euthanized two weeks ago. The boy tried to get the bear to leave initially. Fish and Game says that the family isn't in trouble, and that they would have likely put this bear down themselves.

By Paul Thigpen, Ph.D. Do Animals Go to Heaven? Responding to a common question from children Not long ago a TCA reader wrote us to ask a familiar question: What should we tell children when a pet dies and they ask whether animals have souls and go to heaven? She reported that she had upset some parents when she told their children (students in her class) that the answer to both questions was no.The answer to the first question -- do animals have souls? -- depends, of course, on how we define "soul." Ancient and medieval writers, both pagan and...

Following the courageous expose by two young investigative journalists released on the pages of this very blog, there were widespread calls for a U.S. Department of Justice investigation into the criminal enterprise that is ACORN. One would think there would be swift, decisive action from the administration that promised to be the most transparent in history. Despite the urging of some in congress and action on the regional level, and an internal investigation into funding, terrorist sympathizer U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder refuses to appoint a special prosecutor to oversee a criminal investigation of ACORN. There’s no evidence that any...

GATESVILLE, Texas, Nov. 12, 2009 – The citizens of the “Spur Capital of Texas” here opened their arms and hearts to Army Reserve soldiers affected by the Nov. 5 Fort Hood shooting by hosting them for dinner at a local restaurant Nov. 8. The community of Gatesville, Texas, hosted a dinner at the Prima Pasta restaurant for Army Reserve soldiers affected by the Nov. 5 shootings on Fort Hood, Nov. 8, 2009. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Tony Lindback  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. “It is absolutely wonderful to see all these folks together and to show our...

FORT HOOD, Texas, Nov. 12, 2009 – November 5 began and might have ended like any other day for Kanesha Howard, an Army spouse and mother of two. Instead, she found herself living a nightmare by midday, franticly wondering if she still had a husband. Eventually, she learned that Staff Sgt. Alvin Howard, a heavy-wheeled vehicle mechanic assigned to the 20th Engineer Battalion, had been wounded in the massacre here, while preparing with other troops for their upcoming deployment. Since that fateful day, however, Howard has mustered the strength to smile again. Amid unimaginable frustration and destruction, Howard’s husband’s unit...

Fatherhood and Religion Allie Winegar Duzett, November 11, 2009 “Children benefit when fathers are involved in family life; religion encourages men to be more involved in family life,” Dr. Richard Petts said at the Heritage Foundation’s recent conference, Religious Practice and the Family: What the Research Says. Dr. Petts, an assistant professor of sociology at Ball State University, spoke on the impact of paternal religiosity on child development. Unfortunately, Dr. Petts noted at the conference, “No studies have yet examined how [the] father’s religiosity may affect the lives of young children.” Still, Dr. Petts finds it worthwhile to ask: Does...

Now more than ever the soldiers of Fort Hood, Texas need help. Many of our service men and women return home from Afghanistan or Iraq to face financial crisis, foreclosure and lack. "Operation Once In A Lifetime" is an organization dedicated to helping those returning to Fort Hood who are in need.

The Lesson of Bob McDonnellby Charlie SpieringA week before the election, Virginia candidate for governor Bob McDonnell was asked in a radio interview if he would veto state funding for Planned Parenthood.“We shouldn't be doing that (funding Planned Parenthood) in Virginia,” answered O’Donnell. “That's common sense I think, and that will be part of what we get done.”Pro-choice activists were furious and quick to condemn his remarks. To them it was one more reason why McDonnell was “out of step and out of touch with voters.” But McDonnell, with his common sense approach to politics, proved that you can still...

Europe Cracks Down on Home School Parents MUNICH, Germany - Increasing custody cases in Europe are proof that officials there have declared war against home schooling and parental rights, according to some residents.In Sweden, police burst onto a plane and took 7-year-old Dominic Johansson from his parents as they were about to leave the country.Months earlier, they told school officials they were going to home school Dominic, prompting officials to open an investigation. In a similar case in Germany, the government abducted 7-year-old Dan Schulz while the family was sleeping. He can be heard on tape screaming that he...

A cousin of the man suspected of opening fire at Fort Hood, Texas, says his family is shocked and saddened by the tragedy. Nader Hasan of Falls Church, Va., said in a statement issued late Thursday that he and his family are filled with grief for the families of the victims. Twelve people were killed and 31 were wounded in the attack. He says that Nidal Hasan's family knows little about what happened, but that they want to send "our most heartfelt sympathies" to the families of the victims. He also says that Hasan was raised in America, and that...

Religion and Families Allie Winegar Duzett, November 5, 2009 Studies of the past decade’s religiosity “can be boiled into good news and bad news,” said Annette Mahoney of Bowling Green State University at a recent Heritage Foundation conference, Religious Practice and the Family: What the Research Says. “The bad news is that almost no research has been done on how religion operates when problems are not prevented,” she said, adding that “the good news is that religion does matter for families.” Mahoney explained that religion tends to help people in “maintaining any family relationship, traditional or not, such as being...

Starbucks Sabbath Allie Winegar Duzett, November 3, 2009 In recent years, the American family has been falling apart. Divorce rates have skyrocketed, as have births outside of marriage; non-traditional families are on the way to becoming the norm in society. Brad Wilcox spoke of the “unprecedented family revolution” in America at a recent Heritage Foundation event, Religious Practice and the Family: What the Research Says. This family revolution, Wilcox argued, has “undercut marriage as a fundamental institution” in American society, which matters because religion and familial stability typically go hand in hand. As Wilcox pointed out, “couples who share a...

A Trunk or Treat is a Halloween event that is often church or community-sponsored. People gather and park their cars in a large parking lot. They open their trunks or the backs of their vehicles and decorate them. Then they pass out candy from their trunks. The event provides a safe family environment for trick or treaters.... (see pictures!)

Real Witches Practice Samhain: Wicca on the Rise in U.S. More Americans Are Wiccan, and Will Celebrate Samhain, Not Halloween, Saturday By RUSSELL GOLDMAN Oct. 30, 2009— Patti Wigington is a soccer mom. She is the vice president of her local PTA. And she's a witch. This Saturday while her neighborhood outside Columbus, Ohio, is crawling with costumed witches in search of candy, Wigington and a group of other local witches will not be celebrating Halloween, but the new year festival Samhain, which also occurs Oct. 31. In her backyard, Wigington and six other local women who make up...

LOGAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan, Oct. 22, 2009 – Shoot, move and communicate. That’s a soldier’s motto on the battlefield, but without a stable Internet connection, communication would not be possible. Air Force Staff Sgt. Jeremy Emond inspects the satellite dish of the Virtual Secret Internet Protocol Router, Non-Secure Internet Protocol Router at Combat Outpost McClain, Afghanistan. Emond operates the system to free up more soldiers for combat operations. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Melissa Stewart  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Air Force Staff Sgt. Jeremy Emond does his part at Combat Outpost McClain, aiding soldiers by providing Internet access. “I’m...

You can divorce an abusive spouse. You can call it quits if your lover mistreats you. But what can you do if the source of your misery is your own parent? Granted, no parent is perfect. And whining about parental failure, real or not, is practically an American pastime that keeps the therapeutic community dutifully employed. But just as there are ordinary good-enough parents who mysteriously produce a difficult child, there are some decent people who have the misfortune of having a truly toxic parent. A patient of mine, a lovely woman in her 60s whom I treated for depression,...

From left to right, Maj. Richard Dennis, Senon Valdilles Jr. and Spc. David Valdilles share a light moment in the Oasis Dining Facility, Oct. 16. Photo by Sgt. Jon Soles, Multi-National Division – Baghdad. BAGHDAD — Life in the Army is often marked by deployments that separate families. But that doesn't mean families on the Army team can't see each other downrange. Circumstances at Camp Liberty, here, Oct. 16, allowed a rare meeting between Maj. Richard Dennis, a 1st Cavalry Division military police officer, his father-in-law, Senon Valdilles Jr., a Department of Army civilian, and Valdilles' son, Spc. David Valdilles.All...

These pictures should give you a pretty good idea of what AwkwardFamilyPhotos.com would've looked like 100 years ago. It starts out cute, but turns ugly and creepy fast…

The supersize Duggar clan just got a tiny bit bigger. The reality TV family has welcomed its first grandchild, Mackynzie Renee Duggar, People.com reports. Her 17 aunts and uncles and paternal grandparents, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, are doubtless thrilled about the latest branch on the family tree. Josh Duggar - the oldest of Jim Bob and Michelle's brood of 18 - and his wife, Anna, had Mackynzie at home with a midwife and a doula in attendance. As the big brother to 17 siblings, Josh is no stranger to babies, and he was a very involved and attentive dad...

This month reveals how deeply we have descended into an anti-human kind of Dante's Hell.  From Newsweek, which told us a month ago that "We Are All Socialists Now," last week's cover story was: The Case for Pulling the Plug on Granny. , written by Evan Thomas, the grandson of famous socialist  Norman Thomas, a six-time Presidential candidate for the Socialist Party of America. But now that we're all socialists, Evan Thomas can confess that he's just a Democrat. The fundamental delusion of Socialism is that there's a free lunch, plus free health care, free national defense (by decimating the...

Remember when we used to jump on our bikes with a sack lunch, take off on a summer morning and not come back until suppertime? And nobody worried. Mom said, "Be careful"; Dad was at work; siblings were otherwise occupied or along for the ride. What did we do all that time? Nothing special, which turned out to be very special. When we speak of our childhood we don't mean babyhood or toddlerhood or the first day of school. We mean that burst of mobility after the training wheels came off the bike (or in my case, after my sister...

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C., Oct. 6, 2009 – The woman she sees in her bleaker yesterdays is unrecognizable to her now -- almost a stranger. Domestic violence survivor, military spouse and playwright Carolyn Louise Herring Moore, right, goes over a scene with actress Jasmine Wilson at a play rehearsal in Fayetteville, N.C., Sept. 29, 2009. Moore wrote a play, "Women Shoptalk While Real Men Wait," about her experiences with domestic violence. U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Victor J. Ayala  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Her fear is gone, and there is strength in its place. She is outgoing again and pursuing...

Our Air Force son is home safe. Thanks be to God for keeping him safe while he was in Iraq and for returning him home to us! Thanks folks for all the prayers!!!

In the wake of Derrion Albert's death, I find myself increasingly disillusioned by the current state of Black America. While African Americans comprise 13.5 percent of the population, 43 percent of all murder victims in 2007 were African America. Of the 43 percent who were murdered, 93.1 percent were killed by African Americans. Was it always like this? The answer is Unequivocally: NO. The disproportionate crime rates, illegitimacy rates, divorce rates, drugs abuse, and disproportionate incarceration rates didn't begin until liberals took over the Black Community in the 60s. Before liberals came and negated the influence of the Black father...

Why We Are Going to Hell - - Part 3,942 Obama’s Most Recent Proclamation Bythelastcrusade.org President Obama has included homosexual couples raising children in a list of "American families" in a recent proclamation declaring Monday National Family Day. "Whether children are raised by two parents, a single parent, grandparents, a same-sex couple, or a guardian," Mr. Obama proclaimed, "families encourage us to do our best and enable us to accomplish great things." The president went on to encourage participation in Family Day by sharing an evening meal as a family unit. "A strong nation is made up of strong...

CBN.com – In my book Divorce Proofing Your Marriage, I expose ten common lies people embrace that eventually leads to divorce. This book confronts our thoughts, beliefs, and assumptions that influence how we behave and the choices we make. So if you want to strengthen your marriage or stop the slippery slide to divorce, first check your thoughts and ask, “Are my thoughts reflective of the secular culture or the Bible?” You may be surprised how far your thinking has strayed from the Bible's restorative theme. Here's a brief overview of the ten lies that can lead to divorce. Do...

As the American political scene increasingly takes on the shape of an ideological war zone, we are witnessing the emergence of countless born again constitutionalists that are railing against business as usual in Washington. And it’s little wonder since both political parties seem to be engaged in speed trials on shredding the constitution, even as they compete for the hearts, minds and wallets of the voters. The Libertarian Party has gained some valuable real estate in the shifting political landscape and is riding a modest but growing wave of support among the disenfranchised and disheartened electorate. It’s an offshoot...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 25, 2009 – Ruth Stonesifer dreamed of a quiet life in Kintnersville, Penn., passing her days quilting for her three grandchildren. Left, Ruth Stonesifer and her son Kristofor pose for a picture in July 2001, just months before the Army Ranger was killed in an October 2001 helicopter crash over Pakistan, and right, Ruth pictured today. Ruth is now the president of American Gold Star Mothers Inc., a nonprofit group made up of mothers who have lost sons and daughters in the line of duty while serving in the U.S. armed forces. Courtesy photos  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution...

the worthless uncle. The aunts and uncles, when children growing up in the anthracite coal region of northeastern Pennsylvania during the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s, recall their Uncle Andrei as a small, solitary man as seen across the street, slowly and awkwardly making his way up the hill, towards his own home on the other side. Their uncle, my own great-uncle Andrei, the ninth of the fourteen children of my great-grandfather, had been born with a withered leg, which was all but useless. At times, he managed to walk without the use of a crutch, but as he got older,...

Last fall A.J. and Lisa Demaree took a memory stick with family photos to the printing center at the Wal-Mart store in Peoria, Ariz. Some of the photos showed their three young girls, all under 5 years old, partially nude in the bathtub. The Demarees say these were innocent pictures that all families take. But a Wal-Mart employee felt otherwise and contacted the police who agreed that this was a child pornography situation. The Demaree's lawyer released this photo to show the pictures of the girls are innocent. The police report read, "The young girl appeared to be posed in...

America's first family will get vaccinated against swine flu when they are advised to, President Barack Obama said in a television interview broadcast Sunday. "We want to get vaccinated. We think it's the right thing to do. We will stand in line like everybody else and when folks say it's our turn, that's when we'll get it," Obama told CNN's "State of the Union." With the northern hemisphere entering its autumn flu season and infection rates again beginning to spike, many Americans are waiting for the first deliveries of (A)H1N1 vaccines, expected to come in the first weeks of October....

“Are you a teabagger?,you must be a teabagger?” In which I respond “You must be watching some Rachel Maddow”, “Nope, are you a teabagger? That’s what you are called, right?” I was then told that teabaggers were racist, and the protesters at the rally only came out because they hate blacks. WTF!?!

Two days of interview on James Dobson's Focus on the Family radio broadcast. Michelle Malkin. Web starting point: http://listen.family.org/daily/A000002229.cfm Another starting point, Citizen Link: http://www.citizenlink.org/dailybroadcast/A000010978.cfm Audio and audio links: http://www.focusonthefamily.com/popups/media_player.aspx?

If Malia and Sasha Obama write "How I Spent My Summer Vacation" essays as they head back to school this week, oh, the stories they can tell. The tweens have prowled the Kremlin in trench coats, roamed a Harry Potter movie set in London, and studied slave history in Africa as they racked up tens of thousands of miles crisscrossing the Atlantic Ocean, time zones and international borders with their parents this summer. Stateside, 11-year-old Malia and 8-year-old Sasha explored the American West on a family tour of Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Canyon. They went whitewater rafting in...