Filed under: America, Historical, patriotism | Tags: Holidays, Liberty, Poems, American Soldier, Heroes
To all the soldiers, young and old,
Men with gray hairs, some with gold,
Courage rises as they fight,
For they know that back at home,
Their wives and children wait.
For sons and fathers, husbands, friends,
To return to them again.
Old glory waves above their heads,
Salute the flag, lift up your head.
Statue columns, rows of men,
Standing at attention
For their fallen comrades
The sound of Taps they hear.
Those who will never walk this earth
Left behind in battle.
Soldiers loved by many hearts,
Prayers said for them each night
Safety and security to give,
God please bless these brave men!
©2009 Abby C. Kautt
May God bless and keep the veterans as they grow old, and for those who are currently serving on the field of battle.
Filed under: Colorado, Family & Friends, Fun together, Just blogging, My simple life, My travels, Pictures, Rocks and fossils, State Parks | Tags: Personal, My world, Blogging, Family & Friends, My travels, updates, Adventures, Priceless pictures, Colorado
Friday September 11, 2009
I awoke at 5:25 when my alarm sang its song to open my sleepy eyes. Shortly thereafter I dressed, and ate breakfast with the others. Then we said goodbye to cousin Janice and Aunt Mary before leaving on our journey. We were on the road by 6:30 am, a record for me!

The skies above New Mexico
We made great time, reaching Wichita Falls by 9:30 – our first stop of the day. We stopped about every 2 hours to stretch our legs and use the toilet, or see interesting sights along our route.

Rock formation in New Mexico
One interesting place we stopped at was outside of Clayton, NM by 30 minutes or so. At the Dino-track site there, you can view the fossilized tracks of 9 kinds of dinos. Pretty neat! A large lake and dam added to the scenery, especially since you have to cross over the top of the dam to reach the dino tracks. I had great fun hiking up to the site, and enjoyed taking pictures of various things along the way. I even saw a flamboyant grass-hopper, it was black but when it took off flying, its wings revealed a reddish hue.
The state park with the dinosaur tracks

Your “average” tourist

A cute little lizard which we saw near the trail

Information about the dino tracks

A relic of a by-gone era

The assorted tracks ~ quite interesting really
We stopped for the night in Raton, NM, a quaint little spot perched on the mountainside. We took an early meal (5:30) at the Ice House, a famous restaurant near downtown. I order the following: Cod fillets (2), fried Okra, salad, rolls and sweet potato fries. Delicious!!!

Eating at the Ice House ~ What a meal!

Yours truly waiting for the “main course”

What a beautiful meal! And it was SOOOOOO delicious
Amazingly, we got to bed by 8:20 local time (9:30 central time). Glorious. I slept soundly and awoke refreshed.

The one and only movie theater in town, cute!
You can read the first post in this series here. And pictures here, here and here.
Filed under: Bible studies, Homemaking, personal, Just blogging, Links, My simple life, Quotes, Radio Ministries, Standing for Truth, The Holy Scriptures | Tags: Others writings, Ministry links, My world, My simple life, Blogging, Books, Everyday, God is the Gospel
I don’t generally share with you in the blog-o-sphere what I am reading, or hope to read, but there are times when I can’t help sharing what’s on my bookshelf.
A couple of years ago, I purchased John Piper’s fabulous little book 50 Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die, but instead of reading the book, I left it to languish in the world of the forgotten. Recently however, I have longed for a deeper understanding of the reasons behind Christ’s death on the cross and how they are applicable to my life.
So, I have written a short review of this book. Enjoy!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Why Jesus Came to Die : A Review of John Piper’s book Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die
© 2006, Desiring God Foundation
Published by Crossway Books
$6.49 at Desiring God bookstore
Are you seeking a deeper relationship with Jesus? A greater understanding of Christ’s death? Do you want to grow your love for our Saviour? How about a true sense of gratitude for His death?
Recently I have taken the time to read and study through John Piper’s marvelous book 50 Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die. An overview of the theological reasons why Jesus was sacrificed for the sins of mankind. As I work my way through this book I am seeing more clearly my sinfulness and His sinlessness. The picture is becoming clearer to me as to the reasons (or as Piper explains so wonderfully, the purposes) behind Christ’s great love for me.
Supported by many scripture references, Dr. Piper draws a dramatic picture of the vast ramifications of Christ’s death. He points it back to the reason why behind the Cross. A predetermined agreement between God the Father, God the Son, and the Holy Spirit to conquer death and Satan. A holy agreement.
From the forward of this wonderful book Piper says the following: “When all is said and done, the most crucial question is: Why? Why did Jesus come to die? Not why in the sense of cause, but why in the sense of purpose. What did Christ achieve by His death? Why did He have to suffer so much? What great thing was happening on Calvary for the world?” “… I have gathered fifty reasons why Jesus came to die. Not fifty causes, but fifty purposes. Infinitely more important than who killed Jesus is the question: What did God achieve for sinners like us in sending His Son to die?” (p. 17)
As I began to work my way through this dear little book (it is actually rather small, only 122 pages long), my whole frame of reference changed as to the purpose for Christ’s death. This became very apparent in the sixth entry: To Show His Own Love For Us. “He loved me and gave Himself for me.” Or as Piper puts it: “The early witnesses who suffered most for being Christians were captured by this fact: Christ “loved me and gave himself for me” (Gal. 2:20). They took the self-giving act of Christ’s sacrifice very personally. They said, “He loved me. He gave himself for me.” (p. 30) His death was for me, for my sins. Very personal.
“Yet is was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief.” Isa. 53:10
Ultimately, Christ came to die for the sins of mankind, to fulfill the will of the Father, and to bring glory to God.
I am so thankful that I purchased this book, but regretful that I have not read it before now. This is a book that I highly recommend to everyone, so that you will have a clearer idea of the greatest sacrifice… ever!
“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace.” Ephesians 1:7
Filed under: Colorado, Fun together, Just blogging, My simple life, My travels, Pictures | Tags: Adventures, Colorado, My travels, Photos

Windy Point looking across at the vast array of mountains in all their majesty! What a breathtaking view, like nothing I’ve ever experienced before.

North Clear Creek Falls - Absolutely beautiful! I love the sound of falling water.

Lake San Cristobal, Lake City CO. A stunningly beautiful lake, reminded me of a fjord in Finland. We saw Elk in the marsh at the south end feeding.

The mountains we saw each and every day of our visit. This morning there was a new snow that graced its peaks.

One of the three lakes on the camps property. It was like a mirror in its appearence.

Some of the thousands of stunning yellow mountainsides that we were surrounded by. I love aspens, they are so pretty!
Filed under: 1, Action alerts, American Government, Current Events, Historical, In Freedom's Cause, Links, Political, Ron Paul, You Tube | Tags: America, Current Events, Economics, Films & media, Liberty, Political, YouTube
Hyperinflation nation video part one. If you want to see the other 2 parts, click here.
